linking files on DVD or CDs

[diegartenfrau]

Hi George,

I am somewhat of a Garden magazine junkie, I have several subscriptions and I usually keep my magazines for too long until I get tired of the clutter and clean them out. When I clean them out I can't just throw them away, no I tear all the interesting articles out and store those in a box until later use. Usually it is to difficult to even find any articles from the box. Now I know you can link articles to the IG pro, haven't played with it much until yesterday. So one of my magazines 'Horticultural Magazine' came out with a great helper for me and many Magazine hoarders, a DVD with all articles from 1997 until 2006, 10 years of all articles in the magazine. I got it for christmas from my hubby. I guess he wants me to throw out the old magazines, better for his dust allergy >lol<

I thought I could stick the DVD into the computer and then maybe link the files in IG Pro, but yesterday I played around with it and it doesn't let me do this. I could maybe save my favorite articles as a Adobe reader file on my computer and maybe link those, but wouldn't it be great if I just could link it from the DVD directly? I thought if I add the DVD drive as an alternate system path it would work, but the program doesn't recognize it.

Is there a way to do this George?
Or if there is not, would it be possible for you add something like this to improve the program and make it able to link to DVDs.
As I look at different magazines there is quite a few which are coming out with their DVD versions. Which personally I think is a great idea. So much easier to work with then stacks of paper.

So what you think, has anybody found a way to work with that?

Happy New 2008 for everybody
Isabell

[diegartenfrau]

Okay, I finally figured out how to link articles on the DVD to IG Pro and make them show up. But I can't figure out how to link the Article to the Plant profile, like in Plant and Garden GA004. I thought if I had a plant in a garden area, I could link the plant to a garden area. I could have a photo of the garden area, defining the co-ordinate of the plant. I click on the plant and the photo of the plant shows up with its name, I then can click on the name to get into the profile of the plant, with all the info, including the link to the article, which then could be pulled up through the plant profile. Actually I can see the article link as a reference if I go into edit profile GA100S02
in the text window below after I click on article, but it is not possible to click on the article reference and pull the article up, which would be a great thing to do at this point. Instead I have to go to the Articles program GA007 to get it.

Is that possible? Or is the program not able to do that? Maybe I am wrong, but I thought I could get the article through the plant profile.
But wouldn't that be great, if I could pull up the linked articles through the plant profiles?

Isabell

[bossgard]

Isabell: I'm following your topic with keen interest. I too, subscribe to the Horticultural Magazine, and think I'm going to purchase the DVD of the back issues after the Christmas bills are taken care of. I subscribe to several magazines and have a vast collection of old newspaper clippings written by various garden writers. Am now putting these into a hard copy file, with a searching feature. Would be nice for George to see if there is a way for me to scan (or copy and paste) hard copies like these, and place as part of 'the data for this plant only' area, I would like to scan (or copy and paste) photos from these articles and place in the same area, leaving the actual photo link for pictures I might take of the plant in my own garden. I'm very new to this world of computers along with IG Pro and gardening in general, so I hope you can understand what I'm suggesting. Also, if I remember correctly, you do a vegetable garden. I have for several years, I'm retired, and the results not only help my food budget, but I share with some friends of mine. Right now, I'm trying to figure out my rotation plan(s) for this year, and planning my seed purchases for when they go on sale. By the way, I firmly believe in going 'Green'. Happy Gardening to you in 2008! - Toby

[ideasguy]

I'm delighted to note your interest in the Articles program - GA007, Isabell and Toby.
That DVD sounds really interesting!
Ive done a little bit of surfing, and found this:
http://www.hortmag.com/
which I take to be be the home page of the magazine you have mentioned.
Ive had to click the link to the DVD a few times before it worked - perhaps the page is really popular and the server is extremely busy!
Ive gone through the add to cart to checkout, and it lists United Kingdom, so it looks like they would ship a copy to UK.

Please use Windows Explorer, or My Computer, and look at the contents of the DVD.
What kind of files are on the DVD? e.g. HTML files, PDF files?
If there are such files, then we can easily link to them from IG/IG Pro etc, and associate the link to a plant in your database.

Lets get you totally familiar with the Articles program, then we can proceed to how to link (based on your reply re: contents)
First thing is to use the programs GA008, GA009, GA010 and GA021 under the Files menu.
This is where you tell IG about your Magazines, Books etc, and you can define Topics. You create file records using those programs
Now start GA007. Those file records now show up in the pop-ups. You can now add articles related to the magazines, etc.

Next thing to do is to have a go at all the Tutorials for GA007. Use the program GA001 under the Help tabs, and do the tutorials for GA007.

Next, be sure to use the Help Icon in the program GA007. Drag the Help icon over the page (on each page where it appears) , and expose help under buttons, etc.

