File Path

[Lucky]

Hi

I have a FM solution with over 5,000 records and each record has a container field with a PDF file referenced to it.

What I would like to do is have a field in each record that tells me the path of it's PDF.

Is this possible.

Also if I was to move the location of the folder full of PDF's is there a easy way to link the PDF's back to the correct record.

[Fenton]

1. Create a calculation field, result text, GetAsText ( the container field ). It will produce a multi-line result, with the size (dimensions), relative path, and absolute path.

2. There is no "easy" way if you've used Insert as Reference to move the files later. You can Import Folder again, after moving, using the "Matching records" option. But you would have to have unique file names then, since that would all that you'd have as a match. It would also be kind of slow, but not terrible. Show All Records first.

3. There is an alternative, which is kind backwards to the above. Create the file path as a calculation, with the result Container. If the calculation produces the path, the picture (PDF in this case) will show. There is more than one way to do this. You can construct the whole path.

You can import just the file path (using Import Folder), and create a calculation to parse the folder path separate from the volume path (the volume being most likely to change). Put the volume name in a global field. Or do pieces of the folder path separate. But if you're moving files and folders a lot within a volume #2 is probably the better option.

There is no "one size fits all" solution to this problem. Otherwise there would not be so many different options; we'd all be using it, and these questions would not arise. Do a search here and you'll find lots of posts and some examples.

[barneson]

Fenton,

Nice suggestions. What's an efficient way to extract the third line (absolute path) from the calculation field?

Thanks,

-John

Edited July 14, 2006 by Guest

[Fenton]

FileMaker 8 has a convenient GetValue( the values; # ) function. "Values" would be any return-separated list.

[Lucky]

Thank you.

I will give it a go.

[captgoodhope]

1. Create a calculation field, result text, GetAsText ( the container field ). It will produce a multi-line result, with the size (dimensions), relative path, and absolute path.

Fenton, this appears to work only with container fields storing a reference to the file. Is there a way to return at least the filename, if the contents of the container field is stored in filemaker?

If the 'Export field contents' command is chosen, the filename appears in the save dialog, so it has to be in there somewhere.

[Doctor Rufus]

Anyone know of a way to do this in FMP 6? I just want to have the path to an inserted .JPG file, for the purposes of opening the image. I have done this in the past, but only thru the Template 'Photo Catalog' that comes with v6.

I am using FMP 6 on XP Pro.

Thanks