Working with images and other multimedia

A Sapphire Form can include an Image control that displays one or more images attached to the current recordClosed The record currently displayed in Details View or highlighted in List View (there is a faint dotted line around it). It is only possible to have one current record at a time.. The Image control may also allow you to manipulate an image (freehand draw / annotate1), remove it from the current record, and upload one or more images to attach to the current record.

Tip: Some Forms will allow you to upload any type of multimedia, not just images.

If you add an image to the current record by uploading a new image, several things will happen when the Form is saved:

  • A new record for the image will be created in the Multimedia module.
  • The new Multimedia record will be attached to the current record.

It is important to keep in mind that a Form is usually designed to edit records or create new records in modules such as the Catalogue or Parties: the purpose of an Image control is to allow you to view, add or remove images attached to the current record (a record in the Catalogue module for instance). While you create Multimedia records when you upload a new image, when you use the Remove image button you are removing an attachment to the Multimedia record, not deleting a record from the Multimedia module.

Note: Some icons and functionality differ from earlier versions of Sapphire. Except where indicated, the functionality described here is for Sapphire version 9.1.

When more than one image is added to an Image control, the Image control functions as a (static) carousel that enables you to cycle through the images (details below):

Image capture

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Icon

Label

Description

1

 

Select Image

Locate and upload multimedia files.

A Sapphire Form can display an image already saved in your system and / or allow you to upload an image and save it to EMu. Some Forms will allow you to upload any type of multimedia, not just images.

There are several methods for uploading a multimedia file:

  • Depending on the multimedia control added to the Form, you will be able to:
    • Click Select Image (only for image uploads) or Browse to locate and select a file that is accessible to your computer / device.
    • Use your device's camera to capture a new image and upload it with the Form.

    -OR-

  • Drag and drop a file from your computer / device directly onto the Image control on the Form.

If the Form already contains an image, the new image will be accessible using the View attached images icon. See Attaching and viewing images for more details.

Note: If an upload times-out, it is likely that the file size of the upload is too large. It will be necessary to reduce the number of files being uploaded or, if possible, compress the multimedia file(s).

2

Zoom in / out

Click to zoom in / out an image.

Alternatively, use your mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out.

3

4

5

Draw Polygon

Remove Polygon

Edit Polygon

It is possible to draw polygons to highlight certain areas of an image.

These three buttons enable you to draw and edit polygons on images, and remove polygons from images.

To draw a polygon on an image:

  1. Click .
  2. Click somewhere on the image, move the cursor to another point on the image and click again.

    Tip: Be sure to release the mouse button, otherwise you will drag the image.

    A line is drawn between the two points.

  3. Move the cursor to another point on the image and click again.

    A three sided polygon is created.

    Move the cursor and click additional points to add sides to the polygon as required.

  4. Double-click the final point to complete the polygon:

    Draw polygon

    Note: Until you select another icon, the Draw tool will remain active.

It is possible to adjust (resize, rotate) and move a polygon:

  1. Click .
  2. Click a polygon.

    Each polygon has two edit points: (1) the centroid (the central point of the polygon) and (2) a point outside the polygon:

    Move polygon

    To move the polygon:

    1. Click the centroid.

      The cursor changes to a cross.

    2. Holding the mouse button down, drag the polygon to a new location.

    To rotate or resize the polygon:

    1. Click the external point (2 in the screenshot above).

      The cursor changes to a cross.

    2. Hold the mouse button down, rotate the polygon (move the mouse along an arc) or drag the cursor toward or away from the central point.

To delete a polygon:

  1. Click .
  2. Click a polygon.
  3. Click .

6

Navigation

Drag an image around the display area of the Form.

7

8

Remove an attached image

View attached images

Only displays if more than one image is attached to the current record.

View / remove an attached image.

A Form can include an image control to display an image already loaded into your system and attached to the current record. The image control may also enable you to upload / add an image and attach it to the current record.

A record, in the Catalogue module for example, can be attached to a single image record in the Multimedia module:

Single image attached

or to multiple image records:

Multiple images attached

The image control in a Sapphire Form can display the attached images. If only one image is attached, the View attached images button will not display. In this example, the Form pulls details from the Catalogue record with two Multimedia records attached:

Single layer

Depending on the type of image control included on a Form, it may be possible to:

  • Upload an image and attach it to the current record.
  • Remove an image from the current record.

To add a new image, either:

  • Click Select Image, and locate and select an image.

    • -OR-

  • Drag and drop an image from your computer / device to the Form.

    • -OR-

  • If enabled, capture an image with your device's camera.

When the Form is saved:

  • A new record for the image will be created in the Multimedia module.
  • The new Multimedia record will be attached to the current record.

