Writing to Creation Date and QT UserData GPS Coordinates

[gheppell]

Good morning.

Using the exiftool command processor, I am able to write to a couple of metadata fields that I can not replicate using a metadata template, which is my preference.

Specifically, using exiftool, I can write to both {File.MD.QuickTime::ItemList\creationdate\CreationDate\0} and {File.MD.QuickTime::UserData\\xa9xyz\GPSCoordinates\0}, using the exiftool commands                                        -quicktime:creationdate<${xmp:createdate} and -quicktime:userdata:gpscoordinates<gpsposition respectively.  However, when I use the same source and output tags in a template the fields won't populate.  Any ideas?

Thanks

[Mario]

Tag names like UserData\\xa9xyz\  indicate made up names ExifTool generated when delivering metadata to IMatch.
This means that this data may appear under a different tag name for other files containing QuickTime data! At least this is my understanding of these strange names. Keep that in mind when trying to built a workflow based on these "fleeting" tag names.

The ExifTool command line offers a lot of "magic/automatisms here writing to special virtual tags or tag groups triggers all kinds of special behaviors, tag shuffling and tag stuffing. This logic is neither needed or useful for IMatch and hence not implemented.


IMatch works on a per-tag basis. Or with structured tags.

What you use, e.g. quicktime:userdata:gpscoordinates, is not a tag, but some virtual tag grouping where ExifTool figures out by some internal logic what to do when you copy from the also virtual tag group gpsposition (which contains whoknowswhat) into the other virtual tag group named quicktime:userdata:gpscoordinates, ExifTool interprets this somehow and then works it's magic and copies data between the two virtual sets of tags.

If you need such rather specific ExifTool features, use the The ExifTool Command Processor or the ExifTool command line directly. You can use IMatch variables to make things dynamic and run ExifTool commands comfortably using Favorites.

I would always prefer the "official" and standardized GPS coordinates in native GPS data or the GPS data contained in XMP. This is also the only GPS data IMatch uses, e.g. for the Map Panel. Proprietary Apple QuickTime GPS data in volatile "userdata" segments has no meaning for IMatch.

When you include QuickTime GPS tags in a Metadata Panel layout and set them to a value, open the ExifTool output panel before writing back. If ExifTool refuses to write the tag for some reason, it will show in the output panel. This might give you some feedback about what works and what does not work.

[gheppell]

The two tags written to are pulled directly from the searchable tags in iMatch so I am not sure how exiftool has generated them.  I am aware that the exiftool runs an algorithm to look for any and all tags that 'match' the command, which is precisely why I am using it within the command processor in the first place.  I am really just looking to save some time.  I will try the favorites as you suggest to run my save exiftool scripts from the command processor.

regards