I completely rewrote the content of this post in accord with changes in the AppSheet and Google platforms. You can find that rewritten post here:
Display images in long text columns via HTML (rich text)
https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Tips-Tricks/Display-images-in-long-text-columns-via-HTML-rich-text/m-p/747092#M9633
I’ll leave this post up for “historical” reference (if I erase the post, the discussion will also be erased). If you would like to see an earlier, now outdated, version, click on the following:
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Hi @Kirk_Masden ,
Thank you very much for a nice tip. The use of HTML long text column really opens many avenues for displaying images more intuitively.
About the following part of using File ID of the image or other files from G drive to display those files in the AppSheet app used to be covered in AppSheet help documentation. However of late this approach of using “File ID” with URL to display a file in AppSheet app is removed from documentation and AppSheet documentation team has given the following clarification as mentioned in the post I have referred below. However it sounds that the approach still works.
Please refer my query post on this topic a few months ago and the response by the AppSheet team.
Solved: Displaying an image file from Google drive by fil… - Google Cloud Community
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Thanks! I tried to look for relevant threads but missed yours, unfortunately. Sorry.
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Hi @Kirk_Masden ,
No worries. Please do not be sorry. You have so many valuable tips in the community. We cannot search each and every post in the community and occasional unintentional overlaps of posts is natural and happens with us all.
My main intention behind sharing this recent earlier post on the topic was that displaying images/files from G drive using file ID seems to be getting deprecated.
The alternative approach mentioned now in the help documents (image below) does not seem to offer a way to access images in any folder in the G drive. The recommended way is to place the images/files in the same folder where spreadsheet of the app is located and then use relative path.
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Thanks your information and kind words! I recognize that a day may come when my method won’t work any more. My idea, however, is a way to overcome the limitations of the “File name value” method in the context of Long text columns that are set to HTML rich text and with links to audio and video files on the web. I just tested it and relative URLs (file name values) that work inside an AppSheet image column do not seem to work inside Long text columns set to HTML rich text.
To clarify, the method I’ve tried to outline here is how to add images to Long text columns via HTML (rich text) and how to add links to video and audio that play in the devices’ browsers. The advantage of adding images in Long text columns is that one can add multiple images without increasing the number of image columns. In my flashcard app, most “cards” do not require more than one image (many don’t need an image at all) but, rarely, some cards can benefit from the addition of multiple images. I’ve been adding additional images via a Long text column to circumvent the need to add additional images columns that are rarely used.
Also, at present, the only way I know to link to mp3s and mp4s is with absolute URLs. If one doesn’t have access to a server, I suspect that the method I’ve outlined may be the best free method at present.
But, as you indicate, the deprecation of this method means that people should use it with the understanding that it may cease to work someday.
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Oops!! Speaking of being deprecated, my original audio URL, which worked when I first posed, no longer seems to work. Images are still OK but user beware!
Hi @Kirk_Masden ,
Thank you for the neat perspective. Appreciate.
As we write, there is another thread going on about displaying external images through URL in AppSheet.
Nice part is AppSheet dev team have mentioned that they are actively looking into it.
Displaying External URL Images in AppSheet Suddenl… - Google Cloud Community
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Thanks to your alerting me to the issue, @Suvrutt_Gurjar , I think I have been able to come to grips with the coming end to third-party cookie support. If you have time, please read my “tip” about the issue and let me know if I’ve gotten anything wrong:
Preparing for third-party cookie phase out
https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Tips-Tricks/Preparing-for-third-party-cookie-phase-out/td-p/698119
Hi @Kirk_Masden ,
Thank you for your elaborate post on preparing for the upcoming change in serving images in an AppSheet app. Your tips post will be very useful for the community. I believe your tips in that post are in the right direction. I have not tested each and every option at this point but I am sure you have and your insights are always thorough. I will definitely post if I come across any findings worth the community attention.
It will be great if AppSheet development or documentation team also comes up with an announcement post with details on the lines of “What is changing”, 'What is not changing" and so on related to this “Image serving in an AppSheet app change”. I believe they would do so in due course of time.
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