Embedded Files
We've recently had a few questions about file space and videos, so here are some resources that may help.
Uploads to REDCap
Uploads to REDCap
Our install of REDCap supports file uploads to the following areas:
The file repository
Attached to data collection instruments at design time.
Attached to individual participant records during data entry.
You're welcome to use these capabilities, however our installation is configured with a 16Mb file size limit for each file. This should be enough for most Word documents but may not be sufficient for embedded media (video) or large scanned documents.
Alternative File Space
Alternative File Space
WCHRI cannot provide file or storage space for REDCap users. For people wishing to store files online so that they can be "embedded" in REDCap forms or other research resources there are a few different options.
Every U of A CCID comes with 28GB of disk space and this can be used to create web pages and make files such as media files available online. This space is managed by IST. Details are here: https://ist.ualberta.ca/services/servers-storage/afs.
Every UofA faculty member is entitled to a Compute Canada account. Details can be found through the Compute Canada portal at: https://www.computecanada.ca/research-portal/. Each compute Canada account has access to:
1.5 TB of storage space
Virtual machines that can be used to host web sites and other applications.
The OwnCloud application. OwnCloud is a secure alternative to DropBox but has the advantage of being hosted in Canada so is not subject to the U.S. Patriot Act.
CCIDs also have access to Google Sites at https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca
Embedding Video in REDCap Forms
Embedding Video in REDCap Forms
Occasionally researchers wish to include a short video as part of their survey. This is possible given a few restrictions.
As mentioned above we are unable to host large files on our REDCap servers. Instead these files must be "hosted" elsewhere. IST's AFS space (see above) is ideal for that.
Videos can be embedded in REDCap using a descriptive text field. However, the ability to play an embedded file is browser dependent. For example:
Google Chrome will happily play MP4 files
FireFox needs a plugin to play MP4 files
Descriptive text fields can also contain HTML tags, including the <video> tag.
Given the points above it is usually better to use a third party tool to create html that can be used to display the video in whichever format is required by your end-user's browser. One such tool is EasyHtml5Video, which has a free version available for non-profit use.
Here's an example of a REDCap survey that uses these techniques.
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