How to show pdf or word icons for a BLOB column in a report?

Question

Hi,
I am getting interested for the blob columns, I have created some columns for storing some pdf drawings and pictures for specific items in a table, it is ok to show a text like 'download' or any other text in the report by setting the following blob attribute:
DOWNLOAD:TICKET_DETAILS:ATTACHMENT:TICKET_DETAILS_ID::MIME_TYPE:FILE_NAME:::inline:Download
but instead of texts, I would like to show a small pdf image for my Blob file, or a word image or Excel image, according to the different file type.
how to do that?
and instead of inline or attachment this two options, I would like when the user click the image of the file, the browser will show the image in a new window, or a new browser tab.
I tried the inline option for my file at Google Chrome, but when it showed the pdf file within the browser, I cannot get back to my app by clicking the 'backward' icon at the browser menu, it will stuck there and I have to close the broswer and then login to the app again, instead of simply returning back to the previous page within the app.
Please help me out.
Thanks
Peter Yawei . Zhang

Answer 1

Please try using a query like below for your report.
SELECT ticket_details_id,
CASE
   WHEN NVL(dbms_lob.getlength(attachment),0) = 0 THEN NULL
   ELSE
      CASE
         WHEN mime_type LIKE 'image%'
            THEN '<a href="'||apex_util.get_blob_file_src('P101_ATTACHMENT',ticket_details_id)||'" target="_blank"><img src="/i/image_icon.gif" /></a>'
         WHEN mime_type = 'application/pdf'
            THEN '<a href="'||apex_util.get_blob_file_src('P101_ATTACHMENT',ticket_details_id)||'" target="_blank"><img src="#IMAGE_PREFIX#menu/pdf_32.gif" /></a>'
         WHEN mime_type like '%ms-excel%'
            THEN '<a href="'||apex_util.get_blob_file_src('P101_ATTACHMENT',ticket_details_id)||'" target="_blank"><img src="/i/excel_icon.gif" /></a>'
         WHEN mime_type like '%msword%'
            THEN '<a href="'||apex_util.get_blob_file_src('P101_ATTACHMENT',ticket_details_id)||'" target="_blank"><img src="/i/word_icon.gif" /></a>'
         WHEN mime_type like '%ms-powerpoint%'
            THEN '<a href="'||apex_util.get_blob_file_src('P101_ATTACHMENT',ticket_details_id)||'" target="_blank"><img src="/i/powerpoint_icon.gif" /></a>'
         ELSE '<a href="'||apex_util.get_blob_file_src('P101_ATTACHMENT',ticket_details_id)||'" target="_blank"><img src="/i/office_icon.gif" /></a>'
      END
END attachment
FROM ticket_details
WHERE ticket_details_id = :P102_TICKET_DETAILS_IDPlease note that I am using APEX_UTIL.GET_BLOB_FILE_SRC function to download the BLOB files. The first parameter of this function in my example query is P101_ATTACHMENT, which refers to page item of type "File Browse" on page 101, which is a DML form on table TICKET_DETAILS. Replace it with the appropriate page number. Please refer to "Working With BLOBs Procedurally" section of this APEX 3.2 documentation for more: [url http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E14373_01/appdev.32/e11838/advnc.htm#sthref2199]http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E14373_01/appdev.32/e11838/advnc.htm#sthref2199
Also I have the gif images representing various MIME types on my file server. For e.g., /i/excel_icon.gif. You can use #WORKSPACE_IMAGES# if you want to.