How do I delete unused photos

[Bruno]

I'm using the Camera as an external data type for a field so I can take a picture (or choose one from the photo library). In all my experimenting, I've discovered I now have a bunch of photos that are saved by HanDBase but they're not used in any records. The only way I can see them is when I create a Picture control on a form and then in its configuration I can scroll through all the pictures. The file names are formatted as <DB Name>img<device name><sequence number>.png.

How can I delete them to free up the memory?

Thanks.
-Bruno

[Brian_Houghton]

Hi Bruno,

Thanks for writing. Dave has discussed the need for this very feature. It is, however, not available at this time.

The solution is fairly long and drawn out and to be frank, might be more complex than the space gained from deleting the images. Here it is:

1. Make a backup of your databases
2. Uninstall HanDBase
3. Reinstall HanDBase
4. Reinstall each of your databases
5. Reinstall only those images that you need

Let me know if you need specifics regarding how to do any of the steps.

Kind regards,
Brian Houghton, DDH Software

[Bruno]

Hi Brian,

I suspected as much. I've been trying to figure out how to access the file system on the iPod Touch but it seems to require a jailbreak. I haven't gotten to that point yet.

I did find through iTunes that I could upload the .png files from the Images folder to my PC and in the process I did see how small the files are. But still, it would be nice to just delete them. Perhaps one of these days you could add a "maintenance" feature to remove files from the Images folder, maybe accessed through a new Database properties link.

Thanks!

-Bruno

[Brian_Houghton]

Hi Bruno,

Indeed, the one major feature of iOS that seems frustrating is the lack of access to the file system.

[dhaupert]

Hi there,

I am indeed working on adding this feature in either the next update or the one after that. I did post a better/quicker workaround to access your images from a desktop computer on this thread (also in the same iPhone section as this post!):

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2528

That's a useful tool to have. re: the iOS file system, it is frustrating but it's this inability for one app to access another apps files that helps protect the system from runaway trojan type of apps. So there is an upside to the inconvenience as well!

[Bruno]

Hi Dave,

I checked out that topic and somehow found a reference to DiskAid. Just using the free version I was able to delete those pesky extra image files. Thanks.

-Bruno