Managing attachments in interfaces by creating attachment pools

To manage attachments in interfaces by creating attachment pools

1. Open the appropriate form.
2. Right-click the form, and select Create a New Field > Attachment Pool.
   The new attachment pool field appears on the form.
3. Select the field.
4. Add attachment fields to the attachment pool:
   1. In the Properties tab, select the Attachment Fields property, and click its ellipsis button.
   2. In the Attachment Fields dialog box, click New, and then click OK.
   3. In the attachment pool, select the new attachment field.
   4. In the Properties tab, enter these values:
      • Audit Log Key—See Field-Properties.
      • Audit Option—See Field-Properties.
      • Label—Can have up to 80 characters. It is used as the display label and database name for the attachment field. See Field-Properties.

      • Max Size—Specifies the maximum size of the attachment in bytes.
        If you set Max Size to 0 (the default), users can add attachments up to the size that your database allows. Set a size that is large enough to accommodate typical attachments but small enough to conserve database space. If the size of an attachment exceeds the attachment field's allocated space, users cannot add an attachment to it even when the attachment pool contains other empty attachment fields. Attachment size can also be limited by the available memory on the client computer. For example, your database might allow attachments up to 2 GB but be limited to attachments of only a few MB because of client memory constraints. 

        To set maximum attachment sizes for Oracle (including memory allocation), Microsoft SQL Server, and Sybase databases, see Db-Max-Text-Size.

        Tip

        Remote procedure call (RPC) and memory allocation errors might occur when users open large attachments on computers with limited memory resources. The error that appears depends on the stage of transfer (from client to server computer) at which the memory failure occurred. If you receive a "malloc in client library failed" error, check the memory resources of the client. If the error is "Unable to send," check the memory resources of the client and server. If it was a database-specific memory error, check the data or log (or transaction) space.

   5. To add another attachment field, repeat steps a to d.
      The number of attachment fields determines the number of attachments users can add. You can specify as many attachment fields as your database permits. If you exceed the limit, you get a database error. To determine the limit, see your database documentation.
   6. To move an attachment field from another attachment pool to this pool, see To move an attachment field from one attachment pool to another.
   7. (Optional) Rearrange the attachment fields by using the Up and Down buttons in the Attachment Fields dialog box
5. Set database properties for each attachment field:
   1. In the attachment pool, select the appropriate attachment field.
   2. In the Properties tab, set these properties as necessary:
      • Entry Mode
      • ID
      • Index for FTS
      • Name
        See Field-Properties.
   3. Repeat steps a through b for each attachment field.
6. (Optional) Specify column headings and button (mid tier) labels for the attachment pool:
   1. Select the attachment pool.

   2. In the Properties tab, edit or clear the values of the following label properties.
      If you clear a label for a button, the button is not displayed. If you clear a label for a column, the default column name is used. When users add attachments, the file names appear in the attachment pool even if you do not display any columns or buttons.
7. Set other field properties as needed.
   See Field-Properties.

8. Select the attachment pool, drag it to a position in the form, and adjust its size.

   See Arranging-fields-in-a-form-view.

   Make sure to leave enough space on the form to accommodate the Add , Delete , Display , and Save to Disk buttons that appear below the attachment pool in a browser.

9. Right-click the form, and select Save.