Using File Attachment fields in a form can have 3 uses: for the end user to attach a file when they submit the form, to add an e-signature, and to embed an image in the form.  When you drag a File Attachment field onto a form the Properties box will pop up asking you to designate the field's purpose under Style.


Note: non-image file types will just display as the file name on submitted forms and pdfs.


If you want the user to attach an image file that displays on the completed form and the uploaded copy then choose Image. 


The attached image will be sized to the width you make the field on the form, and top-aligned (aligned with the top of the field). Form Engine will then compress the image file by default so the image stays within the designated space. The file size of embedded images are also reduced so they are not too large to send to Quickbase. This also helps keep the size of the output pdfs small enough for emailing or working with in general. 


Builder Tip: You can override the default setting, and keep the attached image at its original size. This may be beneficial when dealing with drawing or maps that contain a lot of detail. To override, just check the box that says “Keep Original Size”.


Portrait vs. Landscape Photos:  When a photo is taken in portrait mode and submitted in a FE form, it will display as portrait in the form and any generated pdfs.  It will not automatically re-orient to landscape the way Quickbase and Exact Forms do.  So FE keeps your photos’ correct orientation, however they were shot.

Optimizing Images and PDFs by Compressing Images

In forms where the form completer embeds photos or other images that display in the form: today’s smart phone photos can be 2+mb each, and other images even larger.  Embedded many large images like this in a form can cause the user problems in 1) trying to submit all that data into QB at once, and 2) the pdfs generated with large images embedded in them are so large that they cannot be emailed or otherwise handled very easily. 


So now when you build forms with File Attachments that are rendered as embedded images in the form, the Form Engine will auto-compress each photo/image to the size you give it on the form.  It will save it as a File Attachment in Quickbase in the compressed size unless you check the Keep Original Size box that displays next to it here.


This “auto-image-compression” by default will improve your users’ ability to submit forms with multiple/many embedded images, and it will reduce the file size of the pdf that is generated for the form with the images embedded into it.


Similarly, if you output a Form Engine form with the Print URL field to generate a pdf that has large images embedded in it from an existing record in QB, it will compress those embedded images automatically so that the generated pdf is not overly large.

Related Articles:

  1. Template Properties
  2. Field Properties & Types
  3. CSS Formatting
  4. e-Signature Fields
  5. Generate PDF API
  6. Form Engine API
  7. Embedding Videos in Forms
  8. Creating QR Codes natively for Quickbase File Attachments