Remote Container Fields

I am simply trying to insert an mp3 file into a container field using a script - go to field, followed by insert audio/video. The error I receive is 'the file could not be found.' I have tried using both a variable and the full path to define the file (two paths listed below). It does work fine when I do this manually using the menu options. What am I doing wrong? moviemac:/Users/david/Desktop/MusicRapTemp/thinking.mp3 moviemac:/Volumes/SDD/Users/david/Desktop/MusicRapTemp/thinking.mp3 These are absolutely the correct path of the file. Just FYI I can not get this to work with the Insert File option either. FMP16 Thanks David

I don't see anyway to scrub an audio file like an mp4 or 3 when placed into a container field. It works great if the content is a quicktime movie. It also does not display the time of location in the track (i.e. skip to :37). Any way to make this work or work around? Thanks David

I've finally been upgraded at work from FileMaker Pro 11 to FileMaker Pro 16. There no longer appears to be an 'insert object' function on the shortcut menu for container fields. I can insert a file (word document) but it only displays the MS Word icon rather than the document itself that the insert object function did. Any ideas please? I have a button with associated script to open the document, but I'm used to being able to see them within the container field.

Filemaker 15 : I was just wondering if there is an optimal width and height setting for thumbnails or a best practices guide for thumbnail settings.

So i'm dealing with two tables. 1. VisitTable. 2. GraphicsTable in a VisitTable layout, i have one or two portals related to the GraphicsTable, each related by a different factor. One portal would be related by a Date field, the other would be a ClientName field.. My desire is to click on a thumbnail in either one of these portals, and have that selected image be displayed in a separate/larger image window (which could be a container field in the current table, Or another portal? I don't care how - i just need to have it show up) I don't know the best method for doing this (ie., click thumbnail to have image fillin a separate loc…

Does anybody know how we can workaround this behaviour of FileMaker Server/Client 15 on Mac/Windows: If we are inserting an image into a container field which stores the files externally and the filename is more than 50 characters, FileMaker strips the filename. I know that we cannot change this, but the problem is that another field which stores the filename for InDesign does not get attention to this. Is there a way to read the stripped containerfield-filename of FileMaker so that we do not have problems with longer named images? Thanks for any help…its driving me crazy :-(

On OSX 10.11.6, FM 14.04, FM 15.0.3, Adobe Acrobat Pro 11.0.20. No Acrobat reader (that I know of). A single FM test database with just one interactive container field, either saving externally or not. Dragging a PDF or using the menu (insert). Single page or multiple page PDF Works fine on FM12. Show only a black field on FM14 and FM15 with no possible interaction Works fine if the container is not interactive. Any solution? Thanks Trevix

Hello, I am wondering if someone can help me understand how external container fields work in FileMaker 15. For testing purposes I have created a very simple database shared from our FileMaker 15 Server, the database has two fields, a single text field and a single container field. I have set the container field to store files externally which works, the files end up in a subfolder on the FileMaker server where the database itself resides. Now I would like to change the external location where the files associated with the container are stored, I found a section in the manual called "Managing external storage of container data" but this is where I am running into a …

Am I missing something simple? In FM12, when I go to the container field the 'Insert PDF' option is greyed out... Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated!

We have a client working on Win 2012 virtual servers, one is running FMS 15 the other is running FM Pro 15 in Terminal Services. Both instances are running on the same physical machine. In a script, the user will select a PDF file, approx 300K, and insert it into a container field configured for external storage. The process takes 30-60 seconds when hosted with (Not Responding) message showing at the top of the window. In single user mode, the process is instantaneous. Thoughts? Also, what does the setting to Optimize for interactive content do? I have this set for the PDFs. Does drag and drop work for container fields? Thanks, John

I am trying to set up a container field in a hosted solution running under filemaker server. The container field will hold primarily pdf's and I want the file to be stored on the server and streamed to the user. This file is accessed on a local network but also remotely. I am not sure how to set up the filepath. Firstly I do not seem to be able to do it unless the file is local on my machine i.e not across the network. Is this correct? Secondly I do not know what the syntax should be. The File will live in a folder called "Letters which is on a drive called "Documents" and the server is called "mecserver". Remotely I can mount the drive by using …

Hi, I have not posted in a long time...I kind of stopped FM @ v13. Has FM done anything to accommodate the storage of remote containers across a network to a storage device such as an UnRaid box ? Michelle

Why doesn’t FM append .zip to a compressed file, imported to a container? When import files to a container field with choice "compress if possible" the file "inside" the container will be zipped , but the container "file name” doesn't append .zip in the file name. Should it be more logical to append .zip when the file is imported as compressed, just to tell that it is? And only keep original file ending if not compressed. Example MyFile.pdf to MyFile.pdf.zip when imported as compressed...

