HI Folks
Our database has A NEED for external links to images and there are around 4 links per record. A well meaning person (me 
) moved some of the images into a new sub-folder on our own server which of course trashed all the links to the image.
Numpty thing to do but it is what it is.
However, now I am having trouble isolating which records no longer have a valid link other than by a āvisual query onlineā to see the fields where the image is missing and only a broken file icon appears. You canāt sort on the field because it considers that an incorrect link is not blank so that is useless in terms of isolating the specific records.
Very long winded and time consuming way of doing that.
And worse it means editing each item manually to remedy the broken link, one by one.
Therein lies another couple of annoyances.
First the size of the online editing box is too small and should be as large as the datafield you are editing (except perhaps a text field). Having to place the cursor at just the right spot in the edit box to remedy it is frankly āa pain in the assā. 
Second, and this has been a long standing complaint, when an image field is a URL link you need to be able to display the text of the link by some other means than clicking on the field in a grid display. (In grids it displays the image rather than the text!
I think KNACK originally intended to maybe do this as when you export records you get two fields per image. One contains the physical link but the second field is blank so I have no clue what it is used for nor how to access it ?
But the worst part of image handling is the inability to edit the image urlās in csv and re-upload it. THIS IS STILL NOT SUPPORTED OR RECTIFIED to my knowledge. I rasied several requests about this A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK and whilst it looked like it was fixed once, no longer functions again.
So I canāt even do a bulk replace of the sub-folder name at csv level and import the changes back to the database.
Any ideas clues ???
Ray
I did some testing with this. I agree I was NOT able to export the existing image link in any useable form. So you are right - you cannot export, fix and reimport.
But I was able to IMPORT a link into a record to replace the existing link. Something like this link worked fine:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Bg-easter-eggs.jpg/1200px-Bg-easter-eggs.jpg
Which opens up just one possibility for you to consider - if you have a way to determine what file(s) should be attached to which records, then you could build up a spreadsheet from scratch and do a FULL IMPORT overwriting all the locations.
But as you said, you cannot use the original information from Knack to achieve this, so you would have to have another way to build the import file up.
Or chase Knack support again for a solution.
1 Like
Hi Leigh
I revisited the import process and have had some joy.
Whilst I have not gone back to check importing a csv, I saved the export file to XLS format instead, removed the āknack add-onsā (i.e <imgā" and ,"> on the ends and made sure each line was highlighted as being a link format in the spreadsheet.
I was able to bulk change the incorrect folder location to the new one and did an import and hey presto it worked !
So I probably shot from the hip with this post though there are some points which are still valid in there such as 
- being unable to identify broken link items other than visually
- insufficient inline editing box where editing a specific part of the field is difficult on long URL locations.
Thanks for your giving me the boot in the ass to revisit imports and finding a solution !
Cheers
Cheers Leigh
We now have arguably the most comprehensive database of the Australian Rats Of Tobruk worldwide thanks to NAA opening all the service records.
Along with basic data, birth date/location and enlistment date/location and local at enlistment we also store POW camp data, WIA data, other units served with and post war decease details with image of memorial and cemetery info.
Photo at time of service is essential to our database as well, we donāt use Dad 40 years later images.
The researchers also store media items if located such as newspaper mentions, personal diary pages and postcards home etc etc if family provide.
Huge project but going ahead in leaps and bounds.
Lest We Forget
So I would need to feed every link in an exported spreadsheet to confirm them ???
@RayWindlow56888, export all the recordsā links to a spreadsheet, copy that column of links and paste in that tool, submit, then download the results back to a spreadsheet, compare to your original list to filter to the broken links, and their corresponding record.
