Adding and viewing data > Using data in container fields
 
Using data in container fields
A container field can store pictures, multimedia files, or any other type of file that you want to keep in a database. The way you insert the data determines how you see and interact with the data in the container field.
For a list of files that FileMaker Pro supports, see the table below.
 
To insert
Do this
A picture
Choose Insert menu > Picture, then choose the picture to insert. FileMaker Pro displays the picture in the field.
An audio or video file
For an interactive container, choose Insert menu > Audio/Video, then choose the file to insert. You can then play the audio or video file in the field. See Working with audio and video in interactive containers.
A PDF file
For an interactive container, choose Insert menu > PDF, then choose the PDF file to insert. See Working with PDF files in interactive containers.
Any file
Choose Insert menu > File, then choose the file to insert (such as a spreadsheet file, word processing file, or any other file type that you want to track). FileMaker Pro displays the file’s icon and name in the container field, but not the actual content.
Note  To insert packaged files such as Keynote files into a container field, archive or zip the packaged files.
 
Container field with an inserted picture
Container field with an inserted file
Container field displaying a picture
Container field displaying a file icon
FileMaker Pro supports the following picture and audio/video formats.
 
Media type
Supported format type
Picture
Encapsulated Postscript (.eps)
GIF (.gif)
JPEG/JFIF (.jpg)
JPEG 2000 (.jp2) (OS X)
MacPaint (.mac) (OS X)
PDF (.pdf) (OS X)
Photoshop (.psd) (OS X)
PNG (.png)
SGI (.sgi) (OS X)
Targa (.tga) (OS X)
TIFF (.tif)
Windows bitmap (.bmp)
Windows Metafile/Enhanced Metafile (.wmf/.emf) (Windows)
Audio/video
AIFF Audio file (.aif, .aiff)
AVI movie (.avi)
MP3 Audio File (.mp3)
MPEG-4 Audio File (.m4a)
MPEG-4 movie (.mp4)
MPEG movie (.mpg, .mpeg)
MPEG-4 video file (.m4v)
QuickTime Movie (.mov, .qt) (see notes below)
Sun Audio file (.au)
WAVE Audio File (.wav)
Windows Media Audio (.wma)
Windows Media Videos (.wmv) (see notes below)
Notes
•For QuickTime Movie (.mov, .qt) formats inserted as audio or video, some formats, such as QuickTime VR, aren’t supported.
•OS X: For the Windows Media Videos (.wmv) format, Flip4Mac must be installed.
•You can export the content of a container field to a file. You can also choose to automatically open or email the exported file. See Exporting the contents of a field.
•When you insert a very large file into a container field, a dialog box appears showing you the progress.
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