IMPORTFILE Function (Media)

Article
06/05/2016

Adds a media type, such as a JPEG image, from a file to a Media data type field of a record for displaying the media with the record in the client. The media file is imported to the application database, and a reference to the media is included in the Media data type field.

Syntax


[Guid := ]Record.MediaField.IMPORTFILE(FileName, Description[, MimeType])

Parameters

Record
Type: Record

Specifies the record that you want to add the media to.

MediaField
Type: Media

Specifies the field that you want to add the media to. This field must be a Media data type.

FileName
Type: Text

Specifies the full path and name of the media file to be added.

Description
Type: Text

Specifies text that can be used in the client to describe the media.

MimeType
Type: Text

Specifies the media content type. MIME type is used by browsers, and is an Internet standard to describe the contents of a file. The MimeType value must be a two-part string that consists of a type and subtype, such as image/jpeg or image/gif. For more information, see Supported Media Types.

If this parameter is not specified, the function will deduce the MIME type from the file extension. For example the MIME type for a .jpg file is image/jpeg.

Property Value/Return Value

Type: GUID

Specifies the unique ID that is assigned to the media object in the database. You can also get the ID by using the MEDIAID Function (Media).

Remarks

You use this function to upload a media, which you want to associate with a record, to the database. For example, you can upload an JPEG image for a record in a table. When a media file is imported, it is assigned a unique identifier (GUID) and stored in the system table 2000000183 Tenant Media of the application database. The GUID is then included in the Media data type field as a reference to the media file.

If you import a media file into a record that already has a media object, and a modify operation is performed, the original media object will be permanently deleted from the database. However, if there are other rows in the same table that reference the original media object from the same field index, the original media object is not deleted from the database. This behavior allows a row to be copied.

Example

This example uses the IMPORTFILE function to import a JPEG image from file to a record in a database table. After the image is imported, it can be displayed on a list page that uses the table, when the page is opened in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client and viewed in a brick layout.

Preparation:

To support the example code that follows, create the following objects:

A table that is named My Items and has the following characteristics (as a minimum):
- An Integer data type field that has the name No..
  
  This field is used to give an item a number.
- A Media data type field that has the name Image.
  
  This is the field on which you will import the media file.
- A field group that has the name Brick and includes the No. and Image fields.
  
  The field group is used to display the image on a page in the brick layout. For more information, see How to: Display Data as Bricks.
A page that is named My Items and has the following characteristics:
- List type page that uses the My Items table as its source.
- A repeater control that contains the fields of the My Items table.
  
  Note
  
  It is not necessary to include the Media data type field on the page.
Use the page to add one or more items to the table, assigning each item a number like 1,2,3, and so on.
JPEG image files for one or more items in the My Items table.
- Give each file a name that corresponds to an item number in the table, such as 1.jpg, 2.jpg, 3.jpg, and so on.
- Save the files in the C:\images folder on the computer that is running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server.

Code:

With the objects in place, you can add and run the following C/AL code to import the images. For this code example, create a codeunit and add the code to the OnRun trigger of the codeunit.

The example code iterates over records in the My Items table. For each record, it looks in the C:\images folder for a file whose name matches the No. field of the record. If there is a match, the file is imported and a message appears; otherwise, nothing happens.

The code requires that you create the following variable and text constant:

Variable name	DataType	Subtype
myItemRec	Record	My Items
fileName	Text
imageID	GUID

Text constant name	ConstValue
Text000	An image with the following ID has been imported on item %1: %2

IF myItemRec.FINDFIRST() THEN
BEGIN  
  REPEAT
    fileName := 'C:\images\' + FORMAT(myItemRec."No.") + '.jpg';
    IF FILE.EXISTS(fileName) THEN BEGIN
      imageID := myItemRec.Image.IMPORTFILE(fileName, 'Demo image for item ' + FORMAT(myItemRec."No."));
      myItemRec.MODIFY;
      MESSAGE(Text000, myItemRec."No.", imageID)
    END;
  UNTIL myItemRec.NEXT < 1;
END;

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