* Display File name and path?

[APerson]

As I'm entering information for a new source, I've run across a situation that I can't find a solution to. Specifically, I'd like to be able to see the file name and path to it on the Citation panel:

Media File name and Path Needed

Media Name and Path Needed.jpg (42.65 KiB) Viewed 1960 times

Thanks!

[tatewise]

I don't think that is possible.
None of the Media tabs anywhere, allow the associated media file path to be displayed.
It is not possible to Customize the Citation Window to display the file path because involves a link to the Media record and links to any other records are not allowed in such customizations.

The best I can suggest is to use the lower cog Menu shown in your screenshot and choose View Media in Media Window.
Then the Media Records list on the left includes the File paths.

The only other option is to add the file path to the Media record Title.

Can I ask why the file name is so important, because usually it is not particularly relevant.
It is the Media Record that is important and the Media file just comes along with it.

[APerson]

I was afraid that was the case. Your suggestion to "View Media in Media Window.
Then the Media Records list on the left includes the File paths" does work but it's a bit of a hassle (extra mouse clicks).

While I'm now allowing FH to place copies of media files in a single location, I have always kept my media files organized in folders, for a very long time, by family name. In In addition, I also use file names with a catalog numbering system to keep things organized - I've done this for decades. For example, I have hard copies of many documents, which I assign the first three letters of the name followed by three digits. If a source pertains to a member of the Hawley Family, I give the source file a name such as HAW342 - in other words, the file is related to the Hawley Family and is the 342nd file. If the source is only in an electronic format, I add a lower case "e" so that HAWe342 refers to the 342nd document (that was only available in an electronic format) belonging to the Hawley family. Thus, this is one way to tell if I have physical copy of the source or just an electronic copy.

While giving the source a meaningful title is great (and I have no problem with that), I would like to be able to view the file name as I often use that when seeking to locate the file on my computer or in my files. It's also very useful when I'm adding new sources as I'll keep separate windows open to examine what's contained in the original file locations.

Your suggestion about the cog well does work but it requires additional mouse clicks. I've also tried place the file name in other locations to see if it would appear on the screen shot view. I could include also include the file name in the "title" field but really don't want it there. I've also tried to see if I could add it to the "fmt" but that can't be done. Allowing the full file name, instead of just the file extension, which is what is currently shown under "fmt," would be useful.

[Valkrider]

Jeff

Don't forget that you can organise the media into folders under the FH media folder, there is no need to keep them in the root folder.

[tatewise]

Firstly, there is nothing to prevent you from continuing with the same organized folders within the Project's Media folder.
It just means that the File Link looks like Media\Folder\Filename.jpg
Use Windows File Explorer to rearrange the Media folder & file structure then use the Tools > External File Links... command and its Auto Repair Links button should reallocate the File Links correctly.

If you are only particularly interested in seeing the file path in the Citation Window then I may have a solution.
The top right Show Side Panel button is enabled in your screenshot so the Footnote, Short Footnote and Bibliography are shown to the right. It is relatively rare that Short Footnotes are shown in Reports so it could be used to show File Links.

To do that change the Short Footnote format template as follows (assuming Media are attached to the Source record):
{%SOUR.OBJE[1]>FILE%} {%SOUR.OBJE[2]>FILE%}
That caters for two attached Media but could be extended for more.

If you have a fixed number of folders in the path then it is possible to extract just the filename & type using:
{=Section( %SOUR.OBJE[1]>FILE%, 3, "\" )} {=Section( %SOUR.OBJE[2]>FILE%, 3, "\" )}
So for example Media\Folder\Filename.jpg would display as just Filename.jpg

If you want a label preceding each filename then use:
<File1:{=Section( %SOUR.OBJE[1]>FILE%, 3, "\" )}, File2:{=Section( %SOUR.OBJE[2]>FILE%,3,"\")}>

If the Media are linked to Citations rather than Source records then replace SOUR with CUR~CITN in the above templates.

[Mark1834]

Although the FH import recommends copying media to the project Media folder, the "best practice" recommendation in the KB is to NOT do that for RM. There are two main advantages for doing it that way:

1. The media stay exactly as they were in RM, so you can carry on using them immediately.
2. It avoids duplicating potentially several GB of media files unnecessarily. RM and FH both refer to exactly the same file, so is much easier to maintain during the transition when you might be using both apps in parallel.

Keeping media in the project folder tends to be the default recommendation for some long-serving contributors here, but that is mainly on the grounds that it is easier for newcomers who may not have a good grasp of Windows filing systems. If you know what you are doing (which you clearly do) and are prepared to manage your own backups (which users should be doing anyway), there are many advantages to leaving media outside the project folders and simply creating a link when adding to Media Records.

