Adding pictures

[carel]

Hi everybody, I'm new here and just started with Livecode.

My first project is going to be a program I coded in Visual Basic a few years ago. It is a Learner's License Test.

I named each picture 1.jpg, 2.jpg and so on. Each picture was linked to a question - what I did in VB was something like this:

picture = %apppath% + question_number + ".jpg"

I want to deploy this app to multiple platforms, so what would be the best and easiest way to add these pictures to my app (there are hundreds).

Thanks

[Simon]

Hi carel,
Welcome to the forum!

Translating your VB to LC:

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picture = %apppath% + question_number + ".jpg"

"picture=" becomes

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set the filename of image "myImage"

"%apppath%"
could be a number of things as I believe in this case it was a stored variable showing the path to your images. For cross platform simplicity I would use

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put specialFolderPath("documents") into appPath

"question_number"
I'm guessing this is a variable holding the file name of the image, so lets just leave that.
"+"
LC uses "&" to concatenate strings
All together:

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set the filename of image "myImage" to appPath & "/" & question_number & ".jpg"

Check out the Dictionary for some of the terms I've used and the lessons:
http://lessons.runrev.com/

Simon
EDIT: Corrected the specialFolderPath

[Klaus]

Use parentheses, guys!

-> set the filename of image "myImage" to (appPath & "/" & question_number & ".jpg")

[carel]

Hi, thanks for the replies.

How will my pictures be added to the correct path if it is not "in" my app - shouldn't I add the images onto a card or cards? - The only reason I mentioned the apppath + .jpg is because that is how I did it in VB. In VB it was only for Windows - so I knew where the images was - but if it is cross-platform, then the images will have to be "inside" the app.

I hope that make sense.

Thanks

[Klaus]

Hi carel,

how do you create "apppath" on WIndows?
I'm sure we can modify it to also fit the Mac

Or is "apppath" a build-in function in VB?


Best

Klaus

[carel]

Hi Klaus,

It's been a few years ago - I don't remember exactly, but it does not matter, it was just an example.

I think I was not clear enough: By cross-platform I mean other devices like I-pad or Android - so I won't have access to the file system eg: C:\images or whatever - so I think I would have to import the pictures into my app ??

Thanks again,

Carel

[Simon]

Hi Carel,

so I won't have access to the file system eg: C:\images or whatever

Thats why I gave you specialFolderPath("documents") it's the same on both Android and iOS.
But sure you can include the images directly in the stack, provided it doesn't make the app to big. Apple allows a max of 50 or 60 Mb apps.

Why I'd use the documents folder is it allows one to change just an image, which means you don't have to update the whole app. Constants like button icon graphics I'd include in the stack.

I think your VB script was saying the right things and can be directly translated as I have shown (with Klaus's addition).

Simon

[dave.kilroy]

Hi Carel

When you make a LiveCode StandAlone you can include files (and folders) to be included in with your actual app so that when installed on a target machine you could have your store of images which can be called on as Klaus explained. Each OS needs to be treated differently as regards where the images will be located and how they can be referenced (and iOS and Android do it differently again) but if you have a lot of images the most efficient way to proceed, instead of having a bloated app, is to send out your software with accompanying image files.

Kind regards

Dave

[carel]

Thanks Dave - I did not know I could include the images separately.

And thanks to you too Simon.

[dave.kilroy]

Yes its amazing what you can learn on the forum (I know I have in the past, and still do of course) - BTW I do a similar thing with sending out accompanying audio files - and you can also have accompanying text files etc