Toby:
Yes, you can scan documents, and link them to plants using GA007.
The idea is to make any kind of file from the scanned documents:
pdf files, jpg files, bmp files, doc files (Microsoft WORD)
Any of these files can be cross referenced from the Articles program.
If you have an OCR reader, you can scan text from hard copy articles in magazines and books and actually create "electronic" text-  which can be pasted into your Plant Notes fields etc.

Since the intorduction of VFP9 (IG Pro Version 4 and higher) we can now link directly to web pages.
I'll do some experimenting with file links to see if I can make it even easier, and get back to you folk.

[bossgard]

George: Thanks loads! Now you're rockin'! I've got to get my basic 'black book inventory' into Pro then I can move in several directions, further editing (addition of articles, magazines, other reference materials), additional 'tutorials', etc. But I have to have something to glue it all to, ie., my basic plant inventory.
Like they say - See Yah! - Toby

[diegartenfrau]

Toby said>>Am now putting these into a hard copy file, with a searching feature. Would be nice for George to see if there is a way for me to scan (or copy and paste) hard copies like these, and place as part of 'the data for this plant only' area, I would like to scan (or copy and paste) photos from these articles and place in the same area, leaving the actual photo link for pictures I might take of the plant in my own garden.<<

How would you put the magazine articles into a hard copy file with searching feature. Hard copy file, you scan them, I know that one, but searching, how do you do that? I am not necessarily new to computers, but I think I relied on my computer savvy oldest kid for too long, unfortunately he moved out a few months ago and now I sometimes feel lost in this computer world.
I also have been taking lots of plant pictures from my garden and as I put in more plants into the program I link the photos to the plant. Inputting the plant info has been a long process. Haven't gotten to far on that yet. I finally came to the resolution that I will first  put the basics in, like just the name of the plant. So at least I can organize them in the garden areas. I worry about the specific infos later, as I get to it.

Nice to hear you are a green/organic gardener Toby. My dad would always say, a good gardener shares with more then friends, bugs need to eat to. >lol<
Unfortunately I had a somewhat smaller Apple crop this year, full of worms. I know there are organic products out there, but I was to busy with other garden chores to do something about it. But the apples still tasted much better then the store bought ones. I actually don't mind the bugs or other wild critters but I do mind the neighbors cats digging all my seedlings out and pooping in my vegetable beds. This year I am without any winter vegetables in my garden, because the cats kept digging my seedlings out.

To George,

The files are PDF files, the DVD uses Adobe Reader 8.

George said >>associate the link to a plant in your database.<<

I was able to associate the link to the plant in my database, but it looks like you only see the link if you go into the 'edit plant profile'. It then shows in the white Text window below. But you can't open it from there. You still have to go into the Articles GA007 program to be able to open it.
I thought once I link the article to the plant I would be able to open it through the plant profiles.
Like...I click on the plant in the garden area, plant profile comes up with the linked picture and all the growing info and a link to the article which I then could click to open up and read. But there seems to be no way to open up the article in the Plant profile window.
I just think that would be such a great feature.
I also think it would be really great, if you could open up the garden area picture, click on a plant in the picture which has coordinates, and the profile of the plant would come up with all info about plant plus a link to any articles you have linked.

I will be playing around with your instructions today George, let's see where that gets me.

Another thing. When I have the Window GA004S15 Plant photographs, there is a beige colored window on the right side which is crossed out. Is the main picture supposed to show up in there? Or what is the window for. For me it always stays the same, beige with a cross through it.

Also as I have been playing around I have been getting error messages yesterday and today, which are in the error file GA199S01, is there a way I can send you those files and you can see why I am getting those error messages. Every time one happens it closes down the program I am using, not the whole software program. That stays open with the green screen.
I tried doing a capture screen, but it won't let me do that.

Ok, enough writing for today. Back to the program.

Greetings from Eugene, OR
Isabell

[ideasguy]

Very quick answers to some of the points.

Great its pdf files on the DVD. Are they identified in such a way that you can identify them?
Heres what to do to link a plant to a pdf on your DVD
Work out the path and file name of the pdf file.
e.g. If the drive letter of your DVD drive is e:
The file on DVD is called sept.pdf
Then the full path and file name is
e:\sept.pdf

Start GA004 or GA037 etc
Get into the Plant Profile screen GA100S36 for the Plant to be linked to the pdf
With the Plant Button clicked (its clicked by default when you enter GA100S36) Click the Edit(Full screen) button
Takes you to screen GA100S09
This is a VERY powerful screen, common to all programs. It took me ages to develop the many features in this single screen!
Click on thje Greeen Help Icon and drag it into the middle of the screen (white text area).
Release mouse. Read the help exposed, in particular, Read the section:

SELECTING LOCAL DOCUMENTS FOR DISPLAY:
The technique is very simple. Left click into the Document Reference text, then double right click

OK, lets see how that works. Type the FULL PATH to the pdf document into the test region in screen GA100S36
i.e. e:\sept.pdf
Save changes
Now Left click (select) into the Document Reference text (the path you've just typed) , then double right click
The pdf file will be opened for you to work with.