To view other attached images:

  1. Click the on the right side of the Form:

    Attached images

  2. Select the radio button beside the image you wish to view.

To remove an image from the current record:

  1. View the image.
  2. Click .

Note: This action removes the attachment between the current record (a record in the Catalogue module for instance) and the record for the image in the Multimedia module. It does not delete the Multimedia record, and the image could be reattached to the record or attached to another record.

#

Icon

Label

Description

1

 

Select Image (and other ways to add an image to a Form)

Locate and add one or more multimedia files to the Image control.

Sapphire Forms can:

  • display an image already saved to a record in your system;
  • allow you to locate an image on your device, display it, and save it as a new Multimedia record;
  • capture an image using your device's camera and save it as a new Multimedia record.

Tip: Some Forms will allow you to upload any type of multimedia, not just images.

There are several ways to upload a file and save it to a new Multimedia record:

  • Depending on the Image control, you will be able to:
    • Click Select Image (only for image uploads) or Browse to locate and select a file that is accessible to your computer / device.
    • Use your device's camera to capture a new image and upload it.

    -OR-

  • Drag and drop a file from your computer / device directly onto the Image control on the Form.

For example, to add a new image:

  • Click Select Image, locate and select an image.

    • -OR-

  • Drag and drop an image from your computer / device to the Form.

    • -OR-

  • If enabled, capture an image with your device's camera.

When the Form is saved:

  • A new record for the image will be created in the Multimedia module.
  • The new Multimedia record will be attached to the current record.

If the Form already contains an image, adding another image transforms the Image control to a (static) carousel, with a thumbnail of each image displayed below the current image; several methods are available for moving through the images (details below).

Note: If an upload times-out, it is likely that the file size of the upload is too large. It will be necessary to reduce the number of files being uploaded or, if possible, compress the multimedia file(s).

2

Zoom in / out

Click to zoom in / out an image.

Alternatively, use your mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out.

Tip: Click anywhere on an image, hold the mouse button and drag the cursor to move the image.

3

4.

5.

Draw

Undo

Commit Changes

Select to enable the freehand draw tool. The cursor changes to:

Click the image, hold down the mouse button and draw / annotate as desired.

Two additional icons display:

Select to undo the last stroke with the drawing tool. Select again to undo each previous stroke in sequence.

Select to commit your annotations and enable the Save and Reset buttons at the bottom of the Form.

Note: Your annotations are not saved to a Multimedia record until you select Save.

6.

Remove image

Remove the image from the Image control.

If the Form displays an image attached to the current recordClosed The record currently displayed in Details View or highlighted in List View (there is a faint dotted line around it). It is only possible to have one current record at a time., clicking Remove image and then Save will remove the attachment from the current record to the Multimedia record that holds the image.

Note: This action removes the attachment between the current record (a record in the Catalogue module for instance) and the record for the image in the Multimedia module. It does not delete the Multimedia record, and the image could be reattached to the record or attached to another record.

7.

View Attached Images

and

Image carousel

When more than one image is added to an Image control, the Image control functions as a (static) carousel that enables you to cycle through the images.

Several methods are available for viewing the images loaded in a Form.

The Image control can display one or more images already loaded into your system and attached to the current record; it could also be designed to allow you to upload images and attach them to the current record.

A record, in the Catalogue module for example, can be attached to one record for an image in the Multimedia module:

Single image attached

or to multiple records:

Multiple images attached

The Image control in a Sapphire Form can display the attached images. In this example, the Form pulls details from the Catalogue record with two Multimedia records attached:

Image carousel

To switch between images:

When more than one image displays in an Image control, the Image control functions as a (static) carousel, making it possible to cycle through the images:

The current image occupies most of the carousel area. Below that is a row holding a thumbnail of all loaded images, with the thumbnail of the current image highlighted by a grey border.

Several methods are available for moving through the images:

  • Click the arrows to the side of the current image to move to the next / previous image.
  • Click a thumbnail to make it the current image.
  • Click the on the right side of the Image control to list the file name of all added images and click a file name to make it the current image.

Carousel

This default behaviour can be disabled by suitably authorized users by setting IMu.Config.enableImageCarousel to false in the config PHP file (config/local.php). When disabled, users can move between images by selecting the View Attached Images arrow on the right side of the Image control and clicking an image's file name to make it the current image.

Save and Reset

  • To save any changes back to a record in EMu, select Save at the bottom of the Form.
  • To reset the Form to its state when the image was loaded, select Reset at the bottom of the Form. Any changes you have made (annotations, removing an attachment, etc.) will be undone.

Tip: These buttons are not enabled until changes are made to an image displaying in the Image control.