Keyword linking

[dkyndt]

Hi,

Is there a possibility to link keywords toghether.
I use the thesaurus for hierarchical keywording.

My goal is to to automatically fill in general keywords, when I type a specific keyword.

example:
If I type in this device

ONSHORE|HALVE MAAN|Server Room|CPO02|EBO-REBO-SW1

then I'd like to automatically add keywording with these items.

Cisco|Catalyst 3850-12S
IT|Network|Switch
IT|Network|Connection|Fiber|Single Mode
IT|Network|Connection|UTP
ONSHORE|HALVE MAAN|Server Room|CPO02|EBO-REBO-SW1

I haven't found out how to do this.

[Mario]

IMatch has no "keyword linking".

Note: IMatch 2021 has very powerful Keyword Links

From your description it sounds as if you want to add many totally unrelated keyword from totally different sections of your keyword hierarchy when you add a keyword.
This cannot be done by synonyms and neither by automatic keyword hierarchies. This is more like some sort of macro functionality or something.

I recommend you look into Metadata Templates which allow you to add sets of keywords and/or other metadata with a single keypress or mousec-click.

[Damit]

I too was wondering about this. For example, if I add the keyword 1491, I would want it to go into 15th Century, 1400s, and 1490s. I have searched for a way to do this, and that is how I found this, but it seems it is not possible?

Maybe this is not necessary.  Maybe to look for things in the 1400s I just set a range in some search function. I have not played with or read about the search and filter functionality very much at this point, but I don't see how I can search by keywords.

Perhaps this is a by product of a misconception of keywords and categories.  Maybe this something that is addressed by categories. I like the idea of categories and it seems that category formulas or data-driven categories could do what I and the OP described, but I would like the information to somehow be transferred to keywords as they can be embedded in the files. Maybe this can also be done with hierarchies where I have 1400s and 15th century as synonyms, and inside that parent I could have child categories of 1800-1849, and within that child categories of 1800-1809, 1810-1819, and within those individual years, but that seems like a lot of hierarchies which would make the keyword panel very busy (unless I made most of these groups, which I am considering).

It seems building and maintaining an organized database requires a Masters of Library Science!  I feel like I am complicating thing more than I need to but I am trying to think about all contingencies before I begin working with what may be a flawed keyword/category system. I want to have a good system that will be productive and helpful in allowing to enjoy my collection as much as possible.

[Mario]

but I don't see how I can search by keywords.

Filtering and Searching
Finding Files: The Search Bar

Searching for keywords is easy in the File Window search bar and the Filter Panel.

Avoiding searching when not needed is even better.

If you make your century/year keywords hierarchical, you would only click on the 1400 keyword to see all files. Or maybe create top-level keywords like "Century|14th", " Century|15th", ... and then create the year keywords as children.
Then to see all files from the 14th century, you just click on "Century|14th"

@Keywords
|-- Century
  |- 14th
      |- 1452
      |- 1491
  |- 15th
  |- 16th
...

Hierarchical keywords are great for this. And @Keywords automatically combines the features or keywords and IMatch categories for you.


Keep in mind that a keyword is just text. Even when you write keywords like 1400, 1450, 1500 this does not produce "numbers" which can be used to search ranges. IMatch can search numerical ranges and date ranges. Not arbitrary ranges stored as text and made up by users.

To "anchor" a file at a specific point in time, use the date subject created tag. If you don't know month or day, makeup some uncertain date schema. Placing files by their content "subject created" on the time line is standard and has many benefits, from the Timeline View to Events to face recognition.

[thrinn]

I too was wondering about this. For example, if I add the keyword 1491, I would want it to go into 15th Century, 1400s, and 1490s. I have searched for a way to do this, and that is how I found this, but it seems it is not possible?

This is quite an old thread. And while Mario's statement was true (of course) in 2020...

IMatch has no "keyword linking".

... this possibility has been added in the meantime. See Working with links. This allows you, by maintaining your thesaurus accordingly, to enter one keyword and have a tuple of different keywords added automatically. I understand this is why you replied to this post? Please take some time to read the Thesaurus chapter - it is worth the time spent, especially if you want to use keywords extensively.

Regarding your date based question, there is also The Timeline View. Be aware that the Timeline does not work on Keywords but based on the file date. So your files must have the correct date to give useful results. But maybe it is another option to explore.

I think you are a fairly new IMatch user, so I just try to point you to different functions IMatch offers, hoping not to confuse you too much...

[Damit]

If you make your century/year keywords hierarchical, you would only click on the 1400 keyword to see all files. Or maybe create top-level keywords like "Century|14th", " Century|15th", ... and then create the year keywords as children.
Then to see all files from the 14th century, you just click on "Century|14th"

@Keywords
|-- Century
  |- 14th
      |- 1452
      |- 1491
  |- 15th
  |- 16th
...

Hierarchical keywords are great for this. And @Keywords automatically combines the features or keywords and IMatch categories for you.

It seems your are advocating in using a hierarchical keywords, so I was not off base suggesting that.  I can always use groups so the keyword listing is not so complex. I do wish there was a way to have keywords grouped by parents when listed, so that all keywords under parent a were listed right after, and the parent would not have to be listed each time (Example: PARENT A|Child A, Child B, Child C, Child D, Parent B|Child A, Child E, Child L, Parent C|Sub Parent A|Child B, Child A), but there is probably a good reason why this is not the way things are listed.
I am still left wondering if categories would be better suited for this.  Researching this subject I found that categories can be mapped to XMP: Photoshop.SupplementalCategories. Maybe that is a way I can embedded IMatch categories to files? 

