Very few databases – and no spreadsheet program – can easily store images. To get around this, TyTags has introduced a new feature that lets you link to images saved on your hard drive by simply typing in their file to your database.

When you are working with databases or spreadsheets, you have the opportunity to create a text field that contains the full filename of an image on your computer’s drive. DIY can use this field in your database to locate and then automatically load the image into your design.

For example, you may have a spreadsheet that looks like this:

ID	COMMON_NAME	PLANT_IMAGE
1	Giant Red	C:\plant images\tom_giantred.jpg
2	Russian Black	C:\plant images\tim_rblack.jpg
3	Yellow Cook’s Special	C:\plant images\tom_cooksyellow.jpg

Notice how the PLANT_IMAGE field (column) contains full file names of images?

To use this spreadsheet with DIY, you would first use the File Menu – Datalink – Other option and select the spreadsheet. Next you would create a design with two elements:

1. A HEADING element that has it’s Data Source set to Datalink and Datalink field set to COMMON_NAME. This element would then display the appropriate common name from the spreadsheet.
2. A PICTURE element that has it’s Data Source set to Datalink and Datalink field set to PLANT_IMAGE. This element would then display the appropriate image by first looking at the text in the PLANT_IMAGE cell of the spreadsheet, then looking on your computer’s hard drive to see if it can locate the file. If DIY does find a file by that name, the image will the loaded into the PICTURE element.

This unique capability allows you to create libraries of images on your computer and reference them in databases and spreadsheets for use with DIY.

Done