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Help indicates that blobs cater only to jpgs and bmps

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    Help indicates that blobs cater only to jpgs and bmps

    Hi,

    The help system states:

    The FILE.TO_BLOB() method reads a binary file from disk into a blob variable, Data. The data can be in either 8 bit Windows Bitmap (.BMP) or JPEG (.JPG) formats.

    and

    The FILE.FROM_BLOB() method creates a file from binary data.

    The questions are:
    1. is jpg and bmp the only file formats supported by the blob field type?
    2. the "from_blob()" method doesn't specify only bmp and jpg types, so is it limited as well?
    3. blob fields are supposed to accept ANY binary data without regard to types, such as encrypted files, movies, exes, anything, you name it, so is Alpha's blob implementation catering only to the mentioned jpg and bmp files?

    I cannot test anything as its the weekend and I need a demo reset...

    Thanks,
    Stanley

    #2
    Re: Help indicates that blobs cater only to jpgs and bmps

    Stanley,
    It is best if you describe and detail what you are attempting to accomplish. Specifically. From that, we can understand what the possibilities and the limitations are and from there we can provide assistance.
    Mike W
    __________________________
    "I rebel in at least small things to express to the world that I have not completely surrendered"

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Help indicates that blobs cater only to jpgs and bmps

      Hi Mike,

      Thanks for your suggestion. I'd like to know:

      1. is jpg and bmp the only file formats supported by the blob field type as indicated by the FILE.TO_BLOB() method help?
      2. the "from_blob()" method doesn't specify only bmp and jpg types, so is it limited as well?
      3. blob fields are supposed to accept ANY binary data without regard to types, such as encrypted files, movies, exes, anything, you name it, so is Alpha's blob implementation catering only to the mentioned jpg and bmp files?

      Sorry, cannot get any clearer than that.

      Thanks,
      Stanley

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Help indicates that blobs cater only to jpgs and bmps

        Also Mike, I'm browsing the help files and see these statements that seam contrary to what they should be and therefore posting questions here in an effort to get the facts. In this example, the FILE.TO_BLOB() method explicitly states that only bmp and jpg files are allowed. The FILE.FROM_BLOB() method does not mention those file types. And, it is not normal for a database blob (binary large object) field to only contain certain types of data, as they generally accept any type of data without locale translation.

        Hope that helps,
        Stanley

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Help indicates that blobs cater only to jpgs and bmps

          Stanley,
          I asked that you "detail what you are attempting to accomplish" not what you a are wishing to know. Blob variables hold large volumes of data. Blob.to_file just makes a text file of the binary data. There is no issue regarding what the data represents. Translating back binary data to a meaningful construct is a different story.

          1090908877172t372y2ttt2v2vgtv1vg1v2

          I can make this to a blob variable and write this to a text file all day long [blob.to_file()]. Ask alpha to translate it back into something meaningful .. it's not bitmap, jpeg, or record data, it'd ancient Arabic Sanscript with an Orthdox Greek accent and Swedish inflections --> ie is meaningless to be able to get it returned to a useful/meaningful construct.
          Last edited by Mike Wilson; 11-16-2014, 11:12 PM.
          Mike W
          __________________________
          "I rebel in at least small things to express to the world that I have not completely surrendered"

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Help indicates that blobs cater only to jpgs and bmps

            Mike,

            Can we agree that FILE.TO_BLOB() is the inverse of FILE.FROM_BLOB()?

            If true, then there is no issue. Pass any file to the to_blob() method and save it in the database along with its file extension in a separate field. To reverse, pass the data from the database's blob field to the from_blob() method and save it to a file using the saved extension. Doing so will allow other extension aware apps to open it at will.

            What started this discussion was that the help page for FILE.TO_BLOB() clearly stated that the data can be in either 8 bit Windows Bitmap (.BMP) or JPEG (.JPG) formats, with no mention of others. Go and look at the help...

            Stanley

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Help indicates that blobs cater only to jpgs and bmps

              Mike,

              I just read in your post that:
              << Blob.to_file just makes a text file of the binary data.

              I hope you are wrong about this as by nature a blob field stores any kind of data, text or binary. If you store binary data in it, then you retrieve binary data from it. Likewise, if you store text data in it you will retrieve text data from it, and because its a blob, there will not be any character translations made to it as reflected by a locale.

              Stanley

              Comment

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