File formats for Image Reference

[Davidk]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

Have a look at this sample I posted elsewhere... it may have what you're looking for.

"ui_get_file" can set a default dir and filetype.

https://forum.alphasoftware.com/foru...4&d=1240591439

[John Lemisch]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

Thks Jay!
Your method only allow for one particular file to be opened. I am trying to build a document management system with A5 with the image files stored in a file server (to overcome the table size limit of A5) and the indexes i.e. other data on the records stored in the A5 database. For example, for every record along with the .tiff image (a scanned document), I will have a author name, case number and compensation fields which can be used to locate the image through the search function. I think using the Image File Reference is the way to go but the file formats are of limited use as tiff and pdf are especially popular.

Maybe someone who has built a document management system or a record management system using A5 will be able to lead the way.

look here - http://www.dmsi-south.com/images/DMSIDOCCATALOG.PDF

[gagsoft]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

Hi all

Is there a way one can set the default folder and file format with xbasic so that when the user adds an image to a "image file reference field", it does not default to *.bmp but *.jpg instead and in a specified folder.

Thanks
Peter Gagiano

[NoeticCC]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

If you just want to extract a thumbnail that is embedded in those files' metadata, check out http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/

You could have one file/text field and one jpeg field, so when someone uploads the PDF or whatever, you run a command on exiftool from Alpha5 to extract the thumbnail and store it in the jpeg field.

[charles tan]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

I think I understand now - you want to use the Image File Reference rather than a link because you want to VIEW the document on the screen after you do your search, not click a link to Open the document? Is this correct?

Sounds like you want to reproduce a common feature of document scanning software; to include meta data along with the scanned image so you can call up the image/PDF by searching through the meta data.

Did you want this as a Desktop or a Web application (you've posted similar question in several places).

Hi Steve:

You are right in your understanding. The metada in this case will be other fields in the records. It will be both a desktop and a web applications. Hv you done a similar project?

I posted the requests in several places I wasnt't sure where to find the relevant experts. This is first time, I posted a request. It does looks silly to me now. I am sorry about.

[NoeticCC]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

ImageMagick works through simple command line steps that can be called from Alpha5, it is free and works well in my experience.

[jonathank]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

Charles,

How about converting the images? I do this with IrfanView and I have negotiated developer licensing so I include it with my app. This is very easy to automate with a command line mode where no window opens. I am not sure if this would solve your problem, particularly if you working with multi page Tiffs that I am not sure about. But if all you need is Thumbnail or an image for preview then perhaps convert to JPG, you can set the parameters effecting file size also.

[jonathank]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

Charles,

How about converting the images? This is very easy to automate, I do this with IrfanView and I have negotiated developer licensing so I include it with my app. I am not sure if this would solve your problem, particularly if you working with multi page Tiffs that I am not sure about. But if all you need is Thumbnail or an image for preview then perhaps convert to JPG, you can set the parameters effecting file size also.

[glenschild]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

Charles

I use multi page tif's all the time in a membership system where the paper application form is scanned and saved in a folder below the main data folder. Each form is named with the same UID as the actual member. In the table I have a character field which contains the full path and file name which is updated by an operation:

a5.get_path()+chr(92)+"forms"+chr(92)+alltrim(UID)+".tif"

On a form I have a button which opens the image using Irfanview (with the file associations on the pc set for this)

This solution is not without it's problems but generally speaking it works and works well.

[Davidk]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

Charles... this can get you a bit of the way...

There's a supercontrol - PDFViewer that you can use in A5. For tiff it sounds like an A5 solution isn't there.

Lots of 3rd party Activex controls out there... I'm using ImagXpress and THBImage controls to work with images. I find the Image Reference field far too slow to work with for viewing images.

What you could do is drop a couple of controls on a form for viewing, place then over top each other and size them the same. The PDFViewer and whatever other control you want to use. Then hide and unhide the control for the type of file you want to view.

[Steve Wood]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

I think I understand now - you want to use the Image File Reference rather than a link because you want to VIEW the document on the screen after you do your search, not click a link to Open the document? Is this correct?

Sounds like you want to reproduce a common feature of document scanning software; to include meta data along with the scanned image so you can call up the image/PDF by searching through the meta data.

Did you want this as a Desktop or a Web application (you've posted similar question in several places).

[Jay Talbott]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

Charles,
With all due respect, I beg to differ with you.
I have created a document management system which names PDF files with a prefix (Q for Quote, D for Drawing, etc.), the customer number, and a suffix for each document for a client.
So the client can have the following PDF files:
Q-12345-1.pdf
Q-12345-2.pdf
J-12345-1.pdf
J-12345-2.pdf
J-12345-3.pdf

You can then open any or all documents, Quotes and/or Jobs for a particular customer.

I hope this helps.
Jay

[charles tan]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

Thks Jay!
Your method only allow for one particular file to be opened. I am trying to build a document management system with A5 with the image files stored in a file server (to overcome the table size limit of A5) and the indexes i.e. other data on the records stored in the A5 database. For example, for every record along with the .tiff image (a scanned document), I will have a author name, case number and compensation fields which can be used to locate the image through the search function. I think using the Image File Reference is the way to go but the file formats are of limited use as tiff and pdf are especially popular.

Maybe someone who has built a document management system or a record management system using A5 will be able to lead the way.

[Jay Talbott]

Re: File formats for Image Reference

Unless I am missing something, why not just include the path and file names in a character field in the table, and create a button on a browse or form to open the image in the default viewer.

On a form, you could have a button with this code on the OnPush event:

t=table.current()
vc_filename = t.image_filename
sys_open(vc_filename)


That should do the trick.
Hope this helps.
Jay

[charles tan]

I created a database using Image Reference and disappointed by the limited number of file formats. Does anyone know how I can include .pdf and .tiff?