* Media Records and Local Media Objects

Importing from another genealogy program? This is the place to ask. Questions about Exporting should go in the Exporting sub-forum of the General Usage forum.
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mitcheip
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Media Records and Local Media Objects

Post by mitcheip »

Firstly thanks to those you helped me sort out my Gedstar Export.

During those posts there was a lot of mention of Media Records and Local Media Objects.

I can't find anything in FH help that explains these two types of media, what the difference is between them, and how you identify them in FH.

I see there is a recent Plugin "Move Local Media to Media Records" but again because I'm not sure what the difference is between LMO and Media records I'm reluctant to use it.

Can someone explain, in plain English, what the difference between these two types of media are and how to identify them in FH?

Thanks
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tatewise
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Re: Media Records and Local Media Objects

Post by tatewise »

FH won't say much about LMO because they are a standard GEDCOM feature that although allowed by FH is not well supported as it prefers to use Media Records in most Media dialogues.

Maybe a comparison will help.
You are probably aware of local Note fields, and the separate shareable Note Records.
Wherever you can have a local Note field you can also add a link to a shareable Note Record.
If you investigate the Notes tab of the Property Box the Add Note list offers both methods (but only at record level).
(To reach both methods for every possible Note location the All tab must be used.)

Similarly, wherever a shareable linked Media Record is allowed a Local Media Object is also allowed.
However, on the Media tab the Add Media button only offers linked Media Records.
On the All tab if you right-click wherever Media are allowed (sometimes under Miscellaneous) there is an Add Multimedia Object option that offers both linked Records and Local Media Objects (LMO).

LMO bypass the Media Records and contain a FILE tag that links directly to the Media file.
They also contain TITL and FORM tags similar to a Media Record.
Many products including TMG only use LMO and have no Media Records at all.
Any import from such products has LMO automatically converted to Media Records by FH.
The Move Local Media to Media Records Plugin performs a similar conversion.

The Media tab for Individual, Family & Source records list record level Media (not Fact Media).
Media Records are identified with a paper-clip icon.
LMO are identified with a blue bullet.

In the Property Box the Fact level LMO can only be detected on the All tab.
They do not yield an image icon against the Fact in the Facts tab, nor do they appear via the Show Media button.

In Tools > External File Links when you select any filename the icons in the Where Used pane below are as for the Media tab mentioned above.

It is also possible to write Queries to detect LMO by filtering for OBJE2 tags.

Strictly speaking the GEDCOM 5.5 definition only allows LMO to link to external files with the FILE tag, whereas Media Records can only hold BLOB tag embedded media, but FH adds the non-standard _FILE tag to Media Records to support external file links.
The GEDCOM 5.5.1 definition does away with BLOB tags and adds FILE tags to Media Records, but also adjusts the TITL and FORM tag hierarchy in both LMO and Media Records. It is this format that the Export Gedcom File Plugin uses for GedStar Pro and several other products that use GEDCOM 5.5.1.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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mitcheip
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Family Historian: V7

Re: Media Records and Local Media Objects

Post by mitcheip »

Thanks for the reply Mike.

As it turns out I have never used Note records and really didn't understand the difference between the options.

This is as opposed to Media where I only have Media Records and no Local Media Objects.

At least I'm a little clearer now on the FH functionality.
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