Linking Computer Files To Task And Subtask Records

Data File Link records are used to link a computer file to a database record, such as a Task record, and to all of that database record's parent records.

Data File Link records hold a lot of useful, memorable, and searchable information about the file they're linked to.

It's because of this information that it's typically possible to locate any computer file in less than 30 seconds by using a simple keyword search, where the keywords have nothing to do with the file's name or its location on a storage device.

The keywords you'll use for a search will typically come from whatever you can remember about the contents of that file, or anything else that was important to know about the linked file.

This image, shows that just searching for the words 'an amazing sunset' finds the image file that contains that sunset in it.

None of the search words have anything to do with the file's location on a storage device.

So, if you'd been using your computer's File Manager and those search words to find that file, it would never find it.

To link a computer file to a Task record first open the Task record in the Task Window.

Then on the left hand side of the window click the New Data File Link hyperlink.

When you click this hyperlink, a File Navigator dialog box, like the one shown below will be displayed.

You use this dialog box to navigate to the folder containing the file(s) you want to link to the database record.

After you've found the files, use your mouse to select them, and then click the Open button to link them.

If you're just linking one file, then all you have to do is double click anywhere on its entry.

The dialog box will close and then the Linked File Description dialog box (image below) gets displayed.

This dialog box asks you for a description about the files being linked.

Type as much text as you need to, to record whatever you think would be important for someone to know about the linked file(s).

It will primarily be the text in your description that's used to match keyword searches in the future, that are looking for the linked file(s).

Click the OK button to record the description in the Data File Link record.

The Data File Link records for each of the files you selected for linking, will all use this same description.

It's possible to change the record's description later, but that's not shown here.

After the Linked File Description dialog box closes, the Import Files dialog box will open.

This dialog box is asking you if you want the selected files copied to the project's Project folder, and then have the database files link to those copies.

After you make your decision, the dialog box closes and you return to the Task Window.

That window will be displaying a message telling you how many files it linked to the record.

Also, the window's Data Files field value will increase by the number of files linked.

If you want to see all the Data File Link records the Task record owns, which will include the ones you just linked, then click on the Display Data File Links hyperlink on the left hand side of the window.

The Task's Data File Links Index window will open and it'll be displaying all the files the Task is linked to.

Beneath that list of files is a Search panel that you can use to search for linked files, if the list is large.

If you want to load and display the contents of a particular computer file, then just double click anywhere on the file's record entry in the list.

The software that's used to work with that type of computer file will be loaded and it'll load and display the file for you.

In This image, the Windows Photo Viewer software is used to display image files, and it's displaying the image that is linked to by the above Data File Link record.