Document management

[xoomaster]

Hi everyone,

I am working on a file management system for FMP 9.

I like to keep all Jpeg / PDF / Text files on a drive connected to my Filemaker server computer accessible to all users of my FMP database. I like my users to pick a file name from a list and view it within my database, maybe in a Web viewer ?

Any recommendations how to accomplish this ?

I have been keeping the files within FMP, but the DB is getting too big and bulky. Any experience with this ?

Thank you in advance.

Xoomaster

Edited June 20, 2008 by Guest

[Matthew F]

Why not choose the option to store references to the files and images?

[iMarcW]

I notice you're on Mac -- I recently implemented something like this and the solution I came up with was to access the server where the documents are stored via file sharing to write files (using keys from the db for the filename) and access it via Web sharing to show them in Web Viewer. Only the person creating the file needs to have the file sharing access, but everyone can see them in the Web Viewer just by being on the Net.

(It works especially well with PDFs if you're using Leopard, because the Web Viewer uses Safari 3/WebKit's built-in PDF viewer. Unlike with a container field, you can scroll through the pages, zoom in, download or open in Preview/Acrobat right on your FileMaker layout.)

If the server isn't a Mac and/or setting up file sharing isn't possible, there is a program called ExpanDrive that lets you mount an SFTP directory on your desktop like an external drive (based on Google's FUSE project--there is a Windows version as well). Another option is to use one of the FileMaker plug-ins that can write files to an FTP server.

Also, if you have access via a file path, you can specify that path to attach the file to an e-mail sent from FMP. If you use FileMaker container fields, you have to export a copy from the container to your hard drive before you can e-mail it. (When is FileMaker going to fix that?)

If you need to move the files to a different server or change the location, you just change the calculated URL in the Web Viewer and you're set. Unless I'm missing something, I don't think it's nearly that easy to change the file references for container files.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Guest
added FTP option

[xoomaster]

Thank you guys. I will look into your suggestions.

I do agree, web viewer is the way to go. With container fields you can not review multi-page files at all.

Thank you again.

[xoomaster]

Unfortunately, when files are added by reference, others sharing your DB will not be able to get the file, since the reference address is interpreted and applied to the local computer. This is what I think is happening, and I have not been able to work it out.

? of if remote address could be used ?

[Matthew F]

I realize that you're not fond of containers but you can use them to view images on remote volumes.

One simply uses the script step,

'set field[ContainerName; FileReference]' where FileReference is of the format: imagemac:/ShareName/FilePath

For multipage documents I'd think that you'd want to open them in a separate application anyhow. Assuming that you've already established a connection to the remove server you can open the document by running a little applescript...

"tell application "Finder"¶

    open location ("" & NetworkPath & "")¶

    activate¶

end tell"