Working with data in container fields
A container field can store pictures, QuickTime files, sounds you record, OLE objects (Windows) or any other type of file that you want to track in a database. The way you insert the data determines how you see and interact with the data in the container field.
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Insert a picture or QuickTime file: FileMaker Pro displays the picture or the contents of the QuickTime file in the container field. If you insert a QuickTime movie or sound file, you can play the movie using the standard QuickTime controls. For a list of the picture and QuickTime formats that FileMaker Pro supports, see the table below.
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Insert a sound: To insert an existing sound file into a container field, choose Insert > QuickTime and select a sound file in a supported format (see table below). Choose Insert > Sound to record a sound and store it in a container field.
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Insert any file: You can use a container field to store files of any type, such as PDF files, word processing files, or any other file type that you want to track. When you insert a file, FileMaker Pro displays the file’s icon and name in the container field, but not the actual content.
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Note To insert packaged files such as Keynote files into a container field, archive or zip the packaged files.
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Insert an object: In Windows, you can insert OLE objects. For more information, see Using OLE objects in a database (Windows).
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FileMaker Pro supports the following picture, QuickTime, and sound formats.
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QuickTime and other multimedia formats
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PDF (.pdf) (Mac OS)
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PICS (.pcs) (Mac OS)
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Windows Metafile/Enhanced Metafile (.wmf/.emf) (Windows)
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Insert menu > QuickTime supports all media file types supported by QuickTime 7.5, including movie, sound, and graphics files. The Minimum installation of QuickTime 7.5 (often the default installation for some new computers) will not provide full QuickTime functionality to FileMaker Pro. Use the Recommended installation, or add the QuickTime Still Image component using a custom install.
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File types/extensions are registered by each QuickTime movie importer component, so each movie or other media file must have either a valid filename extension or a valid file type to be imported successfully.
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You can export the content of a container field to a file. You can also choose to automatically open or email the exported file. See Exporting the contents of a field.
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