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Groups > comp.databases.filemaker > #3085

Re: Audio in Containers

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On 2018-03-16 18:50:18 +0000, Charles H. Sampson said:
> Helpful Harry <HelpfulHarry@BusyWorking.com> wrote:
>> On 2018-03-12 01:15:54 +0000, Charles H. Sampson said:
>>> 
>>> When I was learning FileMaker, using FMP8, I'm pretty sure that I played
>>> around with putting audio files into containers. My memory is that I
>>> could double-click on the container and the file would play (in iTunes,
>>> I think). If that was ever true, I can't make it happen now. Help?
>>> 
>>> Going a step farther, if such playback is possible, does it work if I
>>> put an alias into the container? (An obvious question is, "Why not let
>>> FileMaker set up the alias by telling FileMaker to store only a
>>> reference to the file, rather than a copy of the file. I want to use an
>>> alias whose name is different from the name of the file.)
>> 
>> The ability to play the audio (or video) will depend on it's format. It
>> has to be a format that both FileMaker and your OS understand.
>> 
>> FileMaker Container fields can store a reference to an external file.
>> There's a tick box option to do just that when inserting the file /
>> audio / video.
>> 
>> There is a set of AV Player script commands in FileMaker Pro 16, but I
>> haven't used them ... I haven't had any need to use audio or video in
>> FileMaker Pro since about version 3.
> 
> I just ran a simple test. I created a database that has only one table.
> That table has only one field, which is a container.
> 
> The files I work with are aiff format. (I know that's redundant.) If I
> insert such a file into the container and let FileMaker make a alias, I
> can get playback after a lot of clicking; eventually iTunes fires up and
> plays it. Strangely, if I tell FileMaker to insert a copy of the file
> into the container, no amount of clicking gets any playback. Equally
> strangely, if I insert my own alias into the container, I get the same
> lack of success: No playback.

I've only had a very quick play with the Container fields just now in 
FileMaker 16, but they seem to be a lot more flakey and 
over-complictaed than they used to be ... just like pretty much 
everything else in the newer versions of FileMaker Pro.   :o(

My *guess*, and only a guess, is that when storing a reference to a 
file, FileMaker calls on the OS to open the original file, but when 
storing a file itself it tries to use it's own features, which are 
probably extremely limited (partly due to needing to be cross-platform 
compatible).

In Layout Mode, you can click on Container Field and "optimize" it for 
video / audio by using the options in the Inspector panel - the last 
set of options in the last sub-menu (the one with the drum-like icon). 
That does give the Field a play / pause bar when storing audio or video.

As for the AVPlayer Script / button commands, they seem like a total 
waste of space and wouldn't do anything no matter how the field was 
formatted or the inserted data / file was stored.

My conclusion, based solely on this very quick playing around, would be 
to NOT use FileMaker Container Fields to store anything except images. 
They seem to be rather useless for anything else.

Helpful Harry  :o)

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Thread

Audio in Containers csampson@inetworld.net (Charles H. Sampson) - 2018-03-11 18:15 -0700
  Re: Audio in Containers Helpful Harry <HelpfulHarry@BusyWorking.com> - 2018-03-12 19:48 +1300
    Re: Audio in Containers csampson@inetworld.net (Charles H. Sampson) - 2018-03-16 11:50 -0700
      Re: Audio in Containers Helpful Harry <HelpfulHarry@BusyWorking.com> - 2018-03-18 14:37 +1300
        Re: Audio in Containers csampson@inetworld.net (Charles H. Sampson) - 2018-03-19 13:27 -0700
          Re: Audio in Containers Helpful Harry <HelpfulHarry@BusyWorking.com> - 2018-03-20 09:45 +1300
            Re: Audio in Containers csampson@inetworld.net (Charles H. Sampson) - 2018-03-20 14:36 -0700
              Re: Audio in Containers Helpful Harry <HelpfulHarry@BusyWorking.com> - 2018-03-21 13:58 +1300

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