How to display pictures in browse mode from a filename field?

[TimGFoley]

I can't believe this is so difficult to find, so I hope I am just missing

something obvious, though I've been searching web sites and news groups for

hours.

I have a simple "Price Book" database in FileMaker Pro 5 for Mac. One of

the fields is a Text field with a "filename to a JPEG image". I simply want the

browse screen to display the picture when a record appears (just like a web

page would with <img src="mypic.jpg"> ).

I can't seem to find anything to do this, INSERT PICTURE doesn't appear to

let you specify a variable for the Filename. The ScriptMaker in FMP5 seems

to be highly crippled, I can't manually edit any of the code to force Insert

Picture to point to a database field. Container fields looked promising but

I can't find a way to dynamically pull a picture via a filepath

specification into a container when the next record button is hit etc.

I've looked at various AppleScripts and plugins to do the work but I

don't want to import the pictures, I want to keep them out of the database,

just store the filename and path and dynamically display them when the

database is browsed. There has to be a simple way to do this, in MS Word

you would simply use a Merge Field and Insert Picture, MS Access was

something similar but I can't for the life of me find a way in FMP5.

Please if anyone knows a way, post a reply.

Thanks...bashing my head more

Tim

[BobWeaver]

You're right. One of Filemaker's limitations is that it can't use variables for file names.

Your simplest option is to use a container field and insert the reference to the jpeg file into it.

[TimGFoley]

Hmm, but there is no way ti change the reference of that container field is there? You have to manually option click on each record and find the pic? or create an Apple script that imports the pics into the container fields.

The problem with the script is that you'd have to run that script every 5 seconds or so to catch any picture modifications and changes while someone is working on the price book...yeach. hehe

Or did I miss something and there is a way to script container fields?

[CraigH]

I have sufredd a virtually identical head-bashing experience and have tentatively concluded that this cannot be done in FMP. I have also not been able to find a plugin to do this. The one that comes closest is the .launchit plugin from www.Dacons.net . You could, for example, store the full directory path and filename to an image, then view it by launching another application from within FMP.

As I continue to gain experience with FMP and as I try to push the envelope further, I am becoming increasingly frustrated with limitations like these. I'm a Mac person and have been following with great interest the development of RealBasic from www.RealSoftware.com. In many respects, this is the moral equivalent of FMP, but in a true programming environment - that is, it is realtively easy to develop applications without being a total geek. The learning curve is greater than for FMP, but is by far less steep than with other programing options. This may be a good way to graduate from the limitations of FMP and to rapidly develop full-featured applications for Mac and Windows.

[BobWeaver]

I'm not sure if I understand completely. I realize that when you first set this up you will have a lot of manual work to put the jpeg reference into the container field, but since it goes in as a reference to the file, if the picture is changed, the change will be immediately displayed in the container field the next time you go to that record.

[TimGFoley]

That would be the case if I was actually using the container objects to store the file. However, my database only contains the path and filename of the picture. I just need a way to display that pic (well, the pic that the path and filename point to) in the form on browse mode.

Its very easy to do in MS Access but since I'm the only Mac-head in our office, I'd like to use a Mac Database for my interface to the price book. Looks like I'm stuck or I just live without the pictures.

Someone should really beat filemaker over the head over this one, thats a pretty basic feature. The problem with actually putting the pics in the database is the size. I also have the need of the file name and path for my web clients. I have a web front end to the database for our web site and other people that don't run MS Access directly. I guess I'll just run the web client myself for now.

Are plugin's a pain to write? I can code anything in C for Dos or Unix... so i could muddle my way through Mac... unless the plugins don't use C...

Oh well, thanks for the help guys, I'll keep an eye open.

[TimGFoley]

Well I found a plugin to automate the imports... its called Dialog Magic.

http://www.newmillennium.com/dialogmagic.htm

However, the bloody author wants $79 for a single user license! Thats over $100 Canadian for a simple plugin....

I'll keep looking but for others that are willing to spend the money, there is one solution...