Hi all Fairly trivial (but annoying) problem here! I've just transferred all Invoice PDFs to their respective container fields - which is externally stored (non secure) on the FMS Server. However the first PDF in the table had an '_1' at the end of the filename on the server. When I cleared the field and re-added the PDF it then has '_2' at the end, and so on. The underscore disappeared when I transferred the container from 'Invoices/' to 'Invoices2/' but the problem remains when I transfer back to 'Invoices/'. It doesn't happen to any other PDFs/records, just this first one in the table. Any ideas how I can 'reset' this? MT

I'm trying to sort out container storage in a solution that originally started on a single machine running FMPro and serving to one other. At that time, containers were used to store PDFs of accounts which were stored by reference and were located elsewhere on the same host machine. Since then, the solution has been moved to FMServer on a dedicated machine on the same network (all Mac). Unfortunately the referenced files were not moved and the files could no longer be accessed remotely from the served solution. At that time, I attempted to import the referenced file to internal storage and then export to another container set up as remote storage but was unsuccessful as t…

Hi, I have a solution set up that is hosted on a dedicated Mac Mini running FM Server 14; the container fields are set up to "Store container data externally" with the "secure storage" option checked. The field contents are all PDFs. I would like to write a script to open the field contents directly in Preview (or the user's default PDF viewer), but am not sure how to get the path where the file is stored, or otherwise how to proceed. Any advice appreciated! Tom

Hi, I've Googled and read, but given the "Preserve external container storage” option available now in in 13.v2, it seemed many recommended protocols were outdated. The setup: Separation Model both UI and data, hosted with FMS12. Replacing both files time. FMS12 (yep, still not updated to FMS13 - working with IT to do so) Clients are FM13 Migration script (imports) written and ready to go. So, can someone please list the steps needed to replace a file on a FMS12 that has secure external containers? Should I have FMS13v2 installed on the FMS12 box and run the migration locally (via Teamviewer)? I usually copy off a backup to DropBox and do the updates on my iMac and t…

Hi everyone! I'm currently using filemaker pro advanced 14, and I'm making some layouts for the Ipad platform. Is there a way to set up a container field to capture signatures via this method? how?

I maintain a FM database which has accumulated a ton of container data over the past 15 years. Currently our folder that contains all of our externally stored container data is clocking in at 7+ GB. Lots of this container data are images saved in swollen formats, such as .bmp or really high resolution .jpg. Looking through the file sizes, I'm seeing tons of things that are 3+MB, and even more that are 1-2MB. The images stored are very simple and do not need to be this big. What I'd like to do is mass convert all these images to a .png format. I'm pretty convinced We could make our data pile dramatically smaller if I could do this. The question is, how to do it…

Im not if I understand how 'external storage" works in relation to embedded and referenced fields. If an image is stored externally does that mean it is essentially referenced and not embedded regardless of whether the import option of referencing is chosen?

I have a potential client who is considering using Filemaker 'WebDirect' as a means of making student films available on their website. I'm wondering whether anyone knows of any nice examples of currently active websites that are hosting video files via Container Fields / WebDirect. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Hi there, I recently started using external storage for our container fields and instantly noticed an issue. We use the container fields to create attachments for emails. When we use database storage for container fields the attached documents are all fine. If on the other hand we use external storage for the container field then when we attach it to an email it always adds .dat to the end of the filename eg. "filename.pdf.dat" the only way the file is readable is if the .dat is removed (but most people have no idea about that so not really practicle) I have tried both secure and open storage but still results in the same problem. When I change t…

I am starting to create a new solution to catalog all of our companies Safety Data Sheets and would like to make the PDFs accessible through FMP14. At the moment I have created a container field that is Interactive and has temporary storage. If I choose "Insert PDF" FMP thinks about it for a moment then opens the pdf I have selected, if I close the pdf I can see that something is in the container but there is no content show. If I move to a record where this has been done the PDF automatically opens, albeit slowly, but I am unable to view the PDF contents without exporting it. If I insert the pdf as a file I see a file icon but am not able to read the file in any way exce…

Hello Forum, Anybody with a solution or understanding as to why FM crashing when browsing records on layouts that have container fields?

