Dynamic OLE Object - need to ID records where photo file is missing

[schristi]

Hello everyone,

I'm working with Crystal Reports XI, Release 2, and am adding photos to a report using the instructions outlined in the Crystal Reports Help Topic: "To make a static OLE object dynamic"

The photo files are stored on a server, and I'm using a path and file name stored in our Photo_Dtl table to point to the photo files. Accessing and displaying the photos works great, no complaints there.

Here's the catch: We need to run a report that indicates when the photo files are missing. That is, we need to show a list of records where the Photo_Dtl table shows a path and a file name, but that .jpg file doesn't exist on the server.

When I display the photos on the report it is very evident which ones do not have files stored on the server (you see an odd image instead of a photo). What I'd like to do is somehow convert that to a Yes/No (Yes = photo file present / No = photo file not present) so that I can suppress the records that do have photos, leaving only the ones that don't.

Does anyone know of a way to capture this info so it can be used for suppression in the report?

Many thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

 

[briangriffin]

Since nobody else has any clever ideas for this, I'm going to say that this is not possible within CR. If you or someone in your company is skilled at VB programming, I think you could probably create a container app, use the Crystal viewer, and somehow intercept the OLE call to determine if there is a matching file.

 

[schristi]

Thank you for your reply! I suspected as much - I'll see if our programmers can come up with something.

 

[IdoMillet]

One of the User Function Libraries (UFL) listed at

http://www.kenhamady.com/bookmarks.html

provides a FileExists() function. This allows your report to have a formula for checking if a file exists.

hth,
- Ido

view, export, burst, email, and schedule Crystal Reports.

http://www.MilletSoftware.com

 

[schristi]

Thank you! I'll take a look at those...

 

[crystalkiwibruce]

Always possible somehow.

You could use my Export Function Library which has a "ExportFileExists(filename)" function.

If that returns a FALSE then suppress the image in the report, or use it as a selection criteria on a audit report.

Bruce Ferguson

http://www.crystalkiwi.com/nlog.htm