Resize images proportionately?

[ErnieG]

I have an image for each file in a museum database, sized for single-page view. I'd like to include a thumbnail version in a report form.

Applying fixed width/height values will distort them, since some are tall and some are wide. I tried % values, but that's interpreted as a percent of the size of the cell. Any ideas on code for proportional resizing or else "locking" the cell size to constrain the images?

Thanks again!

Ernie

[Anatoli]

Try to leave sizes out.

Browser should use best guess for displaying that table with dynamic sizes.

Or use size (width) for largest picture.

[Unable]

ErnieG, you refer to having images and thumbnails. You say, "I'd like to include a thumbnail version in a report form."

I take it that you are not storing the images/thumbnails in the db file. Is that correct?

[ErnieG]

Thanks for the quick response! I just tried it again, to be sure, and without sizes my IE 5.1 on the Mac feels free to show the images at full size.

Sorry I wasn't more clear, Unable. I already have an 8" version for a "view large" form, plus a 3" version (either tall or wide). I was hoping there was a simple way I'd missed that would show the 3" version at something like 3/4".

Oh well, fortunately PhotoShop has a batch command. Looks like I just need to make a new batch (of 1500 or so) at a different size?

You mention storing the images, by the way. I HAD been doing that, storing the images in the DB. But I'm remembering vaguely a previous post. Is it significantly faster to store a URL and call that instead of importing an image from a container field?

Ernie

[Unable]

Not that it is any faster or slower, but why store the images in the db file and thus fill the db with all that required memory for the images. They can be stored in the format file folder or elsewhere and referenced with an appropriate path from the records, keeping db file memory available for "cheaper" data. Before he stopped contributing here, Keith Davie donated a Sample File on serving images on the web which you may find useful. Check the Sample File Forum.

[Garry Claridge]

You can use some PHP to check the size; e.g.:

<?php

$size = getimagesize ("img/flag.jpg");

echo "<img src="img/flag.jpg" {$size[3]}>";

?>

You can also adjust the dimensions with PHP.

If you are using OS X you can use Apache/PHP for this type of thing

All the best.

Garry

[jfmcel]

Might I suggest that you check the dimensions of the image on import into the database, and if the dimensions are not what is required, resize the image at that point. You can also standardize the degree of compression.

AppleScript and GraphicConverter is a wonderful means to do this.

[ErnieG]

I'll look into PHP, which may be the answer, but I have the feeling I was still unclear on what I'm trying to do, since it's not about "checking" an image. In case others will some day run into this, and at the risk of beating a dead horse:

I have a table cell that is 50 pixels by 50 pixels. In it I have

________________

<img src="[FMP-Image:Image]" align="center" valign="center">

_________________

"Image" is a container field in my database that holds a series of random images, some of them 3 inches wide and some 3 inches high. I had hoped that there was some CDML or HTML attribute in <imgsrc> that would reduce the graphic to fit in the cell, retaining its original proportions. (width="50" height="50" will just stretch the non-square graphics.)

Sorry for the confusion.

Ernie

[Leb i Sol]

"Not that it is any faster or slower, but why store the images in..."

I have to dissagree with this...any time you pull an object such as an image from the DB it will return as such...(eg. filtering for a digit vs. text+extention text "image_name.jpg")remember text=AaBb... while digit=0123..9 period

if I remember correctly it is faster to pull references to files than files themselves (eg. field:image "c:imagescontainer_1image_name.jpg"). This does make a difference on SQL based platforms...so I would imagine it applys to FM.

But then again, I have been wrong about many things in my life...wouldn't be the 1st time

[Anatoli]

Another thing against pictures in database:

IIS or Apache will server pictures 10 or 100 times faster, than WebCompanion.

[cjaeger]

to scale images proportionally in HTML, just give ONE dimension, omitting the other,

Only problem is to determine whether the image is portrait or landscape,

And keep your images separate, referencing the path only.

rendering can be up to 500 times slower in WebCompanion, because images stored in FileMaker will be rendered to an offscreen pixmap, then converted into a gif or jpeg, them interpreted by the web browser. it is even worse with images stored as reference, because the time it takes fm to fetch the pix is added.

i keep may images on an image server and use a simple perl script to determine the size. images are then displayed by

<img src=."./cgi-bin/image.cgi?pix04726">

[Leb i Sol]

Also you might consider doing a "thumb" approach with FMP-If statement where on the results page you could use 2 small images rather than displaying the actual image from the db. Example:

______________thery_____________________

IF filed "image" is not empty then show "some_small_image.jpg"

IF field "image" is empty(no image associated with the file) then show "other_small_image.jp"

______________________________________

------code------------------------------

[FMP-If: image .eq.]

<img src="/images/imageNO.gif" width="18" height="18" border="0">

[FMP-Else]

<img src="/images/imageOK.gif" width="18" height="18" border="0">

[/FMP-If]

-----------------------------------------

and then when a user clicks on "details" associated with the record you would be pulling just that one image at the time!

Hope it helps!

[ErnieG]

Thanks to all of you. I've been away for a couple of days and was startled to see all the replies. A seemingly simple question brought back a lot of good advice, for which I'm grateful.

Ernie