Is there a way to manipulate the orientation of a picture based on the information found in GetContainerAttribute? I'm assuming that we cannot change the data that is in the file. The problem I'm seeing is a few images are coming into FM sideways or upside-down. Was hoping that I could add a couple of buttons on the layout for the user to 'rotate left' or 'rotate right'.

The fmserver is connected to a san volume called SAN. Everyone in the company (including the fmserver) is connect to the SAN. I am trying to store external container files on that SAN. However no matter what I put into the path for the container (either in the Define Fields or Manage Containers) it appears as though it is always relative to where the FM file is hosted and it can not be in a higher directory than the fm file, which would SAN which lives at /Volumes/SAN. So the basic questions is can I get a container to save externally to a connected server, and if so how? Thanks, David

Hi all, I've posted this on the filemaker community also. I don't know if this kind of "crosspost" is not allowed, if so please excuse me... ;-) I am trying to implement an update deployment system which uses the "Insert file / Export field contents" script steps. I use as "server" a desktop (Mac) with FM Pro (not server). The idea is that when the file is updated, it runs an import and insert the new file in the container field. When the mobile file logs, the "server" should "upload" the updated file on the mobile (I took inspiration from "Colibri Solutions One click update"). My problems: 1) If I embed the update in the desktop file, each time I …

Hi all, is it possibile open a file stored in a remote container? I can't use the script step Export Field content because the user must modify the file. thanks Anna

I have tried out the Container Fields in V14. Very nice. The PDF & Image Documents are fluid. I tried the External Storage. While a bit confusing at first, I finally figured out the disk storage process. What doesn't work well are the Word & Excel Files, stored on the Server. I can see why the interactive display wouldn't work. Still, we can't launch them either, just "export field contents". We are looking at Emails & SQL files as well. Was wondering if anybody has installed Word, Excel or Outlook on the Server & got better results? We hope to get V14 live in September, and we are very interested in what we can do with the Container Fields. Wou…

Hi all, running into an issue with Quicklook on Yosemite. When we run this script: It causes Filemaker to open two instances of qlmanage, wait a while, then crash. I've heard there are difficulties getting Quicklook to behave in Filemaker on Yosemite, so I began exploring other options. I am aware of how to open a container file automatically using the computer's default settings for the file, but I was wondering if someone could help me understand how to open the contents of a container with Preview for OSX. Thanks for any insight you can give!

I heard that in fmp 14 , we can directly insert a picture files into container field & no need to store it as reference. is this true ? i deal with a lot of pictures and i wonder inserting picture directly into container field wouldn't slow down my solution. thanks,

I currently have a main table and a separate (Phone Log) Table that includes a container field which stores thousands of documents. The Phone log table is displayed in our main table and connected to each customer by his/her 4 digit customer number. I currently have the setup where upon clicking a displayed container file in the phone log table, a script is run that exports that container field to another container (preview) field within my main Table and displayed full screen. From there my users can email or print or scroll the document from within the larger container. This solution seems to be having significant long term issues (been using for about 3 years now) s…

Hi Everyone I have an attachment table where users can upload documents or images. The table is located in my Data file. In my UI file the information is all there and displayed correctly, however the container field itself is only showing a "JPEG" logo with the filename displayed beneath rather than the actual image itself. I am not sure what I'm doing wrong here but I think it may be because the attachment table is being referenced from another file(??). I have checked over all my container and storage settings but I'm still not being shown a preview of the image itself. If someone can point me in the right direction I'd be very appreciative.

Here is my situation. I have a PDF that is about 100 pages. I want to create filemaker records as an index of this PDF. When someone clicks on the record it will jump the PDF to a specific page (of course the record has a page number associated with it). Is there a way to do this with either storing the PDF in a container or accessing the PDF through a web viewer? I imagine there must be a way either with data URLs or perhaps an apple script. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hoping someone can help I may be missing something or not quite understanding correctly. I have a container field that stores a signature. I have set it to store External Open it works great if you look at a layut that is based on the table it is from. (in this instance employees layout based on employees table) however, when I use it on a layout which employees is related to it does not show. (that is a sales contract which has a relationship from sales to employees) Is their something i am missing? to make this work? eg should I be referencing the stored data etc. The filemaker documentation from what i can see just sends me around in circles. FYI Filemaker Pro 14 and …