How do I make shapes with typing?

What are some ways to make custom shapes in FileMaker Pro?

• If not, is there any workaround to make custom shapes that could be conditionally formatted to change color? You can group lines together to make shapes but I want to make, for example, an octagon that can be formatted to change color based on a field.

• Answer:

  No, but there is a trick that comes close. Go into Photoshop, Preview, or similar graphic app. Create a square image slightly larger than the octagon (or whatever) you want to create. Fill it with whatever color the background or object that will be behind your custom shape will be. (IE, if you're planning on using it on a FileMaker layout with a white background, fill your image with white.) Then draw your octagon, and delete the solid pixels, so you are left with a negative image of the octagon, with a transparent octagon in the center, like this: The solid pixels, black in this image, are the ones that should be the background color of your FileMaker layout or whatever object will be behind your final octagon. Save this image file to your hard drive as a .PNG with transparency. Then, in FileMaker, create a button on your layout of the exact same dimensions as the image you just saved, and apply whatever conditional formatting to it you want. Then under the "Insert" menu in Layout mode, select "Picture..." and load the image you just saved. Place it directly in front of the button you just created. Now, the solid border blends in with the background of the layout, and the conditionally-formatted button shows through the hole in the PNG image, creating the appearance of an octagon that can change with conditional formatting.