Hi Corn & Jay et al:

To clear up any misconceptions on my part. I've been dealing with images and FileMaker for several years. Because FileMaker deals with images so easily I've been accustomed to using its features extensively. For example all of the data needed for a image file is stored in the record. The name of the image file is simply textual data and can easily be stored in a FileMaker record. Recent versions of FileMaker have the additional advantage of actually showing the image. However, any reasonably recent database program should be able to load or open an image file. I have not done this, but, Access claims:

From Access…"...you can display images, such as pictures, logos, and photographs, on your forms and reports. To do so, you first need to store those images. Access provides several ways to store images, and this article explains how to use each method.

This was all I was trying to point out. If, however, the image filenames have NOT been recorded in FileMaker putting them in may be quite difficult, even too cumbersome to do. As well, I use FMP 11 & 12 not version 6, so you might not be able to do the below.

All of the images should be stored as file references. This means they are not actually in the database. Any reference to the image file is stored in a calculation field stored as a container. As long as the image files are all in same place, a folder, for example, I can make it a calculation based on pertinent information within FileMaker record.  You can add, edit or delete the image files at will. (Though you must add, edit or delete the database records to accommodate this.) I use this to automatically replace an entire series of images in a database on a weekly basis. In preparation to do this I usually make a series of blank records ready to have image file data as well as other information. I then use the renumber capabilities of File Sequencer program to renumber a series of image files. Renumbering the pertinent data in FileMaker makes simple use of the Replace function.

Say you wanted the images of 100 people stored in a FileMaker database. I would first make a database of 100 records. I would make a calculation field stored as a container. The calculation field would be based on the pre-determined number, stored in a text field. I would then plan out my photography day such that the order of pictures is based on the predetermined order I wished. For example, manager, number 1, picture taken first, head of human resources, number 2, taken second, … Etc. The calculation field then would be, for example, "imagemac:/Macintosh HD/Users/aljeffrey/Documents/" & recordNumberField & ".jpeg"… So the calculation field is "imagemac:/Macintosh HD/Users/aljeffrey/Documents/image001.jpeg"…to … "imagemac:/Macintosh HD/Users/aljeffrey/Documents/image100.jpeg". Then when you take the pictures, taken in the order of the numbers you have. If you use file sequencer, you can rename the image files all at once to, image001.jpeg, image002.jpeg.... You can renumber the appropriate text field in FileMaker, (recordNumberField, "image001", Replace with serial numbers, increment by 1, in this case),  with the replace function. Should you have to do this again again simply take the pictures again in chronological order and rename them. You can also change an individual image simply by replacing it in the image folder, with its appropriate number.

And, as I see it, you should be able to transfer all this data to many other databases, along with with a folder of images.

Al Jeffrey

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