Metadata Templates - how to apply one from a long list of templates

[JohnZeman]

I use a lot of metadata templates, my current count of them is at 44.  However I just noticed the list of metadata templates I can apply to my selected files seems to be limited to the first 29 or 30 templates.

I can and have been getting around that limitation by assigning my templates to favorites, and that's working.  However I can't help but wonder why the list in Tools > Metadata templates seems to be limited to the first 29 templates while the Metadata Templates icon on the Metadata panel is limited to the first 30 templates?

Is there a way to scroll through all of the templates when I want to apply one to the selected files?  If so I haven't figured out how to do that yet.

Should I keep assigning templates my favorites buttons?

Or do I need to rethink my strategy on using templates and locations to cut back on how many I'm using?

[Mario]

I have never anticipated that a user would need more than 30 templates.
The number of templates in this menu is limited to 30.
There are no scrollable menus in IMatch.

If you need so many Metadata Templates, Favorites are the way to go.

[JohnZeman]

Thanks Mario, I just wondered if I was missing something.

[sinus]

Thanks, John
to bring this up! Now I know, I am not alone 

I have 61 templates.

[Ger]

This clearly proves how useful the Metadata templates are.
I have 50+ templates (although a substantial number was created for a specific task and not really in day-to-day use).

ger

[Mario]

The capacity of menus is limited and I believe 30 templates in a menu is enough (this is maybe already stretching the limits on many screens).
The templates are added to the menu in alphabetical order. You can use a naming scheme which brings the most frequently used templates into the menu.
For all else, Favorites allow you to manage an unlimited number of templates, run them with a single mouse-click and assign keyboard shortcuts to run them quickly.

[JohnZeman]

Just to explain why I use so many metadata templates, I take a lot of photos in repeat locations.

For example I work seasonally at a garden nursery that has 12 greenhouses plus a few other areas I like to photograph at different times of the year.

Typically I'll photograph a greenhouse in early winter just before we clean it to get it ready for another growing season.  Then later I'll photograph the inside of it again as we begin to fill it with plants.

This continues in each of the greenhouses throughout the growing season, so just this one garden nursery alone will use 15 metadata templates.  They are so handy for quickly filling in all location and GPS metadata (amongst other things), especially when used with locations.

Then in the fall I have another seasonable job working for local farmers during the harvest season.  I have 10 metadata templates I use for the different locations I'll be at while doing that job.

Then of course there are all the other more normal uses for metadata templates.  All in all I won't be surprised if the number of them I use doubles in a few more years.

But I'm good now that I understand their limitations.   As long as I can keep adding and applying metadata templates with favorites buttons everything is fine.  I just needed to modify my workspace to make room for more buttons (which I've done).

Finally, it might be a good idea to put a note in the metadata templates help file page about the 30 template limit in the menus.

[Mario]

I have added a corresponding note to the IMatch 2021 help.
Since this question came never up before (at least I don't remember it), I guess most people have less than 30 metadata templates.
I've added a telemetry entry for this now, though. After a couple of months I will know the average number of templates used.

[pmbvw]

I actually have 87 metadata templates in Favorites, which I use regularly.
My hobby is to take fotos of legal streetart and graffity.
I regularly visit the same places to take fotos of new works.
With my templates I easily fill all new pictures from a location with the following: Title; Headline; Description; Hierachical Subject; CaptionWriter; Creator and CountryCode

[sinus]

I actually have 87 metadata templates in Favorites, which I use regularly.
My hobby is to take fotos of legal streetart and graffity.
I regularly visit the same places to take fotos of new works.
With my templates I easily fill all new pictures from a location with the following: Title; Headline; Description; Hierachical Subject; CaptionWriter; Creator and CountryCode

"Yep, Templates are simply cool" and offers a lot. Hence quite some users will have a lot of templates.
If they would offer also some work with categories (like indexing), I would have, I guess, over 100. 

[Mario]

A category Favorite can assign/un-assign one or many categories with a single mouse-click or keyboard shortcut.