Working with Multimedia Data

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Working with Multimedia Data

Multimedia data can be stored in Lianja tables in object datatype fields. The data is stored in binary large object (BLOB) format in the .dbt file, with a corresponding pointer in the table record.

Lianja provides the following functions to handle the transfer and querying of multimedia data:

  • objectread() - read a binary file into a Lianja object field
  • objectwrite() - write the contents of a Lianja object field to a binary file
  • objecttype() - return the type of a Lianja object field, e.g. jpg

Inserting Multimedia Data

objectread(<filename as character>,<fieldname as character>)

The objectread() function reads an external binary file into a Lianja object field. It returns true (.T.) if the operation was successful, and false (.F.) otherwise.

The file to read in is specified in <filename>, and can be any valid Lianja expression that returns a valid file name. The first three characters of the file extension are stored in the object field as the object's type, as returned by the objecttype() function.

The field into which the file is placed is specified in <object field>, and must be a Lianja object field in the currently selected workarea.

Example

open database southwind
use categories
objectread("newpic.jpg",picture)
close databases

Retrieving Multimedia Data

objectwrite(<filename as character>,<fieldname as character> [, <tempfile as logical>])

The objectwrite() function writes an external binary file from a Lianja object field. The objectwrite() function returns true (.T.) if the external binary file was created successfully, and false (.F.) otherwise.

The name of the file to create can be specified in the parameter <filename>. This can be any valid Lianja expression that returns a valid filename. The filename can also be an empty string, providing that the logical expression <expL> is true (.T.). In this case, a unique temporary file name will be generated and the object written to this file, with the file name being returned from objectwrite().

The Lianja object field containing the data to be written, is specified in the parameter <object field>, and must be a valid field in the currently selected workarea.

Example

<%
open database southwind
use categories
scan
m_file = "__"+ltrim(str(recno()))+".jpg"
? '<img src="'+objectwrite(m_file,picture,.t.)+'"><br>'
endscan
close databases
%>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
</body>