Peter Pickslay wrote:
> I am dealing with a field in the data that has
> multiple words, and not formatted text.

Yes, I know.  The whole point is that you want to change the way that
spaces between multiple words are being output.  But keep in mind that,
whether you're using <setwidth> tags or entities, you're still returning
formatted text (tags) from your rule.

> So I am unsure as how to use the
> space entities (&XXXsp) to accomplish
> the goal of increasing the
> individual word spacing of text in a
> data field.

Your original question was about how to "adjust individual word
spacing."  I don't recall reading until just now that your goal was to
*increase* the word spacing.  My specific example using the "&thinsp;"
entity would cause word spacing to be decreased, not increased, but it
was a valid answer to your original question.  Now that you've stated
your question more precisely, I can give you a more precise answer.

> I you can explain a way
> to do this other then the method Alex
> referred I will be very thankful,

Well, using entities is not really any more complicated than what Alex
posted.  If anything, it's simpler than building <span> and <setwidth>
tags.  It might not be as obvious, though.

The definitions of the relevant space entities are:
&emsp; - 'em' space (the horizontal space of a capital M)
&ensp; - 'en' space (1/2 of em space)
&thinsp; - 'thin' space (1/6 of em space)

This information can be found in the FusionPro Tags Reference Guide.

So, if you wanted to increase the amount of space using entities, you
could use the &emsp; entity, or a combination of multiple entities
together.  For example:

  return ReplaceSubstring(str, " ", "&emsp;&ensp;");

You can play around with different entities, and combinations thereof,
to get the results you want.  The disadvantage here compared to using
<setwidth> tags, again, is that you're not specifying an exact amount of
space in points.  On the other hand, with the entities, the amount of
space will be relative to (i.e. will change with) the point size of the
text, instead of being a fixed value.

> as my java script knowledge is equivalent
> to that of a toddlers
> knowledge of calculus!

Figuring out this stuff requires some knowledge of two different
technologies: JavaScript and FusionPro tagging.  And we realize that not
everyone is a programmer, and that it's not always obvious where to
start looking for how to accomplish something.  That's why we come up
with things like the Drag-and-Drop Rule Wizard, which allow you to do a
lot without any knowledge of either JavaScript or tagging.  But
sometimes, if you want to do something more complex or specialized, it
has to be done in a rule.  JavaScript rules give you an almost unlimited
capability to use any logic you want to modify the output.

In this case, the JavaScript itself isn't really as complicated as
figuring out the FusionPro tagging.  But it's all there in the Tags
Reference Guide.  The best way to learn this stuff, other than enrolling
in one of our excellent training classes, is to just start trying
things, and to use this forum to trade ideas and hints.

I also realize that jobs are run on tight deadlines, but we're all on
deadlines, and we don't necessarily have time to answer every question
right away, especially if the original question is ambiguous and it
requires a few rounds of back-and-forth to discern exactly what the
desired result is.

The bottom line is, if what you got from Alex is working, then by all
means, stick with it.  My point isn't that one solution is necessarily
superior to another, especially in a general case.  I just took a bit of
exception to your assertion that my advice was improper.

Dan


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