Changing pictures "status"

[Cazito]

Hi, I inserted hundreds of pictures to my database but forgot to check the "store only a reference to the file" box. Now my database has a 10GB size. :-(

Is there a simple way to change all those pictures "status" (from embedded to referenced) in a single move or do I have to delete each individual picture and insert it again as a reference?

[Josh Ormond]

It's been a little while since I've had to do something like that, but I suppose you could try this is no one else jumps in with a better idea.

 

1. Get the path the pics need to go to.
2. Export the photo to the specified location.
3. Insert Pic - mark to store as reference only.

You can do all of this using a script to loop through the records.

 

Are you using FileMaker Server 12?

[Cazito]

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I'm using the regular FM12 advanced, not the server one.

 

About your method. I already have all the photos in a folder on my computer. I actually duplicated them by mistake when I forgot to select the store as reference box. If I have to export each individual photo I guess it would take as much time as inserting them again as a reference. Guess a script, as you said, is probably the best solution. WIll try.

[Josh Ormond]

Well if they are in the location you need them ( that is the permanent location ), then you should be able to calculate the path and just insert the file name at the end of the path.  So you script would do something more like this:

 

1. Get the path the pics will be stored at. ( for example: "M:FolderNamefoldername" & PicFileName ). You can return the name of the file by pointing to the field name with the photo in it and returning a text value.
2. Remove contents of container field.
3. Insert Pic - mark to store as a reference only.
4. Go to next record.

 

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I'm using the regular FM12 advanced, not the server one.

 

About your method. I already have all the photos in a folder on my computer. I actually duplicated them by mistake when I forgot to select the store as reference box. If I have to export each individual photo I guess it would take as much time as inserting them again as a reference. Guess a script, as you said, is probably the best solution. WIll try.

[Brooks]

Not sure if this is applicable but can you change field to store container externally? It will then export all the pics for you. Move your current pics into a .old folder and let the exported pics replace the originals?

[Cazito]

Hmmm... not sure I know how to do that. Thank you both for the input.

[Brooks]

From the manage database select the container field and select options. Click the storage tab. Select store container data externally. Select the path. Select open storage if you want to access it from another source, or secure if they are only for the filemaker database. Click OK. Click OK. a dialog window will appear and ask you if you want to move the container data. Do it. 

It will take a while with that much stuff, but when its done all your photos will be exported from your database with references complete. Just try is with  a test field to get the hang of it. Im pretty sure it will take care of your problem. In the future anytime you add content it will automatically move the data to the container flyer and create a reference

[Cazito]

Hi. It sort of worked. My database now has a 60MB size (from 10GB), which is good. But two things happened. First, I couldn't choose the path to export the pictures and had to select the path determined by FM. So now my pictures are in a folder inside a folder inside a folder (all created by Filemaker) inside my original folder. Do you think if I move the pictures to a new folder, Filemaker will automatically recognize the new location of my pictures? Second, Filemaker duplicated my original TIFF files, so now I have a duplicate JPG file for every TIFF file I exported. I can delete the JPG files, no problem, but is Filemaker referencing my pictures to these newly created JPG files or to the original TIFF files?

[Brooks]

It is referencing the jpg images. If you delete or move them it will break the link. I'm not sure what you meant by you couldn't choose a location. In the options box you get to do just that. Did you make sure to NOT use secure storage? If you want to reverse the procedure just go back to the same options box and turn off external storage and things will be as they were before.

[Cazito]

Before starting I saved a copy of my database in an external drive for safety, so no damage done.

 

Yes, I did select "open storage". I wanted the exported photos placed in the path "BDFFC/Photos/" ("BDFFC" is my original database folder). But Filemaker placed them in the path "BDFFC/Files/BDFFC/Photos" as you can see below. The "[database location]/Files/BDFFC" box is not editable and its also the only option.

 

 

Any way, I have duplicated files now, so this is not working for me.

 

Yours a good solution though. If my original files were jpegs this would have worked.