Retrieving without all the extra HTML etc.

Hello -- I find I'm perplexed and vexed, and could use suggestions from anyone with a bright idea.

In one particular instance, I'm using Asset along with CCK to associate an image with a node. The image is to be a custom banner image for the page. It does not appear within the node's body content, nor is there any way to do what I need by that method. (Figures, right?)

Using CCK I added the field, as an Asset "widget". All of that is jim dandy; piece of cake.

My migraine is resulting from the output. When the node is loaded, I get everything under the sun except what I actually need, namely:

• Best case: the complete file path, including the sub-directory the image is in
• Alternatively: just a plain' ol' image tag with ALT text...and nothing else.

What I do get is:

• the asset id
• something labeled "options", which is the filename...but not with the file directory path
• caption text (if any)
• * copyright text (if any)
• a rendered view, which is the image wrapped in a bunch of HTML and inline text

Visiting the Asset Formatter Defaults panel gives no joy. Under "All Types", the only option available is "Link"...which I assume (perhaps incorrectly) is what's forcing my formatting woes? Anyway...no help there, alas.

It seems very peculiar that I get the file name, but not its location in the asset directory tree. Hence my deduction that I'm just dorking something...or perhaps CCK is killing me with kindness? Sure, I could use the asset id to retrieve the path...but the page in question is already overly expensive and I seriously need to avoid any further data queries, even trivial ones.

So...

• Am I just doin' something wrong? If so, how should I be doing it?
• Regardless, how can I get just a danged full file path for my image asset without an additional DB call? :-)

Thanks most kindly...