[tatewise]

Mark is absolutely correct if you intend to continue working with both FH and RM.
Many of the drawbacks of keeping FH Media files outside the Project no longer exist due to some recent FH features.
There may be an impact on the Short Footnote format template and displays depending on the external file path.
e.g.
If the external path is such as D:\Documents\Media\Folder\Filename.jpg then it takes more space in the Short Footnote.
However, if the folder depth is fixed then the =Section(...) solution will yield the same filename as for an internal path.

[APerson]

Thank you both for your great suggestions. I'll work with them and see what I can do.

Yes, I'm quite computer literate and can usually figure out how to handle things. I'm so impressed with FH that I will be switching to FH, exclusively, in the very near future (actually, I'm kind of doing that now although I'm using a temporary file imported from RM as I test things). I'm taking the process slowly, however, to see what things I need to customize in FH for my own purposes. I would GREATLY prefer to keep my files in the folder structure that I've used for so long - I'll have to take a deeper look into that.

Additionally, I'm going to have to look a bit into the template behaviors as I found something last night that has worked flawlessly in RM since I created them (12 years ago?) but one of the fields in one of them on FH behaves a bit differently. That is something that I'll be playing with over the next few days and, more than likely, will post any questions on this forum regarding issues that arise.

BTW, I'm just "playing" with a temporary file imported from RM into FH as I test things. Again, thanks, this is a very helpful forum and am so glad I tried out the latest version of FH. Once I get things going, I already know that FH will allow me to deal with data far more efficiently (and significantly faster).

[jbtapscott]

Jeff - I didn't come from RM but from TMG and spent over three months constantly uploading copies of files, etc / rebuilding exports for my website, etc., / modifying data and settings both in TMG and FH until I made the final switch. Time that was not wasted!!

[APerson]

Brent,

Thanks! That's good to hear. I remain very positive about FH and am fully intent now on switching. I've just imported my (good) RM file into FH again to deal with the situation with the media file locations and everything went well. Just the same, I'm going to continue to work on tweaking FH so that I get things to work exactly as I'd like (I'm extremely anal retentive about my data - which is a very good thing when dealing with genealogical data). I'm REALLY looking forward to getting things "just right" with FH as I'm convinced it's going to make my life a LOT easier! They're really done a great job with it!

[tatewise]

Jeff, did my suggestion to change the Short Footnote format template to show Filenames work out OK?

[APerson]

Hi Mike,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you - the past couple of days have been busy for me. I've played around with your suggestions and, while I wasn't able to get it to work - I'm suspect that's because it's been awhile since I did any coding and I'm not familiar enough with FH.

I'm also trying to adjust things using my own templates, which I use exclusively. I did find a way (I believe) in which the end result is similar - at least as far as how the media file name is displayed, although I can't get the path. Your approach is far more elegant, efficient, and considerably less prone to error.

Specifically, I manually enter the file name into FH on my template. This is done the same way on RM, although they also draw upon to file name (with extension/format) and path, when media is added to the source.

To get the file name to appear, I added the field name (Personal_ID), that was imported from RM, to the "short footnote" output field as shown below.

Media File ID Number

Media ID Number.jpg (43.47 KiB) Viewed 1677 times

Then, I manually enter the information into the template as shown here:

Manually Enter File Name

Manually Enter File Name.jpg (164.12 KiB) Viewed 1677 times

Again, I much prefer your approach but, so far, I haven't been successful due to my own naivety.

Please note that there is some information on the above screen capture that is related to the (minor) problems when transferring from RM.

BTW, I never use "Short Footnotes" so placing the info there is fine. I'm going to create a new thread on templates and explain some of my reasons there. Additionally, I have found a few things that did not quite transfer over correctly from RM and I don't want to mix that information with this thread.

[tatewise]

It is actually Mike, not Mark, who is advising you about Short Footnote Format templates.

Since you don't use the Short Footnotes anywhere, its template can be anything you prefer.
So, replace the whole template with {%SOUR.OBJE[1]>FILE%} and get rid of the Personal_ID field.
That template will display the full path of the 1st Media (OBJE[1]) file attached to the Source record.
It uses what FH calls a Data Reference. See FHUG Knowledge Base Understanding Data References.
In this case, SOUR refers to the current Source record. OBJE refers to its Media object. [1] identifies the first instance.
> redirects to the Media record. FILE refers to the File Link in the Media record.

My post on Tue 25th Jan 2022 14:53 offers variants on that template to cater for more than one Media file per source record, and ways to eliminate the leading folder names from the file path.

[APerson]

Hi Mike (not Mark),

Sorry about that - I was commenting on what you had written. Anyway, I was able to get your suggestion to work. Thanks.

I'm still examining how the templates are handled in FH - I'm going start a new thread sometime soon to discuss that.