ZOOMIMAGE meta tag

[RStandal]

I can't get zoom to display an image on the results page. I've installed the meta tag and image location "movies/image.jpg"

Under zoom image configeration I provided path C:/my movies/netflix images/
I get a blank space where the image should be so I assume the path is the problem.
When I close Zoom and reopen I find my path has changed to C:/My
I have loaded the image extensions and do a configuration save prior to closing.

What am I doing wrong.

RStandal

[David]

To start with see this FAQ
Q. How do I associate images with my search results?

You need to specify a URL to the image folder (usually a realtive URL). And not a fie path.

C:/my movies/netflix images/, is a file path, and not a URL.

And example of a relative URL would be
/images

You also can't have spaces in URLs.

Further, if you are using the image meta tag, then you don't need to specify a image folder at all in the configuration window. The path to the image files in the meta tag can be relative or absolute (ie. full http:// URLs). If you are using a relative path, note that the path would be relative to the page that the meta tag was found on. Zoom will automatically resolve this relative path and determine the full absolute path for your image.

[RStandal]

Perhaps what I'm trying to do can't be done with Zoom.

I'm running a intranet no http or ftp url . Not sure how you indicate the location of the image without a path.

Location of my intranet files is C:\MY_MOVIES, Images of course are located there in.

I removed any reference to path in the Zoom Configuration and put the full path in the meta tag--did not work--tried /MY_MOVIES/IMAGES--did not work.

In any event I'm out of ideas.

If you can be of any further help thanks if not I'll look else where.

RStandal

[David]

You mean you don't have a web server at all ?!?

I would suggest installing one. For example the free Apache software is free and easy to use. If you are building an Intranet you really need a web server.

If you don't have a web server then how are you running the PHP/ASP/CGI script at the moment? Or are you just using the (low performance) Javascript option?

Even if you are using Javascript in a browser, without a web server, you can still use the meta image tag, either with a relative URL like this,
<meta name="ZOOMIMAGE" content="../image.png">
or a full URL like this.
<meta name="ZOOMIMAGE" content="file:///C:/temp/image.png">

The actual URL used will of course depend on the location of the files on your hard disk.

[RStandal]

We use XP Pro with IIS added, works great. we have access from any computer on the WiFi network. Works with any browser so why go the the expense and work of setting up a web server. I use Front Page as a compiler and create a standard html page. IIS will handle all scripts asp etc. I've been out of the business for 5+ years so not up on the latest stuff.

What I'm doing is putting all my movies (1000+), all my TV stuff (3000 disk), Music Videos (250+). Zoom is their to help find content and sleeve art is helpful.

This is the meta tag installed:
<meta name="ZOOMIMAGE" content="file:///C:/MY_MOVIES/IMAGES/2001.jpg"> when I do the search a space is provided for an image but none is brought up.

RStandal

[Ray]

I think you're a bit confused. IIS is a web server.

And by running IIS (a web server), the files are accessible via a http:// style URL. That is what IIS does, serve files via HTTP. None of your ASP scripts will execute unless you are accessing them via HTTP.

I presume you have the ASP search page hosted on your IIS server, accessed via HTTP, (e.g. http://localhost/mysearch/search.asp). While the files you are indexing are NOT served via HTTP (not found within "C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\" for example, if that is the IIS hosting folder you are using) and are just hosted on your hard drive.

If this is the case, what you are trying to do is feasibly not possible because no modern browser will allow this. You are asking a HTTP page (the ASP search results) to display an image that is hosted outside of HTTP and found on your local computer. This is something that most security settings would prohibit by default because it crosses "zones" (otherwise you'd see websites on the Internet which accesses and display files on your hard disk).

To allow something like this you would either need to:

a) Add your IIS server to the local zone in your browser's security settings so that the browser allows such cross-linking.

b) Host all the image files that you wish to link to, under your IIS server so that they can be accessible via a HTTP URL. Then change your meta tags to use the HTTP URLs.

c) Use the JavaScript platform option for Zoom and not host anything under IIS at all so it's all running on the file system plainly (without HTTP). But the JS version is the most underpowered with several features like context descriptions and exact phrase omitted.

[RStandal]

IIS creates a web format to become a HTTP//:WWW.MYSITE.COM requires a IP address and a domain name which of course requires a domain server all of which I removed when I retired. Or at least that's the only way I know creating a web address.

Just out of curiosity (seeing how I had never tried it before) I went to my web browser and typed http//:my_movies (my_movies being the location on my hard drive and I was not surprised when I wound up on Google asking me what did I mean.

Its apparent that Zoom as configured will not allow me bring in images but its doing just fine as a search engine at least to this point. I've set it up inside my web site and all works well.

I will say that I just don't understand why the meta tag will not find the images in the same location it finds the pages. Oh well such is life.

Thank you for trying.
RStandal

[David]

IIS creates a web format ... which of course requires a domain server

None of this is correct. You are really confused. I would suggest you do some background reading on what a URL is, what a web server is, how web servers work, and how URLs are different from file system paths.

They are important concepts if you are a web developer (and clearly you are trying to be one).

Display of images will work fine, once you understand what a URL and web server is.

[TechnoZoom]

Hay RStandal, I'm just jumping in to encourage you to ditch Frontpage. Are you aware that frontpage was discontinued in late 2006 or so?


For good reasons as well, since in produces invalid code, which doesn't even validate. Those web designers who do use WYSIWYG in their work today, are either clueless, or do at least know the standards behind.

Getting to know HTML and CSS is perhaps worth a days work, its not even remotely complicated. Web developers are also encouraged to learn the standards, i wouldn't personally want to hire a web developer, who where blindly using Expression or Dreamweaver, without knowing the standards.


You really seem to get the whole server thing confused. Setting up Apache is actually not hard, the latest builds are almost entirely automated, even on windows. I would recommend the Tutorial at Brugbart entitled Installing Apache on Windows


Another subject is the location of your files. If you want them to be accessible through http, then you need to place them in the relevant folder of ISS. I don't know the server you use, because I'm using Apache myself. But on apache this directory is called "htdocs", basically that's the root of your site, so placing somefile.html in that directory, will make it accessible on the URL: http://localhost/SomeFile.html You may also want to read up on Absolute and Relative Paths

I'm not sure its covered by the tutorial. But having a url like file://c:/SubDir/MyFile.html will actually link to a file on your hard disk, which obviously only exists on your disk. This means that the file only shows up when you are viewing the file from a computer, which actually has a file named MyFile.html, on the given location.

Its a common problem with FrontPage, that its referring to images with a file url, rather then the absolute path, or relative path over http. That's just another reason not to use frontpage.

file:// is defined in RFC2396, so read up on that if you are in doupt.