I've got a database with hundreds of jpegs and pdfs. In an effort to keep the size of the db down, I decided to only have references to them. Is there anything in FM that I can do to the db, as far as moving folders around, or renaming them, that won't cause them to "disappear." I keep the files and the db on a drive networked to mine, and other computers. Soon we are changing drives and I fear the change will create a problem. Is there a workaround for this issue?

Your best and most efficient method would be to use 360Works SuperContainer, this would allow for all users on the network to access the files (images, pdfs) without the need to mount a network volume. - additionally since the all the files are stored on a web server you could potentially access the files remotely ( IWP / PHP API / WAN) the companion plugin will allow for viewing items in a calculated container field so you can view items from a portal or be able to print items - since with out the plugin all viewing is done with a web viewer.

Hope this helps.

That seems like a good plan moving forward, as far as adding new jpegs and pdfs, but what about work I've already done? What I need most help with at the moment is that thousands of photos and pdfs are getting moved, and will be, for all intents and purposes, invisible or lost to Filemaker. I'm sensing that I am just going to have to reimport them all. I was hoping that not to be that case.

You do not need to reimport them. You just need to swap out what's in the container field. Create another field old_filename. Use Replace to populate this field from the current container contents:

old_filename = container (result text)

Now the tricky part. What is the new path? You'll need to put in the container field the new path to the file. You can use Replace to update all your records. Backup first!

Thanks for your help bcooney. Unfortunately I'm not sure I completely follow what needs to be done. It also maybe important to note that that jpegs and pdfs I have live in dozens of folders and subfolders as they are organized by day and date. In other words there are dozens of disparate file paths for the hundreds of pdfs and jpegs.

My ideal fix for this situation would be some kind of macro ability to change the first couple levels of the file path that every photo and jpeg in the db has. Thanks again.

Basically, you need the path in the container. But, if you have many paths, I don't see how you could do it even with a macro. How would you know which path applied to the record?

Do the files have to be scattered across folders?

One thing you can do is calculate the path. Create a calculation field, which takes part of the old path, prepends the new server (after the "filemac:" prefix). The result of the calculation is Container. In other words, if you can calculate the path, FileMaker will show the picture (or file, depending on the prefix).

You can keep a regular container field for Insert, but show the result in the calculated container. Neither of them really uses much disk space, as they are references only. You can put them on top of each other, calculation on top, transparent, regular underneath, enterable. No one need to know the difference.

Image_gDrive_calc_both.fp7.zip

With SuperContainer you can use the plugin that will transition your images stored in the db and by reference once you create a migration script that loops thru all your records moving them from your container field to the SuperContainer server, once the images have been moved you can delete - or rather repurpose the container fields to remove the binary data from filemaker.

see http://360works.com/supercontainer/demos/set_container/

Edited March 9, 200916 yr by Guest