Multi-line field does not return characters after an "Enter" or "Return is typed

[kentbaker]

Template is being used with server. Have created a Multi-line field type in Web DataCollect ( 5 lines, no character limit, not required).

 

Trouble is, when one types a "return", anything typed afterword is not displayed.

 

Is there a way to handle this, or can you not have returns in a multi-line?

 

Thanks in advance,

[Dan Korn]

Where are you doing the typing? Do you mean on a web form in a web browser? What web application is presenting the form? Is it DSF, or some other web app?

 

Remember that "multi-line" only denotes the type of control that the form is supposed to present to the user. It's intended for lengthy input that's more than would be appropriate for a small text box. However, the fact that a multi-line control in the web form may allow you to type in a return doesn't guarantee that the web application is going to be able to properly process whatever data is typed into the control and present it to FusionPro appropriately.

 

The problem is that embedded newlines (returns) in data are tricky, since a newline denotes the end of a record in flat file data, and it's ignored as white space in tagged markup. Whatever web application is processing the user form input and creating the input file for FusionPro needs to be savvy enough to turn the return into a <br> tag in tagged markup, or something similar.

 

So this is really an issue to take up with the developers of the web application.

[kentbaker]

Hi Dan,

 

We are developing with FP Server. I am sure that you have had correspondence with Matt, Al, or Courtney about other things. If knowing that we are using FP Server gives you any ideas of what we might look at first, I would appreciate hearing it.

[Dan Korn]

We are developing with FP Server.I am sure that you have had correspondence with Matt, Al, or Courtney about other things. If knowing that we are using FP Server gives you any ideas of what we might look at first, I would appreciate hearing it.

Sorry, but I don't have any ideas without knowing more, and I don't know the other people you're listing, at least not just by their first names.

 

I understand that you're defining a VDP template and an HTML form definition in FP Desktop, with the intent that the template will be composed with FP Server, along with some data obtained through a form. What I don't know, and can't determine without you telling me, is what piece in between is actually collecting the data and invoking FP Server.

 

Again, FusionPro Server doesn't have any place to type in data, or any user interface at all, for that matter. It's a command-line utility, designed to be used as part of a larger application, usually a Web-to-Print app.

 

So I'll ask again: Where are you typing in this data? What application is invoking FP Server?

 

I'm not trying to be difficult, but I can't help you at all without knowing the larger context of what third-party application you're using FP Server with. Even then, I'm not sure I can do anything about that third-party app, although I can try to make suggestions about how that app can best integrate with FP Server.

[Dan Korn]

Do you mean this website?

http://www.printingforless.com/

 

I'm talking about the ASP.NET web application that's driving that site. It's your web application. Your C# code has logic which reads in the data from the web form, and then generates an input file for FusionPro Server. As I said, as part of that process, your web application needs to convert any newlines (returns) into <br> tags in the input file it's making, so that FusionPro knows how to typeset the newline properly. It may also need to convert tabs to <t> tags, among other things. At a minimum, it needs to convert certain special markup characters to entities, such as "<" to "<", so that they get properly parsed out of the tagged markup input file. It's up to you (or your web developer) to handle these characters in the web application code.

[kentbaker]

Hi Dan,

 

Thank you for this response. I will turn this over to our developers and they will contact support if needed.

[kentbaker]

As always, very helpful Dan.