Text Display Object and Matrix Object issues

I am experiencing some issues with the Text Display and Matrix Objects.

There are two separate places to adjust text alignment.

Place #1: “Top Center Bottom” in the Text Display Options pane (or tab?).
Place #2: “Left Center Right” in the Text pane.

There must be a reason they are now in separate places… (??)

Some issues:

If I adjust the alignment options (from BOTH tabs), change the font size to 9 or smaller, keep clicking on the alignment buttons (from both tabs - as someone might do while tweaking a form just so…) - eventually… the text display object will stop responding to a change in alignment and stay with one alignment even if the highlighted button is different - i.e. The text will align right even if the button highlighted is left or center, same for top, center, bottom. etc.

Second one:

  1. Use a hollow rectangle as a matrix frame
  2. Name it
  3. Assign it to a matrix (the matrix I need on this project is 12x36 - works perfectly in Pan6 BTW)
  4. Add a text display object with text centered T/B and L/R.
  5. Select “Refresh Matrixes”
  6. Wait for the matrix to redraw
  7. Continue to wait for the matrix to redraw
  8. The text displayed in the matrix cells is not justified the same as in the matrix frame.
  9. When I select center/center for the text display object text alignment within the frame, it most often displays left/center in every matrix cell.
  10. If I close/open the form containing the matrix (or close/open the file), the text in the matrix sometimes aligns correctly on re-open, sometimes not.
  11. If it is plain text being displayed - seems to align correctly more frequently.
  12. If the cell data displayed is the result of a formula - seems to align correctly less frequently.

Third one: None of the “show” commands intended to redraw anything on a form are successful in getting a 12x36 cell matrix to refresh, update, or redraw… I have tried them all with no success from within a procedure. The only way I am able to update the matrix (fed with array data from a variable - not the data sheet) is to switch to graphics mode and select “Refresh Matrixes” from the Object menu.

Fourth one: When a medium to large matrix object is clicked on, then dragged, the mouse moves but fails to “pick up” the matrix object for a “real time” move. After a number of seconds, the matrix just instantly snaps to the “mouse up” point at the end of the attempted move. There is no “real time” dragging of the matrix like there is for other objects on the form.

Graphic objects seem to drag the smoothest while text display objects are jerky. Matrix objects (bigger ones with multiple columns/rows) simply snap to the mouse up position after a number of seconds of delay. There is no real time object movement along with the mouse - just the spinning rainbow ball until the redraw appears at the new location. Seems like the application is redrawing/updating/re-evaluating the moving object during the move in real time rather than just dragging a visual representation of the object and then updating it on mouse up.

I agree this is a bit awkward but there is a reason. Left/Center/Right is a universal attribute that works not just on Text Display objects, but also Text Editors and Labels. So this control is in one of the universal panels that are the same for all objects.

Top/Center/Bottom is only for the Text Display object. So the control is in the far right panel, which is the panel that contains controls that are specific to one kind of object.

I cannot duplicate this. My guess is that some point you clicked on an empty spot on the form, at which point no object is selected and clicking on object property controls would have no effect. Maybe it could beep if that happens.

Normally in this situation I would update the matrix this way:

showvariables variablename

But I’m not sure if that would work depending on how you have set up your matrix.

Absolutely! IMO that is a feature, not a bug. The way Panorama 6 would drag an outline around was a major complaint of many users – not modern at all. It sounds like you are seeing much bigger performance problems than I have ever experienced, and I am using a 2011 computer.

This is way to complicated for me to try to reproduce from your instructions. If you want to send me a file that demonstrates this I’d be happy to look at it. I’ve never had a problem with text display alignment in a matrix.

Thanks for the info - I replied via email with the file attached.

Makes sense.

Followup: When no object is selected (highlighted) in graphics mode, the Special Objects Properties tab shows “n/a”. Also makes sense. Clicking on the “Font and Alignment” properties tab allows for setting of those features even if no object is selected. Is there a reason that tab doesn’t show “n/a” when no object is selected? Does setting a font, size, or alignment with no object selected set a default state for newly created text objects? …or could it?

I made sure not to unselect the object during testing. If you are able, try it in the file I will send you.

Tried it - didn’t refresh. Try it in the file…

OK - makes sense. Could there be a preference toggle to turn that “feature” off while in graphics mode?
It drags smooth if I remove the matrix data, adjust, then add back the matrix data - but for detailed form adjustments it might be more efficient to drag (or bump with arrow keys) just an outline quickly and accurately…?
I’m editing from a Mac Pro with 24 gb of ram and all SSD drives.

Here is the file I refer to in this thread. I replied via the thread with some additional thoughts.

Verry sorry - I sent you the wrong file.

Here is the correct file:

Those two files seem the same to me. For future reference, I’m not sure how you are sending those files, but it is not a good way for me to receive them. If you want to publicly post them, you can drag them onto a post on the forum. If you want to send a file to me privately, please send it to my regular email. The way you did it, it does show up but in a very odd place where I very likely will miss it.

I have a meeting to go to (programmers meet late) but quickly, you have a 12 by 36 matrix which means 432 visible cells. No wonder it is “jerky”. Perhaps that worked in Panorama 6 but that sort of thing was not a design goal, it was an accident. I’ve never made a matrix with even a quarter that many cells. A famous Steve Jobs saying was that “Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things”

I’m going to follow Steve’s lead and say no here. The application you have in mind is waaay outside of Panorama’s intended use, and there simply aren’t the resources available to optimize this sort of thing.

Here’s a possible thought – maybe you could do this with a web view and an HTML table? I don’t know if that would be faster or not. It could also possibly be done with a single Text Display object and tabs (with rich text).

I think the problems you are having with text alignment are related to the fact that your Text Display object is shorter than the text size you are using. At a minimum, you should pick Top alignment in that situation. Also, that is going to be faster – it is wasting a lot of cycles trying to vertically center 432 cells. Your situation, with the object shorter than the text, is actually probably the worst case performance wise. In early versions of Panorama this actually caused a hang – now it doesn’t do that but it can take a while for it to realize that it isn’t accomplishing anything. But in general, try to avoid using text that is taller than the object (when I say “taller”, I am including the white space above and below the text, not just the text itself).