To "anchor" a file at a specific point in time, use the date subject created tag. If you don't know month or day, makeup some uncertain date schema. Placing files by their content "subject created" on the time line is standard and has many benefits, from the Timeline View to Events to face recognition.

I am planning on using the date subject created for my scanned files. I am currently trying to cement the protocol I want to use for that. For items like artwork, I have been using the IPTC Extension "Artwork Circa Date Created" so I would not have to guess or estimate exact dates. I try to keep things as exact as possible and use inexact fields like this for estimated or unknown dates of artwork. I do wish there was a similar field for scanned files, as Date Subject Created still requires an exact date, which then requires one to note that the date of the photo is estimated and also to create a system for dealing with these inexact dates. It would be great if an entity would designate something like XX as "unknown." The metadata could still be used for components not including XX.  Sometimes this may be just the year, the Month, or Month and year, or any combination. But, alas, that is not what exists.
Is IMatch capable of using the Artwork Circa Date Created for the timeline? I can see where it could be problematic, especially as sometimes the data in the field is a range of years. But one might instead want the photo of the artwork to be sorted by the date the artwork pictured was created, not the date it was taken (as in when one was visiting a specific museum), but the opposite may also be the case.  I wonder if you could instruct IMatch which date to use for File.DateTime? I suppose not. It seems like a can of worms.

Keep in mind that a keyword is just text. Even when you write keywords like 1400, 1450, 1500 this does not produce "numbers" which can be used to search ranges. IMatch can search numerical ranges and date ranges. Not arbitrary ranges stored as text and made up by users.

Thanks for clarifying about keywords just being text.  I had not realized that. I also assume Artwork Circa Date Created is viewed by programs as a word and not a number, like a keyword. Please correct me if I am wrong.

This is quite an old thread. And while Mario's statement was true (of course) in 2020...

IMatch has no "keyword linking".

... this possibility has been added in the meantime. See Working with links. This allows you, by maintaining your thesaurus accordingly, to enter one keyword and have a tuple of different keywords added automatically. I understand this is why you replied to this post? Please take some time to read the Thesaurus chapter - it is worth the time spent, especially if you want to use keywords extensively.

I like to piggy back on old threads because if the question has been delt with in some fashion or other that is similar to my query, I find it helpful to build on the subject. In this case it was a good and bad thing.  Bad because it might give the wrong idea of what IMatch is capable of, IF one did not read up to your comment, but good as that now this has been cleared up.
I commented because I did not know the best way to do this and did a search in the community finding this. Then I was confused, because I thought it was possible, and that is why I posted my question. I am reading the thesaurus chapter and it seems that sub elements are the way I would accomplish this. I also see how I can use synonyms and links to further group things together. I am going to read this whole chapter.

Regarding your date based question, there is also The Timeline View. Be aware that the Timeline does not work on Keywords but based on the file date. So your files must have the correct date to give useful results. But maybe it is another option to explore.

I think you are a fairly new IMatch user, so I just try to point you to different functions IMatch offers, hoping not to confuse you too much...

Yep, I am a newbie and trying to digest as much as possible during the trial. I now bought the program and am trying to hone my knowledge before diving in and getting myself into trouble. I appreciate your input very much. Thank you!

[Mario]

Researching this subject I found that categories can be mapped to XMP: Photoshop.SupplementalCategories.

Not sure what you researched or to which app you refer to. In theory you could write a Metadata Template that copies IMatch categories into any tag.
I have no idea what Adobe intents with SupplementalCategories. Maybe ask Adobe about its intended use and the application that support it except Photoshop? The ACDSee XMP namespace has also some sort of categories. Also proprietary.
Proprietary namespaces linked to a specific application are always risky to us, unless you know what you are doing. IMatch assigns no special meaning to these Photoshop tags. Use them if you like.

When you use keywords, they are stored in the metadata. IMatch categories are not stored in metadata.
Why not go with the flow and use keywords? This gives you the @Keywords category and standardized storage in XMP.

I also assume Artwork Circa Date Created is viewed by programs as a word an 

This would depend on the program you use, I suppose?
The IPTC tells us on their web site (I found via Google, I don't know the meaning of all 5,000+ tags available in XMP):

https://www.iptc.org/std/photometadata/documentation/userguide/#_other_things_shown_in_the_image

Circa Date Created (AO)
A free text field for use where the exact date of creation of the artwork or object is unknown. An approximate date is entered in text rather than date format e.g. 'ca 1900', '19th century'

So it is totally up to you what you enter there and it depends on what other applications make out of it. It's just free text.
IMatch allows you to input text in that field, it allows you to search that field, sort by it (but as a text sort, not as numeric or date sort, obviously), display it's contents, filter by it. You can create data-driven categories from it do everything IMatch allows you to do with tags.

IMatch does not do anything with this tag. See How IMatch uses Date and Time Information to understand how IMatch works with date and time in XMP and various proprietary metadata formats. If you want to use time-based features in IMatch, follow my advice from above.