Low Quality Images

[MattCoyne]

Hi

I apologise if this has been covered before, but I could not find anything in my searches of these forums.

Part of my Filemaker online project displays an image referenced from a container field in the relevant database. The CDML used goes like this...

 <img src="[FMP-Image: ARTISTEPICTURE]" width="142" height="213" border="0"> 

All was good until the new images were imported into the container field for almost all records. When viewing the web pages after the import the image was displaying as a very low quality JPG. Comparing a record with a new image next to a record using an old image showed the difference in quality.

Has anyone come across this and if so, have any pointers as to what has occured and how to solve the problem?

I should point out that I am not a Filemaker developer, but a web designer learning CDML. I am in touch with the 'Filemaker Guy' who created and maintains the databases I am working with so can pass on any questions that I cannot answer related to the databases themselves.

TIA

Matt

[Jeff Spall]

Hi, This has been said many times before, but just don't do it that way!!

Simply put your images into a directory and use a text field field to link to it very like the way you're doing now:

<img src="/imagefolder/[FMP-Field:theimagename]">

This way the images can be stored either be somewhere in your FileMaker web folder, or served directly by a webserver.

Container fields are a pain in a web database and really slow it down as well as making the database very large.

Jeff

[MattCoyne]

Hi Jeff

Thanks for that. I have not been doing this long and as such did not realise the implications of using this method.

So using your method should speed up the pages, I had noticed the pages sometimes were quite slow.

Does this explain the quality of the images though. And why the sudden change after importing a new set of images. I am all for doing things a better way, but I would like to know why I am having these problems anyway...

Any takers

cheers

Matt

[Leb i Sol]

low quality =

<img src="[FMP-Image: ARTISTEPICTURE]" width="142" height="213" border="0">

u force your image size to always be [ width="142" height="213" ] therefor "bigger" images are compressed into the size as u specified.

[MattCoyne]

Sorry, that's not it.

The image size specified is the actual pixel size of the image imported into the container field.

I've been doing some digging. It turns out the images imported were in PICT (.PCT) file format. No problem for using internally (that I know of), but I found this in the FIlemaker Help

If your database contains graphics that aren't in GIF or JPEG format, FileMaker Pro creates a temporary JPEG image when the graphic data is requested by a web browser.

I can only assume that Filemaker creates a nasty low quality jpeg when doing this. I cannot find a way to set this either.

Therefore I guess my options are to re-import 2700 images as JPG format, or use the method described above by referencing an external file.... i wonder which i will choose?

cheers

Matt

[Leb i Sol]

hmm this is odd...I have never seen any loss in quality on JPGs....then I would say u link your files vs. "embed-ing" them into the DB.

Why are u using < file.PCT > format anyways?

JPG is probably the best quality&flexibility of the format for the web as well as for the DB......I would also have external links to images no matter what format ur using...so I would suggest you do both--> convert to JPG and import your images as a reference/link so your DB stores only G:pathtomy_images1.jpg

vs. entire image blob.

If u dont have software (such as Adobe) to convert your images then look at http://www.IRFANview.com for the free software

take it away...

[MattCoyne]

That is my plan, yes

The images are PICTS through someone else importing, I wasn't on the scene when this was done. As far as I know the images are embedded, I have been told they were imported into FMU using Insert Picture on the container field.

Thanks for your help

Matt

[Keith M. Davie]

This is something I've tried in the distant past to caution about, i.e., that when one designs FMPro db's for a client or employer, if one anticipates that the ability to serve FMPro on the web because the client/employer thinks that would be neat and knows it can be done, then the initial db design, which is the responsibility of the developer, should be designed with future thinking. Unfortunately, many of the good db design protocols which are recommended fail to take into account this kind of future thinking. Serving images is just one of the problems which are (generally) not considered. Oh well.

Matt, when the Sample Files forum was in its infancy, I did post a solution which involved serving images. It's still there. Good luck with your new project.

[MattCoyne]

Hi Keith

You hit the nail on the head. The client has a lot of internal filemaker stuff going on, running everything from their casting database to payroll etc. All built by one guy.

The system they are putting in place now was to be used internally and externally via the web.

Our problem was that the filemaker developer had never worked on anything web related and I had never worked on anything filemaker/cdml related. So together we made a 'great' team. Essentially he went off and made the database and I came in and tried to make it work on the web using cdml... A recipe for chaos, and we're still learning. I'm sure we will get there in the end!!

Any pointers to good references for good practices to follow when designing filemaker for the web?

cheers

Matt

[Jeff Spall]

Hi,

"Any pointers to good references for good practices to follow when designing filemaker for the web?"

here's my 10c worth:

You have to start thinking a little differently:

1 have a single, absolutely plain layout with all the fields and no graphics - it doesn't get seen anyway

2 Think very carefully before ever using a script - do the function with calculations, inline actions "[FMP-IF]" JavaScript etc. instead. You'll gradually find different ways of achieving the functionality you need.

3 Don't use container fields, relational value lists, repeating fields, they will all give you grief and there are other ways to get that functionality.

4 Do make good use of related files, portals, value lists etc

5 Think about security! There's no such thing as a secure server/database on the web and someday someone's gonna hack or trash your server, so expect and plan for the worst!

6 If the database must be used by client computers, use FMP client <> FMP Server <> FMP unlimited - don't let clients access your web databases direct!

7 Read the archived stuff here, this is the most genuinely helpful list I've ever come across.

regards, jeff

[MattCoyne]

Thanks Jeff, much appreciated

It's a shame that the chances are this will be my one and only FIlemaker job. I will probably be able to maintain and enhance this one though as they are a long term client. I'll do some digging into the archives and try and put some good practices into action.

Thanks again

Matt

[Leb i Sol]

Hi Matt!

If ur interested in "How to extract embeded images from FM" let me know...there are posts arround here but if u have truble let me know perhpas I can help and share what I have learned.

All the best!