Images & Filemaker 7

[HiredGun79]

Hello,

I am working on a solution with a lot of images in the layout. This is just to make a pleasing interface, all printing is done on seperate layouts, no images. .

Anyway, my question is:

What is the most optimal way to use images? Obviously, keeping the images as small as possible is one way, but beyond that - is it more efficient to import directly into the layout or store via reference? If an image is copied, does it just load the image once and display it twice (like on a webpage) or does it actually load it twice?

Is it more efficient to have one larger picture or many small pictures?

Also, I think I might have found a way to make high quality, good looking line breaks - I imported a 2 pixel image and stretch it out to the length I need. . That is unless Filemaker takes more resources resizing an image. . .

I'm in the dark on this issue. . . Any help would be great!

My solution will be run over a LAN in a small office, and as I'm developing, I notice a small delay on the pages with many images (but large enough to make using it annoying) I want to keep the visual quality up to professional standards. .

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[gug]

I've been working with filemaker for about 6 months now and i realized something. you dont need fancy pictures to make a database look nice. as long as it works you should be happy. In my opinion i believe limited amount of pictures is optimal. with my database i get 30-40 customers a day, using images takes up space and eventually slows the whole database.

If you use a relationship to link your images from one database to another, it will give you the same result. you might as well put the image in your layout.

If you have a 32kb file and import it into filemaker and make it smaller, the image still stays at 32kb. Unless your creating a photography database it makes no sence to use too many pictures.

[DykstrL]

To add to what 'gug' stated, if your pictures and images do not add value and functionality to your interface, it is better to eliminate them. In a multi-user or server environment, when the user opens the files all of those images are downloaded to the client. The network will be the bottleneck. The more users logged on; the more network traffic; the more it will exaggerate the delays. An example: a native FileMaker button with a text label for printing will draw on the screen much faster than an image of a printer defined as a print button.

If you can draw your images using FileMaker's native (but limited) drawing tools, they will be the most efficient and fastest.

I have seen absolutely gorgeous interfaces run painfully slow, to the point of being unusable, in a multi-user setup. I have also seen "not so pretty", but just as functional interfaces created using only filemaker tools that are speed demons.

These issues are going to be a trade-off proposition. How much "pretty" must you have in your interface that does not aggravate your users or cause unusable slowness.

So, if speed is your primary consideration: simple, minimal, small, native. Also, be careful of unstored calculations, unindexed finds and sorts, and relationships based on unstored calculations and unindexed fields.

[HiredGun79]

Thanks for the responses - I figured as much.

Wouldn't it be great if Filemaker 8 stored layout graphics on the client's machines?

I'm a firm believer of form leads to function and while Filemaker 7 has some graphic tools it cannot natively create glossy buttons, textured backgrounds, transparent images, etc.

If anyone else knows the specific answers like if a different instance of a picture (copy and paste) actually counts double size or if it is a reference to the originally loaded picture (like on a website) - that would be helpful. . . I have some menus and backgrounds that are 1 pixel wide and maybe 9 pixels tall, very small, that I stretch out across the width of the document to create a larger image. . .

I am using this technique frequently and I'll keep using it if it means that it only adds a few k to the layout size. . if it adds more than that, then I will go with native filemaker graphics

Again, thanks for the responses. . .

[HiredGun79]

Update to this post - I have duplicated the majority of the graphics using Filemaker's native graphics tools. . doing things like making the menubar background out of 7 rectangles (some 1 pixel wide) to simulate the curved surface. Check out Apple's website to see basic menubar shape. .

I also settled for a plain grey background, rather than use a brushed steel background that matches OS X that I made in Macromedia Fireworks.

The only pictures I'm keeping are the buttons. I prefer to use icons rather than text - easier and faster to use.

I'm storing the button set I'm using as graphics in global container fields. I then simply place the correct container field for whatever button I need. I did it this way to mimic style sheet behavior. Now, I can make multiple button sets and have the users choose what buttons they'd prefer to use.

I did the same thing for little LED "lights" that I have in that work like toggle buttons. . . If a business partner recieves an invitation to the christmas party, then the light next to the "Christmas Party?" label is green. . if not, red. . .

I'm going to create a new post asking for other cool design ideas so perhaps we all can start sharing our novel solutions. . .