All about item images
Contents
Structure and size of item images
Location and storage of images
Assigning image files to your inventory
Reviewing inventory and their images
Using images in your generated reports
Overview
What are item images?
Item images are pictures of your Inventory records (e.g. photos).
Item images are used across Accentis Enterprise as visual aids to speed up your processes, reduce errors, and as promotional tools to include on reports and other customer documents.
They can be displayed:
- On the Inventory form as a preview of the item.
- On extended information windows when adding items onto a Sales quotation, Sales order, and Sales invoice.
- On customised reports for your customers such as price lists and catalogues.
Like item images, product group images are image files associated with Product groups. They provide a default image for items in that group when no individual item image has been assigned. A product group image can be used as a baseline image and then overridden by item-specific images where needed
Structure and size of item images
Supported files
When you have selected your image file and are ready to upload it as an item image, you must first make sure that your image is in the correct format.
Accentis Enterprise only supports images that are in .JPG, .JPEG, .BMP, .PNG, or .GIF formats, with .JPG or .JPEG being preferred.
Resolution and aspect ratio
It is recommended to use images in the aspect ratio of 5:7, as this is the aspect ratio of the thumbnail on the inventory form. Other aspect ratios can be used, but images may be distorted when used on standard reports unless customisations are made to accommodate them.
While we recommend using the same aspect ratio, the image resolution can be much larger than the preview. This allows users to double-click on the image to view more detail if required.
Naming your image files
Make sure to use a consistent naming scheme when saving image files. We recommend using the relevant item code as the file name, and using the extension ".JPG".
Consistent naming allows Accentis to implement customisations that automatically assign image files without requiring manual uploads or ongoing management. You can still use an existing set of image names, but they must be uploaded or mapped to the corresponding item codes manually.
Location and storage of images
Where they are stored
All images should be in a public location, ideally a central folder on your server that holds your key images, and one that’s accessible to anyone running Accentis Enterprise.
You can use an existing location, or you can choose to create a new one. So long as the folder can be accessed by anyone using a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path (for example, \\myserver\accentis images\).
In your database's system preferences, you can set this location as the Default image directory. Once this is set, whenever anyone searches for an image to include on the form, they will be taken to this folder automatically.
Although everyone will need access to read from this location, to prevent unintentional changes, we recommend you restrict writing to those that need to add or edit images.
Assigning image files to your inventory
Manually assigning images to your items
You can do this by right-clicking the Image field on the inventory form and clicking Select image.
When you do this, you will be taken directly to the Default image directory set in your system preferences. You can browse to alternate locations, but you will be linking an image that is not saved to your root image folder, and may not be accessible to everyone.
Also, if the root image folder ever changes, your individually specified image locations will remain.
Attaching the document to the inventory record
Another way to assign images to your inventory is to attach them as a managed document like you would with any other file type. The benefit of this is that you can attach more than one image file to each item.
Because multiple files can be attached to an inventory record, Accentis Enterprise needs a way to identify which file should be used as the item image. To nominate the correct file, include the word "photo" in the document name.
Importing from a list of image names and item codes
If you want to assign images to a large number of items in bulk, you can do so using SA4226 - Bulk update item data fields from import file.
All you'll need to provide is a .CSV or Excel file with the list of item codes and their corresponding image file names. You can include the full address for your images, but if you only include the file name, Accentis Enterprise will assume that it refers to the Default image directory path.
Automated image assignment
A customisation can be designed for you that automates the image assignment each time you create or update a new item. For this to be done, it will require you have consistent file naming that is related directly to your item codes.
If you have any questions or would like to speak to someone regarding this customisation, please reach out to our support team at [email protected].
Assigning an image file to a product group
Assigning image files to product groups is done the same way as assigning them to inventory records.
Navigate to the Product groups form, enter Edit mode, right-click the image field, and click Select image. As with inventory records, you will be taken to the Default image directory set in your system preferences.
Any items that are in this product group that don't have an image assigned will use this image.
Reviewing inventory and their images
By using report SA1704 - Listing with image files (Inventory > Report > Item > Listing with image files), you can check the save location of every item image without needing to open the item records individually.
This is useful to see if any images are assigned from non-shared locations.
In the Full item image path column, because the default main drive for Windows computers is the C: drive, you know that any addresses that start with "C:\" (especially those that start with "C:\Users\") is likely pointing to a location on someone's PC and should be changed to a shared location.
If you have a standard image storage location, you can also use this report to quickly identify images saved elsewhere.
Using images in your generated reports
Item images can be used in crystal reports that are generated from Accentis Enterprise such as pricing catalogues or sales quotations. We already have some standard reports that can make use of these images as thumbnails, but you can always request custom ones be made.
Best practice and gotchas
Avoid mapped drive letters
When setting your Default image directory, try and avoid using a mapped drive letter unless you are certain that every user will have that drive mapped when they log into Accentis Enterprise.
If possible, use the full Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path (for example, \\myserver\accentis images\).
Avoid linking images saved to your computer
If you want to make sure your images can be accessed to everyone, then you need to make sure they are saved to a shared location that everyone can access.
When you right-click the item image field to link an image, make sure you are selecting an image that is saved in a shared location and not directly to your computer.
Be careful with locations that don't exist
Each time you view an item with a linked image, Accentis Enterprise attempts to load that image. If a link points to a location that doesn't exist (for example if an image file has been moved or renamed or a drive isn't mapped) then you may experience refresh delays while your database attempts to load it.
Avoid images that are too large
While there is no restriction on the sizes of the images you use, the larger your image files are, the longer they take to load.
If you notice certain inventory records take longer to load than other, try reducing the size of the image.
Be consistent with your image naming
As covered in the Naming your image files section, try and use the same formatting for each of your image file names.
Using standard formatting allows you to:
- Easily identify which image corresponds to which item.
- Make use of customisations that link item images automatically.
- Avoid issues with duplicate file names when saving to the same location.
- Avoid issues caused by broken links when files have to be renamed or deleted.
Q&A
Can I have more than one image per item?
You can't have more than one image used as the thumbnail image for an item, but you can attach more than one image to an item's managed document. These can then be used in reports, such as product catalogues, or simply as a reference.
Are image files stored in the Accentis Database?
No, image files aren't stored in your database. They are still stored in your file system.
When you attach an image to an item, you are creating a link to its current location.
When you copy or move an image to an item's managed documents, that file is stored in your Managed documents root folder.
What happens to my images if my database goes down?
Because the image files are stored in your file system, your images remain unaffected, even if your database becomes inaccessible.
Can the image file be a link to a web image?
Yes, but you may notice longer load times or decreased speed whenever you fetch an item record.
Can I use an animated GIF?
Yes, but only a static image of the first frame will be shown.