opening external files that filemaker doesn't natively support

[bradells]

creating a small solution to open various video files (non Quicktime compatable) with VLC.

With a normal (dos) command line:

vlc.exe filename

opens the file automatically in vlc.

Using the Open URL in a script, I can get it to open VLC (vlc.exe) but not the file (by itself (like a text file), or using the vlc.exe filename)

Any thoughts?

[efen]

Use Go to field [ Select/perform]

[Wim Decorte]

don't use the Open URL but the Send Event script step.

Construct the command to be like this:

cmd /c vlc.exe yourfile.ext

If you uncheck the tick box on the Send Event that says "bring taget applicatin to the foreground" then the user will see only the tiniest flash in the taskbar as the cmd is executed.

[bradells]

Awesome, I did try that earlier and found that it wouldn't work properly. It was giving me an error of The File "filename up until space" could not be found ..... Since Windows can support filenames/paths with spaces in them, and Send Event can't.

My workaround was to make a one lined batch file as follows:

"C:Program FilesVideoLANVLCvlc.exe" %~f1

This opens up the VLC viewer, and passes on the filename parameter set by the Send Event command set as a calculation to "vlc.bat " & $path where vlc.bat is my created batch file, and $path is the filename of the video I want to open

[Wim Decorte]

When using command lines you need to enclose the file names and paths that have spaces in them with quotes.

cmd /c vlc.exe "c:some folder with spacesfile with spaces.ext"

[bradells]

Sadly, filemaker didn't care if its in quotes (from trying to do just that). It still saw a space and freaked out.

[Wim Decorte]

Something's wrong with the syntax then, can you post it?

I do this every day and with the quotes in the proper place it works fine.

[Daniel Paquin]

I am interested in using VLC because I am using MP2 files and when opened with the default FMP function the audio does not come out.

When using VLC both the audio and the video are coming out.

My question is this, in using any of the proposed solution in this topic would it open a separate windows (outside FMP) or it is possible to have the window to be part of a FMP layout using another video player than QuickTime?

I would really like to have a VLC video solution playing inside a FMP layout.

Thanks!

Daniel