FORMS LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS
In addition, it is possible to have the line table show more than one line passing in the same direction through a given coordinate. For example, draw three lines, each of which is five units in length (0 to 5, 10 to 15, and 20 to 25). Then draw two lines, each of which is nine units in length (3 to 12 and 13 to 22). The result is a single visual line for which FDL has three entries in the line table (0 to 12, 10 to 22, and
20to 25). Figure
Figure 5-2. Lines entered in unintended locations
These two examples of awkwardly entering lines into the line table result in lines that are visually contiguous but not logically contiguous. As indicated in the subsequent sections that describe problems with boxes, such conditions can result in a situation where FDL is unable to find a box or creates a box that has one or both of its dimensions equal to zero.
Suggested techniques for The suggested technique for entering lines is to draw the longest entering lines possible logical line first, then draw any shorter elements. If the
logical line consists of different types of lines (for example, solid and dotted), draw a SOLID 0 line first extending over the full range of the logical line. For instance, the previously cited example of five line segments of five units each might have consisted of alternating solid and dotted lines. In that case, the most reasonable method of specifying the total line would be as follows:
AT 0 LINE 0 TO 25 USING SOLID 0;
AT 0 LINE 0 TO 5 USING SOLID 2 AND AT 10, 20;
AT 0 LINE 5 TO 10 USING DOTTED 1 AND AT 15;
Figure 5-3 shows the line that would be drawn.
Figure 5-3. Line made up of different types of lines
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