Hello,
I am using libreoffice calc for inventory. Now I want to add photos to each row to make things easier to identify.
How large can the file get ? I am just partially done and my laptop is choking.
any suggestions?
I tried google sheets but I really want it all offline rather than in google/cloud/wherever it is
Making each photo smaller is too much effort. I have over 4000 rows in my file.
I also try to make my inventory sheet better and I am thinking of using libreoffice base to cut down on redundancies. Will I run into the same problem with size?
Thanks for all your help!
With ImageMagick you could set all photos to smaller ones:
mogrify -resize 1000x1000 -quality 90 *.jpg
Max width will be 1000 px, max height will be 1000 px. I have set this both to 510 px for a database I’m using. This will resize all pictures in the folder, which ends with *.jpg (lower case). So I would only start this with a copy of the folder …
I have only linked this pictures to a VARCHAR-field, which saves the path. So no picture is stored in the database file.
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You should avoid the default “embedded” database then. These are packed in the odb on closing and exteacted on opening. Should be avoided for 4000 pictures on every opening.
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But connecting to an external database (MariaDB etc) or database-file (like sqlite or dbase) is only limited by the limits of the used database not by the connecting Base. Also it is possible to keep the images in a separate table, so they will not have an impact on regular operations on other tables.
As you usually only have a multitude of photos in reports you will have no problems handling the database. But editing a report with 500 big photos in writer has the same limits as before (even worse, as a report is usually a big table in Writer)
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Anyway: I recommend usually to have the pictures outside the database and reference only file-names, because this keeps the files accessible to standard tools like ImageMagik or IrfanView. For “protection” you can set the tree read-only in the file-system and have seoarate Backups. (Additional advantage for me: photos are only added every 3 month, so no need to include in the daily backup, while the database is in the daily scheme)
Thanks so much for your suggestions. You have been a big help.
Will I run into the same problem with size?
Basically (Calc, Base, others), make the images as small as possible.
The more images you use and the larger the images are, the more problematic the handling becomes.
For your purposes, an image size of about 50 kB should be sufficient.
Test it first with single images (smaller is better).
After that download e.g. a free image editor that has the ability to do a so called batch processing.
With batch processing you can process (reduce the size of) a larger number of images in one go, so to speak.
If I remember correctly, Irfanview, for example, can perform batch processing.
Furthermore, you have the option to “only” link the images instead of embedding them.
Look in the dialog for Image>Insert, there you can set a check mark at “Link”.
Furthermore, you have the possibility to hide objects, like images, in the Tools>Options>LibreOfficeCalc>View menu. This can be very helpful when entering data.
Alternate:
Notice:
Pay attention to the anchoring when inserting the images.
In your case, the “At the cell” anchoring is recommended.