Allow Attribute Sets to be renamed

Started by ColinIM, January 12, 2014, 03:02:50 AM

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ColinIM

It would be good to be able to rename an Attribute Set after it has been created.

Mario has briefly mentioned this as possibly "a good thing, not yet implemented" in his Reply #12 on 11 January 2014, 16:39:59 in this thread:

Topic: Attributes panel, category assignments, and scripts dockable?
https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=1495.0

That discussion thread was on a theme not related to this Feature Request, but in that reply, Mario also observes - and we can easily imagine - that a renamed Attribute Set could cause complications where, for example, a reference to one or more Attributes is embedded in our scripts (and in other places), but if somehow this renaming idea could achieved then the advantage of being able to second-guess our own choice of Set names after the event would - I'm sure - be much appreciated.

[Stepping on programmer's toes] Perhaps Attribute Sets could be created with a behind-the-scenes alias (a unique GUID perhaps) which could be safely and reliably used thereafter as the 'handle' for that Set, as long as the Set remains in existence ... ?  But I can see that an obscure GUID as a variable name would make it very tough for us to write and to maintain our scripts ... so, maybe not.
[Stepping off programmer's toes]


For handy reference:

       
  • We will usually 'name' a new Attribute Set when we create it via the Preferences dialogue
    in [Menu] Edit | Preferences | Edit Attributes.
  • A new Attribute Set can also be created and simultaneously named when we import a previously exported Attribute Schema (with or without data) as is explained towards the end of the "Attributes" page in IMatch 5 Help.
    (See the section called Importing and Exporting Attribute Schemas and Data on that page.)
  • Given an already exported Attribute Schema - comprising a UTF-8 XML/text file with a .imas extension - it is theoretically possible to rename the exported Set by editing the "appropriately relevant" tags within that .imas file, and then RE-importing the edited Schema with that new Set name, but I think we'd all hesitate twice before attempting this.
Colin P.