Troi File Plug-in 4.6.2

Troi File Plug-in 4.6.2 for FileMaker Pro 10

July 6th, 2009: We released Troi File Plug-in 4.6.2, an updated version of our file manipulation plug-in. This maintenance version fixes several bugs but also delivers some improved features, like in the drag and drop functionality. On the version history page you can find the complete list of changes of this and previous versions. Version 4.6.2 is a free update for users of version 4.6 and 4.5.

Troi File Plug-in 4.6.2 is compatible with FileMaker Pro 10. It also runs natively with FileMaker Pro 9 and 8.x. The Mac OS X version is a Universal plug-in which runs natively on PowerPC and Intel Macs. The Windows version is compatible with Vista.

If you use FileMaker Server, you can use auto update to update plug-ins for FileMaker Pro clients. See also the improved AutoUpdate example on our AutoUpdate page.

Run as a server-side plug-in

Troi File Plug-in 4.6.2 is compatible to run under FileMaker Server: it can run as a server-side plug-in or as a plug-in used by the web publishing engine when using FileMaker Server. This means that you can use the powerful file management functions in server-side scripts, opening up lots of new possibilities.

Drag and drop files and folders

Troi File Plug-in 4.6.2 allows you to drag one or more files or folders on a FileMaker window or even a drop zone. The paths of the dropped items can then be handled by a triggered script, for example to put them in a container field.

Reveal files and folders

Troi File Plug-in 4.6.2 can reveal files and folders in the Finder or Windows Explorer, showing users directly where items are on their disk.

Extensive metadata support: GPS, XMP and timecode data

Troi File Plug-in 4.6.2 supports image and movie metadata, like IPTC and EXIF, and also adds support for reading GPS and XMP metadata in images and also timecode data in movies:

• Get GPS (Global Positioning System) metadata embedded in images. With this you can find the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the image.
• Read XMP metadata, as added for example by Adobe Photoshop.
• Get extensive movie attributes like: frames per second, codec name, codec type. And even timecode information, like begin and end timecode, can be returned.
• Easily get individual movie attributes, like the duration in seconds of a movie.

Better Exif metadata support

Troi File Plug-in already could read Exif metadata. Version 4.6 and later builds on it as you can read, change and write Exif metadata. For example change the creation date in an image file. The plug-in also greatly improves the handling of corrupt Exif data and incomplete date/times in Exif metadata.

Powerful functions!

Troi File Plug-in 4.6.2 also features a powerful ExecuteShell function: you can specify the function not to wait on the termination of the process, but to return immediately to FileMaker. And you can set everal other options to the ExecuteShell function: you can change the timeout, show the command window, etc.

And the improved CreateThumbnail function can create better, bicubic anti-aliased thumbnails and thumbnails with a 32 bit depth. Together with several other bug fixes and improvements. and new example files and a new user guide this plug-in is a powerful toolbox no FileMaker developer can do without.

On the version history page you can find the complete list of changes of this and previous versions.

Suggested uses

Troi File Plug-in is a very powerful tool for getting access to information outside the FileMaker database. Any files stored on the rest of the computer can be accessed through the functions of the plug-in. All from within FileMaker you can:

• get the data out of files on the disk of the computer and put it in FileMaker fields
• create files anywhere on the hard disk and put data from FileMaker fields into it
• manipulate files and folders on the disk, like creating, deleting, copying, moving, renaming
• query detailed information of files: the size on disk, creation and modification dates and much more
• count the number of folders or files on a disk
• get images and the metadata (IPTC, Exif, GPS, XML) of those images inside your FileMaker database and write IPTC and Exif metadata too!

All functions of the plug-in can be used in a script enabling you to automate this power.
Check out the Suggested Uses on the detail page.

61 Functions give you ample power

Troi File Plug-in adds 61 functions to FileMaker Pro, giving you virtually limitless possibilities! Below you find a bit more detail on some of the functions:

Command your shell

With the TrFile_ExecuteShell function you can execute a command in the command shell of the operating system. On Mac OS X this will be a command executed in the UNIX Bourne shell, and on Windows this is the Windows CMD shell.

Manage your media

Troi File Plug-in 4.6 allows you to retrieve extensive image and movie data like width, height and depth, and much more. While we were at it we also added an extensive example file ManageMedia.fp7.
This example file combines some of the Troi File Plug-in's functions to create a powerful Media Manager for images ànd movies. It shows how to import one or multiple images from a folder.

It also retrieves a wealth of metadata like width and height, IPTC metadata (amongst others caption, description, keywords, copyright) and Exif metadata. Exif metadata is information about the time a photo was taken, aperture, shutter speed and the like. And did we mention the example file also works with movie files?

Mount and unmount

With the powerful MountDisk function you can mount remote disks on a server. On Windows you can map a remote drive to a drive letter. On Mac OS and Mac OS X you can even mount AFP servers across the Internet! The UnmountDisk function is available on all platforms. It is all explained in the DiskMount.fp7 example file in the download.

Just substitute text in files on disk

With Troi File Plug-in you can search for a text string in a file and substitute it with another text. You can substitute text and have the result saved in the same file! And you can use replace strings of up to 150,000,000 characters, making it possible to substitute tags with much longer replacements in template files.

Extensive example files and user guide

We can not discuss everything here, that is why the demo is fully functional and comes with a 99-page user guide and 38 extensive example files demonstrating every functionality.

Try Troi File Plug-in before you buy

You are free and invited to test the program before you pay. You may also make copies of the original and complete package (including the Read Me file) and distribute it to customers, friends etc. However, you may not distribute a modified or registered version.

Troi File Plug-in 4.6.2 works with FileMaker Pro 10, 9, 8.x and 7. The plug-in can also run with runtimes from FileMaker Pro Advanced 8.x, 9 and 10. The plug-in is available for Mac OS X (10.4.5 or later) and for Windows XP (Service Pack 2) or Windows Vista.

Troi File Plug-in 2.8.2 works with FileMaker 5 and later. The plug-in is available for Mac OS 9.1 or later, including Mac OS X (10.1.5 or later), and for Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4), or Windows XP.

Licenses for Troi File Plug-in cost US$ 89 per user.
If you bought a license on or after March 1st, 2007 the upgrade is FREE! We have emailed all eligible customers a new registration string (in June 2008). Contact us if you have not received yours.

If you bought a license before March 1st, 2007 you will need to upgrade to use the 4.6.x version. Upgrades are available from US$ 49 per user. For multiuser discount and other more detailed price information see the Troi File Plug-in Details Page.

© 2009 Troi Automatisering, all rights reserved.