Containor address vs actual file

[Oldsneekers]

Previously I saved all scanned documents into a FM containor field as addresses. With FM8 files able to store terabyts of info I am saving scanned documents directly into the containor field. Several problems have arisen since I converted.

a) The new application will not recognize the location of previous addresses. I put the the folders with the actual scanned document files on the desk top and still it will not recognise the address. The only thing I did not do is put the document file directly on the desk top as this is not practicle with 20,000 ducuments.

since the FM8 application now has older records with documents stored as addresses and newer records with scans directly in the container field, I want to put in a script step in the printing script that will ignore the records that have the address. The calculation "is empty" finds containor as full whether saved as address or as document file so this step is not helpfull. Is there a different script step or error type. Since the field has he statement "Cannot find the document...) I used a part of this phrase but that did not work with the "pattern count" formula.

c) at some point when I figure out the problem to a) above I want to save to donument as files instead of addesses, so any suggestion on how to script the the insert picure step from any one of many files into the containor fields?

Thanks

GW

[reddust]

I'm not sure why you want to store the actual documents in Filemaker rather than the references particularly as you have so many.

If you moved the location of the previously stored addresses Filemaker will no longer find them. You can write a script to extract the previous address to a field, modify that adress to reflect the new location then reset the container field to that field.

I don't think you can have a single container field with both actual documents and references stored there.

SB

[Fenton]

When you Insert [x] Reference only, then FileMaker's only going to recognize that path, no other. Unfortunately many people only realize that after they've moved the files. The old path is still available for viewing, if that helps, via a calculation using GetAsText ( container), with Text result.

a) When you say "does not recognize the address", what exactly do you mean? Is it exactly the same filepath? If not, then it will not see the picture. It is not like an alias, it doesn't follow a moved file.*

Here is a thread on testing for existing files, using AppleScript:

http://www.fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/183503/post/235337/hl//

c) What to do with the ones that have lost their connection. Right now the FileMaker record has little logical connection to the file. You do still have the file name; it is part of GetAsText(container). But not the rest of the path.

If the file names are unique, you could extract only the name from the calculation and put it into a field. Then you could use that and Import Folder to bring in the pictures. First you'd want to Find records missing their picture (see b above). Then Import Folder, picture files, with [ ] As reference only Unchecked.

Use the Matching Records option, using the matching key:

File Name (which you'd extracted) = File Name (one of the import fields)

BACKUP your file before trying this.

*Though, strangely enough, you can Insert Picture of a Mac alias file to a picture file. It will then show the picture, and the connection will not break if you move the picture file.