FilePath calculation / FMServer

[balooka]

Hi

I need to set a file path to a referenced image but I can't get it done. and really could use some help or guidance.

I have an FMServer running on a Mac at a remote location. There are Win users that import images into a database, all as referenced files on a NAS disk (Z: drive).

On Windows, the referenced file path works of course, but I need the Mac users to also  see the files. 

A filepath to an image looks like:

file://Z:/VKB Archief Data/DATA BELGIË/BE 2016-06 Motor/BE 2016-06 Motor inlezen/20160616-DSCF2970.jpg

I've tried numerous ways of calculating the mac file path but I can't get anything into the container other than 'file not found'.

 

[FMServer 14 and all clients are FMP 14]

Can someone please help me out here?

Thanks!

 

[Wim Decorte]

Insert a file by reference from one of the Macs and look at the file path to see its syntax.

The Mac folks will never 'see' the files that were inserted from Windows because when FM creates the reference it uses the Windows path syntax and that does nothing for the Mac.

[balooka]

Thanks Wim,

 

With 'never' you mean that the Mac folks will not see the files until I recalculate a new path for them, no?

[Wim Decorte]

The container will not display the file for them.  Ever.  Unless you re-insert the same file from a Mac.

You can recalc the path but that alone doesn't do much.  It would allow you to retrieve the file on a Mac, provided the user has the volume mounted.  But just by recalcing you can not make the file display in the container.

[balooka]

oh.... but can I create a new path for the Mac users, based on the path that the Win user created? I mean, the files are still stored at that location so I should be able to make a calc with container and present it in there. Or am I completely wrong here? I know I cannot show the container it was imported into, but the file would still exist at that same location, no?

[Mike Duncan]

29 minutes ago, balooka said:

oh.... but can I create a new path for the Mac users, based on the path that the Win user created? I mean, the files are still stored at that location so I should be able to make a calc with container and present it in there. Or am I completely wrong here? I know I cannot show the container it was imported into, but the file would still exist at that same location, no?

You need to figure out how the NAS drive is shared with Macs, and can you depend on that share being mounted on and Macs? You might have more luck if the place you are uploading to also has some web server running to share those files as well, then you could use a web viewer to display the contents regardless if there is a share mounted in the file system, or even if you have the drive mapped for other Win clients.

Macs do not reference external drives by mapping letters to them, and even if the share were named "Z" for macs, the path would still be different. That's not to say you can't figure out the path, but start by looking at how the drive is shared on Macs.

Mike

[comment]

46 minutes ago, balooka said:

but can I create a new path for the Mac users, based on the path that the Win user created?

Yes. You need to calculate a new path for the Mac users and add it to the existing Windows path (which ideally should be modified so that it starts with "filewin:/". In order to know what the result of the calculation should look like, insert a file from the same location using one of the Macs and observe the path that Filemaker created.