You can do this with jpgs, HTML files etc, etc. In fact, ANY file that can be opened in a web browser.

GA100S15:
The Beige window with the cross through it (depends on Windows setting - on mine its a grey box)
If you RIGHT click on a line in GA100S15, the photo will appear in that window.
Note that at the bottom of the list it says "Right click for thumbnail photo"
Does that help?

RE: Error Messages.
Ive fixed a few bugs recently. Tomorrow evening, I'll publish the latest program versions for you to download and you can let me know if that fixes the problem.

[diegartenfrau]

George, you're up late!

I don't see a green Help Icon. There is none on my screen. But when I tried clicking on all the buttons when I clicked on the >ALL< button, next to Garden areas, I got a System error again, and as soon I click on that okay, it will close down on me.
I looked into the error files these are the ones from the last half hour.

17:58 Alias 'Tutorial' is not found
18:13 G037/15 String is to long to fit
18:20 Ga004/40 String is to long to fit

I had to restart the program

Okay, now I realized I was in the wrong screen, the one I am in is the one you edit the plant profile. All my fault. Now I am in the Edit (full screen) there is the green Help icon.
So I tried for the last half hour to get the file to open. I typed the full path in, but it wouldn't open. I typed the partial path in selecting the year the article was from and all the files of that year opened up.
So then I used the green Help icon and read that you can use the 'get' button to add the path. So I did that and it opened up the right article.
Oh well, I just noticed, that the full file path was 'G:\DATA\CONTENT\1999\1999_04_022.PDF' not 'G:\DATA\CONTENT\1999_04_022.PDF' what I had typed originally.
 
I am not sure ff I understand everything correctly. You stated >>'Type the FULL PATH to the pdf document into the test region in screen GA100S36<< I tried that, but I can't get it to open from there. I can see the path to the file.
Only in the GA100S09 screen if I left click, right click twice it opens. What is the 'Test region' you are referring to. I don't see anything with that name. Maybe I am in the wrong screen?

But anyhow I am able to open the article through the Edit (full screen) window. And will be adding some more articles now.

So thanks for the help.

Isabell

[bossgard]

Isabell and George: To get the conversation rolling on my hard copy filing program (with the idea of George incorporating something like this into the IdeasGenie family), go to http://smead.com/Home.asp (I hope that's right!)
which should get you to Smead Manufacturing Co. I sold offiice supply products for 55 years before retiring, and this is a good manufacturer (women owned, by the way) of filing supplies. On the home page Click on Solutions, then under My Problems, click Making Labels, and on the next screen at bottom left, click on Viewables Product Demo. Take it as far as you want to go, you might search for their product #64902 which is an introductory pack of the software and label products you might want to use. Let your imagaination go a little wild, and picture what you might put on your label(s) for searching. I am using both the hanging folder, and placing inside of them the regular file folders, info varies a little between the two labels. I would be happy to share the breakdown of categories that I'm using. But this is probably enuf info for now. Will be happy to share ideas! You should be able to get the product(s) at your own office supply provider, even you George. - Toby

[ideasguy]

Message to Isabell:
RE:
17:58 Alias 'Tutorial' is not found
18:13 G037/15 String is to long to fit
18:20 Ga004/40 String is to long to fit

The number before the slash indocates the program number e.g. GA004
The number after the / indicates the program version  e.g. 40

I'm preparing the latest programs to add them to the web site for you to download
GA004 is now at Version 43
GA037 is now at Version 17

I'd like to look more closely at those errors, Isabell.
Please send me the following files by email so I can see more detail in the Error file:
errfile.dbf
errfile.cdx

Since you are IG Pro Version 3, You'll find them in the folder:
c:\program files\ideasforgardens\ifg_igp

I havent seen that String is to long to fit error.
What do you do to recreate that error?
Perhaps the Google button?

The first error may already be fixed (the Tutorial error). If not, with your error file, it should be easy to isolate.

Incidentally, for others reading this, heres the important thing to report.
Start the Error file Program GA199
Double click on an error in screen GA199S01.
Screen GA199S02 appears, and gives more details of the error.
The 3 important things are:
Program Name
Error Message
Program Method
Also, please tell me the name of the screen which caused the error. e.g. GA100S36
Every screen name is unique, and appears in the title bar.

[diegartenfrau]

George, I will send these files right away.

