Hi,

Maybe this is a lame question (absolute newbie), but it is driving me nuts:

I'm trying to do an image database based on an older Excel database. I am using the Photo Catalog template provided with FM7.

I have thousands of images (jpg) in a folder but I only want to import into FM7 the images for which I have the selected file paths in a column in the Excel database.

But I simply do not know how to link the file paths to the image container in FM7.

I do not want to do "Import from Folder" because then I get over a thousand unwanted images... I only want the ones to which I have the selected path as text (D:xxxx.jpg).

I would most humbly appreciate anyone's help asap...

Thanks in advance,

B.

Hi,

Maybe this is a lame question (absolute newbie), but it is driving me nuts:

I'm trying to do an image database based on an older Excel database. I am using the Photo Catalog template provided with FM7.

I have thousands of images (jpg) in a folder but I only want to import into FM7 the images for which I have the selected file paths in a column in the Excel database.

But I simply do not know how to link the file paths to the image container in FM7.

I do not want to do "Import from Folder" because then I get over a thousand unwanted images... I only want the ones to which I have the selected path as text (D:xxxx.jpg).

I would most humbly appreciate anyone's help asap...

Thanks in advance,

B.

You could use a tool like Troi File plug-in (or AppleScript on a Mac) to take a list and go get the images, one at a time.

Another simple alternative is the use the new to 7 ability to reference an image via a calculation, resulting in its relative file path (relative to the database file).

Calculation, with Container result, =

"image:" & relative folder path & file name

I don't know where the image folder is relative to the database. If it's "below" it, or nearby, it shouldn't be too hard to parse/build a relative path from the file path you have. To go up a folder, then down again, use the syntax:

"image:../folder path & file name

This is ONLY for referenced images obviously. If you want to embed, then I'd get Troi File. Or, like you say, import, then delete unwanted ones. Or rearrange the folder.

You could use a tool like Troi File plug-in (or AppleScript on a Mac) to take a list and go get the images, one at a time.

Another simple alternative is the use the new to 7 ability to reference an image via a calculation, resulting in its relative file path (relative to the database file).

Calculation, with Container result, =

"image:" & relative folder path & file name

I don't know where the image folder is relative to the database. If it's "below" it, or nearby, it shouldn't be too hard to parse/build a relative path from the file path you have. To go up a folder, then down again, use the syntax:

"image:../folder path & file name

This is ONLY for referenced images obviously. If you want to embed, then I'd get Troi File. Or, like you say, import, then delete unwanted ones. Or rearrange the folder.