Create Data Driven Category based on Part of Version Filename

[moviemaker445]

In the past I have used several Image Editing Apps (Capture One, DxO Photolab & LightRoom) to create Versions of my original image files.

The Versions have the same name as the original Master
with 3 or 4 characters added to the end to denote which app was used.

I would like to colour code the Versions by source App in the File window to make them easy to identify at a glance.

As I have used up all available colour 'Labels' for other information, I am experimenting with making a Data Driven 'Category' for each type of Version.

Then, by selecting "Color-coding active" in the Category Properties Panel, I am hoping a coloured bar will appear in the Thumbnail file list under the 'Label' colour to denote which Editing App produced the Version.

I have read the IMatch Help System information for Data-driven Categories, Regular Expressions & Variables. I made some progress using the VarToy but my programing skills aren't very good.

Could I ask that someone please help with the code I should enter in the Category > Properties > Formula field to select the files that I am interested in?

I would like to have a Category called 'C1 edits' populated with file Versions whose filename is 'MasterName_c1'.

Likewise another for DxO Versions named 'MasterName_DxO' and LR Versions named 'MasterName_LR'.

Thanks in advance. 

[bekesizl]

I experimented with Data-driven categories based on file names, but they are very slow at updating.
Switching them to manual update helped somehow, but I think they are not the best.

Maybe somebody has a better idea.

Until then I manually populate the edited categories by searching in the file window and addig files to the categories.

[Mario]

I experimented with Data-driven categories based on file names, but they are very slow at updating.

This is explained in the help. Variable-based data-driven categories exist to deal with special cases which cannot be handled otherwise. But IMatch has to evaluate the variable for each file in your database, every time the category has to be updated. And this can be slow, depending on the number of files in your database and the variable you use.

I would like to have a Category called 'C1 edits' populated with file Versions whose filename is 'MasterName_c1'.
Likewise another for DxO Versions named 'MasterName_DxO' and LR Versions named 'MasterName_LR'.

Before I would settle on creating a data-driven category based on a variable or a variable-based formula, I would first check if there is a normal metadata tag that identifies the software used. Check the software tag, for example.

Create a data-driven category based on this tag: XMP::tiff\Software\Software\0
and see if this does the job already.

[hluxem]

Data driven categories are great and powerful. They can slow down the system and I'm not sure if it's the best tool just for visual indication.

The power of Imatch gives you some alternatives you may want to consider.
If you have one version for each software you can use the version color to identify the source. That draws a border around the version and master icon. That's what I use for this purpose. You may have to split your version definition.

If you use the variable {File.MD.XMP::tiff\Software\Software\0} in a custom layout it will display the software used.
There is no limit, some experts on the forum are using icons and/or color coding to indicate the value or part of a value for a variable. If you really want to, you probably could display an icon for each software used.

[Mario]

A data-driven category based on a metadata tag is quite fast, even for large databases.

That being said, as hluxem points out, if the sole purpose of OP's request is to identify the software used to create an image in a File Window, a custom template that produces some sort of visual clue, colored bar or icon, depending on the value of {File.MD.XMP::tiff\Software\Software\0} is a good alternative.

See for example hit article in the IMatch Knowledge Base.