How do I Store Video in a Table? 2

[Menglish]

I know XLS and pictures can be stored in a General field, but how about a video clip? I need to download from a Police unit dash mounted video camera. I can edit the video and get and save the portion I need but I need the ability to search through a table and pick out the one needed. Can I do this in Visual Foxpro 9"

Thanks for any ideas?

Millard English

 

[audiopro]

Probably better to store your video files as separate files and put the name and location of the file into your table.

Keith

http://www.studiosoft.co.uk

 

[Mike Lewis]

Hi Millard,

I agree completely with Keith about using a separate file. But if you must store the video in a table, you can do so. It's exactly the same as any other OLE object.

Just use the same technique as you are using with XLS files, for example, APPEND GENERAL.

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My Visual FoxPro site: www.ml-consult.co.uk

 

[JRB-Bldr]

In total agreement to the previous comments, remember that video files are typically very large in data content (i.e. bit count).

To store that much data in fields within a data table would very quickly become a recipe for problems.

To echo the previous comments, save the video files in their own separate files and keep a reference to their location and file name in the data table.

Then when needed use the reference to launch the video clip into a player object within your application or into an external video player launched from your application.

BTW one of my clients is already doing something similar to voice recordings (VOX files) and it is working very well for them.

Good Luck,
JRB-Bldr

 

[Nro]

Hi

You can look in VFP samples files (features examples, I think). You have an exemple on how to play an external video clip. Again, I agree with previous comments. It's a bat idea of storing such files into DBF (rememember 2go limit)

Nro

 

[Menglish]

Thanks for your advice. I was thinking of linking to the video but was not sure if this was the best approach.

Thanks again to everyone,

Millard

 

[Mike Lewis]

Millard,

I was thinking of linking to the video

If you link to the video from within your General field, then that overcomes the problem of a bloated table. It has the same effect as storing the file externally. The main difference is that VFP manages the link, rather than you having to store a pathname in the table.

You can place a video file in the table as a linked object by adding the LINK keyword to APPEND GENERAL.

You already know how to store spreadsheets and pictures in a table. The point is that a video file is no different. It's just another OLE object.

That said, if your main aim is to let users search for a particular video clip, you will need to store search terms (keywords, etc) in the table, and provide a mechanism for searching them. That's a separate issue from the decision about where to store the video.

Mike


__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My Visual FoxPro site: www.ml-consult.co.uk