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Images in QuickBase

Let’s face it: after staring at a report for a few minutes, all QuickBase pages begin to look the same. Fortunately, there is an easy way to add some spice to your data: images. Not only can images brighten QuickBase’s drab color scheme, but they can also allow you to tag your data in useful ways. In this issue of QuickBase Straight Up we will explore the uses of images in QuickBase.
The Basics
For starters, how do we even get images to show in QuickBase? To attach an image to a record in a table, first create a new field in the table of type “File Attachment.” Call it whatever the associated image will be, like “Image of Product.” Then edit the field, and in the Display Images section of the Properties tab, check the box called “Display .JPG, .PNG, and .GIF files as images.”

check box

Keep in mind that when you upload images, they will have to be in one of those formats in order to display on the page. Also remember that images take up more disk space than simple data fields. You can see how much space they are taking up under Customize–>Application–>Misc.–>Show Application Statistics.

Images in Reports

You probably noticed the little addendum to the “Display Images” checkbox which reads “(single record display only)”. This means that when you attach an image to a record, it will only display when you are viewing the individual record. QuickBase makes it seem as if there is no way to get a list of image thumbnails to display on a report. Fortunately, there is a solution.

First, find out what the field ID of your image attachment field is. This can be done by viewing all your fields under the Customize menu and checking the Field ID column. Next, create another new field in your table of type Formula - Text and call it something like “Image Display.” Edit this field and check the box called “Allow some HTML tags.” Then, copy and paste the following code into the formula box:

“<img width=\”50\” src=\”" & URLRoot() & “up/” & Dbid () & “/a/r” & [Record ID#] & “/e10/v0\” />”

Replace the number after e with the field ID of your file attachment field, and replace the 50 at the beginning with the width you want your thumbnails to be scaled to. Add the Image Display field to your report, and you’ve got yourself a nice list of thumbnails. You can also hide the file attachment field, because it’s rather unnecessary at this point. Thanks to forum user Gareth Lewis for this tip!

What are images good for, anyway?
If you have a large number of similar products in your database, an easy way to distinguish between them is by attaching images to the records. Let’s say, for instance, that you run a pet store. Attaching images to your records can help you distinguish the premium bird cage from the normal one, or your calico cats from your tabbies.The more records you have, the more useful the images become.

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With this handy trick, you won’t be confusing Fluffy and Fido anymore. Plus, you can see the full-size version of any image by clicking the View button for the associated record.

Take a look at our sample application to learn more about how images can be used in QuickBase.

Of course, there are plenty of uses for images in QuickBase even if you’re not running a pet store. What do you use images for? Let us know!

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This entry was posted on Sunday, August 10th, 2008 at 9:17 am and is filed under Articles, Reporting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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