Hey Richard,

To get around problem one, you could use an em-dash. It doesn't display as a separator. If you're actually using these operators in a calc (with evaluate) to do some math, then you will need to sub in the en-dash for it to actually do the subtraction.

For #2, I think that was one of the things that happened when FileMaker 11 came along. May not be much to be done about it. If you used radio buttons instead (I know, may not look as nice), you can tab into the field and use the arrow keys and space bar to select the operator you want.

Paul



--
Paul Spafford
FileMaker Database Superhero,
Spafford Data Solutions

Tel: 613 838 9956
www.paulspafford.com
www.ottawafilemakerdeveloper.com
www.fmlayoutmode.com
www.fmscripts.com

FileMaker User Group in Ottawa:
www.meetup.com/fudgeo




On Dec 1, 2011, at 4:32 PM, Richard S. Russell wrote:

> So I'm ginning up this screen that will let learners of simple arithmetic enter 2 numbers (each in the range from 1 to 12) and apply a standard arithmetic operation to them: add, subtract, multiply, or divide. And I'd like them to be able to choose the appropriate symbol for each operation from either a drop-down list or a pop-up menu.
> 
> You can see Problem #1 coming, can't you? One of the options in the value list is a minus sign, which FileMaker treats as a dividing line when it's displayed. How can I get it to show up AS a hyphen?
> 
> And Problem #2 is that, when I tab into the Operator field, it neither drops down nor pops up. CLICKING in the field works, but I'm puzzled as to why simply tabbing into it doesn't.
> 
> Any clues out there in Expertland?