Container Fields

[Greg G]

I have a container filed where I store images (referenced) that are located in a folder within the folder that contains the FMP DB. How do I store these images in the container field with a relative path so I can move the main DB folder without disturbing the paths. Right now, if I move the main folder around I loose the referenced connection.

[Genx]

the relative path is just

image:yourImage.jpg

or if you want to chuck them in another folder so it doesn't clutter around your .fp7 file

image:yourImages/yourImage.jpg

[Greg G]

So does this mean that I have to use a calculation to make this happen? I was hoping to make this easy for the end uesr so all they had to do was import a folder of images.

[Greg G]

I just noticed that if I import a folder or file it comes in with an absolute path but if I right click the container filed and insert a file it come in with a relative path.

Strange...is there a way to do an import an have relative paths? There are just too many records to do one by one.

[Genx]

Well you didn't say that, and if you wanted you could just have a file name field and tack it on to the prefix e.g. "image:yourFolderName/" & table::fileName

Anyway, i don't see why you can't just import the folder? It would have to be done via the import script step though.

[Greg G]

The import script step yelds the same results as selecting import from the File menu. I thought about the calc thing but again there are just too many files sometimes to enter file names in one by one.

Edited February 19, 2007 by Guest

[Fenton]

You could import a folder of pictures, and only import the file name and path to text fields (in other words, you don't have to import the picture itself). You can then use a calculation based on that file path to show the pictures. Then, if you move the folder, you could do a Replace to modify the part of the text field that changed. Or you could import the file name, and calculate the entire enclosing folder path.

[Greg G]

Thanks for the reply! This sounds like a doable solution and I have been thinking about how to impliment it but I have not been successful creating the calc. I have not been able to find a text function that gives me the right flexability. Since I don't know exactally where the user will save these images or at least how many folders deep it will be, how can I pull out the part of the file path that I need? I tried using "MiddleWords" and it only seems to count to the left.

[Greg G]

Any suggestions out there?

[Genx]

Whats the path and the section you want to extract out of the path? (just an example)... i.e what is the "part of the path" you need.

[Greg G]

When I import the image path the field displays the following:

"file://Macintosh HD/Users/greg/Datafiles/Dbase/Showbook v1/Templates/Rosco Templates/33001sm.jpg"

So you see it shows the absolute path. I would need to extract the text the falls after the word "Templates" and then do another calc to turn that into a relative path. I can only tell the user to save their images in this "templates" folder but they need the flexability to create additional folders within to keep everything organized. So I will never be able to predict how may folders deep they will go and therefore how much text there will be to extract.

[Genx]

Extracts everything after the word templates

Let( path = "file://Macintosh HD/Users/greg/Datafiles/D base/Showbook v1/Templates/Rosco Templates/33001sm.jpg" ;

Right( path ; Length( path ) - Position( path ; "/templates/" ; 1 ; PatternCount( path ; "/templates/" ) ) - Length("templates") )

)

Returns: /Rosco Templates/33001sm.jpg

[Greg G]

Thank you!! I will give this a shot.