How Do I Acquire a Graphic in WinXP?

[Phantom4597]

I am a complete novice, so please don't be too cruel.

In Filemaker Pro 8, running on WinXP, I want to use a container field to store a picture. I would like to display the related record, enter a name, and other identifying data, then with the container field displayed, acquire a picture from a scanner or a digital camera and store it in the container field. Can I do this in windows?

I have searched the forums, and the Filemaker help files and knowledge base but without any success. I did see where this can be done (I think) under MAC O/S, but nothing about windows?

Can someone enlighten me on this? thank you.

[Genx]

I'm not sure, but if you make the user save to a default location with a default filename. Maybe you could automate import through a script from that location...Otherwise you could try DDE execution if your scanning program supports it. Or send event (equiv of start --> run). As for the digital camera, doesn't it act like an extra disk when connected to the pc via bluetooth, usb, or just the sd card?

~Genx

[Phantom4597]

Thank you for the suggestion. I had hoped to be able to open a new record, click on the container field, and then select the winxp acquire graphic option, which would let me select camera, scanner, file, etc.

After reading everything I can google on the subject, and receiving an email from Troi, who has a file import plug-in, it appears that this is the best that a novice can hope for.

I will keep on trying, and maybe find a few ways to make the process easier for newbies like me along the way.

I am sure that some of the pros out there can write scrips which will accomplish what I am trying to do, but scripts are way beyond me at this stage.

thanks again, and if someone else has suggestions, please let me know.

[Kent Searight]

To use Import Records > Digital Camera... under the file menu, you have to be running FileMaker 7 or 8 on Mac OSX.

Your best option on windows would be to have a script to handle your batch import. As Genx pointed out, the camera acts like a disk so you could just point to it via your script.

The downside of the script on Windows is that you'd have to write a fairly complex script to replicate FileMaker's ability on the Mac platform to select individual files out of the camera batch for importing. In my opinion, the Troi File plug-in would make writing the script easier.

Your other option, of course, is to get a Mac :aapple: