lilcowpoke

quote: Originally posted by w_douglass: I am/have been importing small (180 pixel) RGB jpegs into FMP 4.03. They are 16-25K each. But they seem to be increasing the size of my DBs by 10x that each time. Is there anything I can do to improve this? I searched the FMP site which spoke a little bit about older versions only storing pictures as tiffs but that is all I could find. Thanks in advance...bd@vinyl.com I agree with Captkurt on this. I beieve that FileMaker does convert images to its own format (I believe a form of Macintosh's PICT) whenever you do an image import. I am in a similar situation. I have to import large images: one or more 120x120, 600x600, and 1200x1200 pixel image per record, so I understand what you are going through. I have been actively researching possible solutions. It seems that the only way to actually use the JPEG files without having FileMaker store them internally or convert them to uncompressed files is to import them using 'Store as a reference only' when importing. This allows you to link an images to a record without storing it in the FMP file, keeping the file size down. Unfortunately, if you have a large number of images to import, this can pose a problem: Filemaker can only import one image at a time. The only way around this limitation that I have found so far (on a PC anyway: Mac users can use an Applescript based workaround) is by either purchasing a FileMaker plug-in to do the work for you, or a macro automation utility such as WinBatch. Troi's File 2.0 plug-in does NOT import via reference, so it is out of the question here. The Dialog Magic plug-in from New Millenium does allow image import via reference by automating FileMaker's image import dialog. I have not yet had much of a chance to test this one out, but it does seem to work, albeit slower than I would prefer. Clear Solutions also claims that their Exporter 2.0 plug-in can import via reference, but it will not be available for purchase until September or October, 2000. I have contacted the author (a very nice chap, indeed) who has offered to let me know as soon as Exporter 2.0 is ready for testing. You may wish to contact him yourself, if this sounds like a possibility for you. So, that's my suggestion for now. I would appreciate hearing about any other alternatives that you or anyone else has to offer on the subject. If I ever personally find something that works to my satisfaction, I will be sure to post the results in similar FMForums discussions. Good Luck. J.

quote: Originally posted by jacger: I want to enter a date, add a set number of days, and produce another date. The second date must be searchable as a date. When I have tried this I have received a date serial that I have not figured how to convert back to a searchable date. I have used the date to text function and received acceptable formating, but then the date range search does not work as it is text (or the underlying serial.) Example: 4/7/00 is date A. Add seven days and get 4/14/00 in the second datefield. I can now search the second date field as a date. How do I do this. You could create a calculated field called 'NewDate' as follows: NewDate = Date( Month( DateToConvert), Day( DateToConvert) + DaystoAdd, Year( DateToConvert)) Where 'DateToConvert' is the date that you want to convert and 'DaystoAdd' is the number of days you would like to add to 'Date'. Note: You could also use the Set Field function in a script to perform the calculation at a specified time so that 'NewDate' does not need to be a calculation field. I hope that this helps.

quote: Originally posted by leahbrooks: Each record in my file contains a text field with the name of a graphics file. I want to do a one-time import of the files (one per record) into a container field. Is there a way I can script this, using the text field with the name of the file. I am on a PC, not a Mac. Thanks for any advice! Leah Brooks If you do not need to import the images by storing them as a reference only, then the Troi 'File' plug-in (cross-platform) contains a decent multiple-image import feature. FYI - There is a discussion about this very topic called 'Loading Images' in the FMForums 'Scriptmaker' area. Please feel free to add to the discussion!

quote: Originally posted by captkurt: Filemaker is not alone in its ability to deal with images. I do not know of any other database that handles this in any kind of elegant manner. Remember to that this is no different from any other type of import. Filemaker needs a specific path to the import file, it will not read the path from a record. One interesting point that I did not mention in my previous post is that you can edit the path to an image (stored as a reference) in a FileMaker file directly within a hex editor and it WILL update the record's image container the next time you open the FileMaker file. If manual editing of this value is possible, then should it not be possible to program the functionality (via a plug-in or external program) to edit this value directly in FileMaker, as if it were any other bit of data associated with a FileMaker record? quote: However I have done this kind of thing with Filemaker and basically I used WinBatch to feed the path name to the Import Picture dialog box. I have sucessfully done this kind of automation myself using AIM Keys, but I find it to be a somewhat impractical solution, as it is dependant on the arrangement of the layout you are using to enter into the container field. ie: If the layout changes, the script will run incorrectly. BTW, it seems as if the problems I was encountering with the multi-image import feature of Troi's File plug-in v.1.2 have been fixed by Troi in the new version (v.2.0). Unfortunately, the Troi plug-in stores the images internally, rather than as a reference, thereby increasing the file size of the database. Troi claims to currently know of no way to store images as a reference. While this is a great option for a small image database, but I have so many images to import, I would easily breach the 2GB file size limit of FileMaker files using this plug-in. * NOTE: I may have just found a possible solution to the image import problem on the Exporter plug-in page <http://home.earthlink.net/~dougmcl/exporter.html> Clear Solutions claims that the next release (v.2.0) of their Exporter plug-in will, among other things allow, "[The] Import of dynamically specified image files into container fields, BY REFERENCE or directly." This sounds exactly like what I am looking for, but according to the website, it is not expected to be available until September. Is this the first plug-in developer to promise such a function?

quote: Originally posted by halibar: I have a filemaker file of records (Windows98), one field of which contains the pathname to a jpg file. I would like to automate the importation of each jpg (via its pathname) into a container field within the record. Is there a way--script, plug-in (I've considered Troi's File plugin, but I think it deals with text only), or maybe an editor like Winbatch? Any help would be appreciated--Aaron. halibar@jacklondon.net [This message has been edited by halibar (edited July 23, 2000).] FYI: There is a discussion underway about this very topic under this section (Scriptmaker) entitled "loading images".

I have the same problem. I am working with a LARGE FMP 4.0 networked image database (23000 records) that needs JPEG images imported into four container fields per record! In fact, this question is the reason I registered with FM Forums. I have seen one other post elsewhere regarding this matter, but there was no reply to it. The only idea that I have had so far is to download a macro automation utility and program it to simulate the key commands necessary to copy the image pathname from the record and paste it into the Import Picture dialog box, then move to the next record and repeat. This can make the import process slightly easier, but it still has its problems and is far from worry-free automation. I have tried the multi-image import feature of the Troi File Plug-In (demo), but it caused FileMaker to crash repeatedly for me. I love FileMaker, but it makes no sense to me that they have not included an image import feature that is based on the contents of a path field in the software. Upon browsing the contents of a FM database in a hex editor, you will notice that each FileMaker database INTERNALLY contains the full path (in plain text) to each image. It seems, therefore, like it would be straightforward for FileMaker to create functionality to allow manual editing of the path. (or to copy it from an existing field for that matter) If anybody has any *cross platform* ideas/solutions to this problem, they would be greatly appreciated.