The 'String to long' error happens
I open GA004
the screen which opens is GA004S01
I select Garden area, plant in this area, double click on the plant to get GA100S36 Plant profile
I select 'Edit Profile' GA100S02 opens up
Below there are 4 Buttons 'All', 'Garden Areas', 'Photos', 'Articles'

I click on 'All' Button, System error happens and after clicking 'ok' GA100S02 closed down. Error file shows 'String to long to fit'
the same thing happened when I clicked on the 'Photo' button, but not with the 'Garden Areas', and 'Articles'.

Program method:GA100S02.Photos.Click
                        GA100S02.All.Click


Hope that helps
Isabell

[ideasguy]

Unusual!
Ive studied the porgram code under the Photo button.
For that particular plant, it looks like there is an unusual (very large?) photo file name linked to it. I cant see anything else which would cause that error.

Please send me a copy of these (5) files, Isabell:

picheads.cdx
picheads.dbf
picheads.fpt

plantpic.cdx
plantpic.dbf

Also, get into screen GA100S36 (the plant profile screen)
What is the Plant No causing the problem? It is shown at the top, centre of the screen

That will help me to find exactly whats in there, causing the problem.

You can then try this (after sending the files):

If there is an unusual file name (photo) linked to it, try:
a)  unlink the photo
b) repeat the steps to recreate the error (clicking Photo in GA100S02).
Does that "fix" the error?

If error does not appear any more:
c) rename the photo
d) re-link the photo to the plant

Important question:
Does that error only appear for one particular plant?

[ideasguy]

Problem fixed.
Isabell sent the files requested, and I could see that she had linked a number of her plants to photos on the internet.
I was pleasantly impressed that Isabell was using that feature 

The problem arose when a very long URL ws required. The link had 242 characters!
It worked fine, until that Photo button was clicked (see error report above)

I was able to recreate the problem, and fixed the program to cope with that URL size - theres no limit, so dont go worrying!

Solution:
Download the latest version of GA004, here:
http://www.ideasgenie.com/updates-igprox/

[diegartenfrau]

Hi George,

Do you ever go to sleep?

I will upload that file right away. I actually e-mailed you that I found the problem with the web photo link.

unfortunately now I came across another problem. You know when you set the coordinates for a plant in a garden picture in GA005 and then go to GA004, then GA004S01, then GA100S36, then photos GA004S15 you pull up the picture in GA004S18, select 'Plants with Coordinates, highlight and click on the plant. It then is supposed to show you the coordinates/Box where the plant is located in the picture, but although it shows the box, the box is always in the wrong area, not where I set the coordinates. But in the GA005 the box shows in the right area, just as I set it.
I noticed it yesterday on the doomsday plant also, but thought it had to do with me doing it not right. Now I set coordinates for another plant today it does the same thing. So I know it's not me this time.

Isabell

[diegartenfrau]

I went to the link you provided but I only see the version 40 of the GA004 which I already have. Am I missing something?

Isabell


NOTE by ideasguy
This thread is continued on Page 2

[ideasguy]

When you get to that web page, click Refresh on your browser, Isabell.
You seem to be looking at a cached web page.

To explain to others - your computer takes the lazy way. If it has visited a page before, it saves it to your hard disc - referred to as "caching".

When you revisit the same web page (URL) , the computer says Ah- deja vue, and digs up the copy of the web page on your hard disc, rather than download the web page again.

Thus, click View on the Internet Explorer menu, then click refresh - that forces the lazy system to download the page again.
In Isabell's case, she will see the lates updates (I hope!!!)

[ideasguy]

Forenote to other members:
This discussion refers to Lassooing plants in garden areas

Do you ever go to sleep?

More than I used to! I try not to go past 1:00 am nowadays - usually to keep in touch with US members. In early days of IG it used to be 3 and 4am. Needless to say, I wouldnt do that if I didnt enjoy working on my software!
I sleep well though!

unfortunately now I came across another problem. You know when you set the coordinates for a plant in a garden picture in GA005 and then go to GA004, then GA004S01, then GA100S36, then photos GA004S15 you pull up the picture in GA004S18, select 'Plants with Coordinates, highlight and click on the plant. It then is supposed to show you the coordinates/Box where the plant is located in the picture, but although it shows the box, the box is always in the wrong area, not where I set the coordinates. But in the GA005 the box shows in the right area, just as I set it.
I noticed it yesterday on the doomsday plant also, but thought it had to do with me doing it not right. Now I set coordinates for another plant today it does the same thing. So I know it's not me this time.

I found that problem recently. I was horrified!
Its now fixed in the latest versions. If you see otherwise in a screen, let me know.

To explain:
This worked perfectly up until IG went full screen display, in IG Pro 3.
Because the software has to determine which screen size you are using, it has to "do its sums " to put that box in the right place.
It was fun for this guy to do that bit of programming! Computer gymnastics?