Make Attributes panel display Attributes vertically

[DavidOfMA]

Right now Properties are imported into Attributes. It would be helpful for those of us who have many images with many Properties to have them displayed in the Attributes panel vertically, so that when this panel is docked, all the Properties/Attributes can be seen. Now, they are horizontal, which limits display to just a few unless the panel is stretched across the whole screen. Also, it would be nice if the color scheme for the panel could be the same as the other panels. Not clear how to achieve that, if it is already in IMatch.

For me, if this doesn't become a configurable option and there's no easy way to move the Attributes into some other Metadata area that does list things vertically, IMatch 5 becomes a lot less appealing.

[Mario]

Swapping the columns and rows is not possible. I use a third party toolkit for all the cool Attribute grid features, and they don't support this.
It would also over-complicate thinks like multi-file attribute merging etc.

You can make the Attribute panel the full with of the IMatch window, un-dock it to make it float as a separate window, and even move it to secondary monitor.

To change the colors used by the Attribute panel go to Edit > Preferences > Application: Attribute Panel Grid.

[DavidOfMA]

Thanks. I'll play with the colors and try creating additional image property sets to fit my data into.

Is it still possible to import things like EXIF and IPTC data into Attributes, as it was for Properties?  Or is there some better way of centralizing a subset of all the various forms of metadata so that the ones most important to me all show  up on the same screen, as you could do with Properties in IMatch 3.6?

[jch2103]

If you haven't already, you may want to try developing a custom metadata panel. See Help for more specifics.

[DavidOfMA]

I will do that, eventually, I'm sure, but right now I'm stuck on how to preserve and easily view the Properties metadata I already have in the files I've created over the past 12 years. So far, I don't see a good way to do that.

[Mario]

Is it still possible to import things like EXIF and IPTC data into Attributes, as it was for Properties?

The feature to import IPTC and EXIF data into properties was added to IMatch 3.3 in order to support displaying of metadata for off-line files. Since IMatch versions before 3.4 did not cache XMP data in the database, this was the only way to do it.

IMatch 5 caches all metadata in the database and thus it is always available and can be displayed and used by all features, e.g. the Metadata Panel. There is no need anymore to duplicate IPTC/EXIF data in Attributes.

You can use the script Import Metadata into Attributes to import any type of metadata contained in the IMatch database into Attributes. This is no automatic process but has to be run manually by you. If you change IPTC/EXIF data in the Metadata Panel, these changes will not automatically reflect in your Attributes. You'l have to run the script again to update the Attributes.

Or is there some better way of centralizing a subset of all the various forms of metadata so that the ones most important to me all show  up on the same screen, as you could do with Properties in IMatch 3.6?

The Metadata Panel can show all metadata contained in your database. You have a rich set of customization features to control which tags to include and how to format them. See the Metadata Panel Layout help for all the details.

If you want to create a custom view which freely mixes data contained in Attributes, file data, metadata and what else, check out the App Panel and it's possibilities. You can create a custom HTML page which uses variables to retrieve and display all the metadata you want. It's pretty simple, mostly cut and paste from the starter HTML Templates included in IMatch 5. Even if you don't write a full IMatch App and stick to simple HTML templates you can produce cool things, e.g.

https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=335.0

[DavidOfMA]

Thanks. The custom app idea seems like the way to go. That way I will be able to capture the data imported into Attributes from Properties but also add in EXIF and IPTC data in what hopefully will be dynamic, so it will show the current metadata in the custom app screen when IPTC, Attributes, or other data changes.

I think this idea might belong in the 3 to 5 migration guide, as I am sure I'm not the only one concerned about being able to easily view all my Property data in the new UI.

David

[JohnZeman]

David I haven't been following this discussion very closely so I'm not real sure about what you're trying to do but for what's it worth I'll pass along a conclusion I've come to in regards to my needs about IMatch 3 properties and IMatch 5 attributes.

My primary need for properties in IMatch 3 was to have a general comments box for each photo, and to have another property that detailed the cameras and lenses used on any given photo shoot.

Outside of the comments boxes, which I easily imported into IMatch 5, I've discovered for the cameras and lenses it's better for me to use 1) formula categories, or 2) The IMatch statistics panel.  For me the key to making this work for old photos with incomplete or inaccurate metadata was to first copy the correct metadata into xmp metadata fields which IMatch 5 can use in formula categories and/or the statistics panel.

[DavidOfMA]

That sounds like a good approach. How did you copy the IMatch 3 metadata into XMP files and then import them? A "for dummies" idea of your workflow would be really helpful, as I think my goals are similar to yours. I have several fields in Properties that describe images and their status, and other fields I've used just as a convenient place to store camera and print-related information (EXIF data, IPTC data, ICC color space, etc.). I'm thinking I should be able to pull all of that data into one common place, but I'm fairly confused about how to go about it.

[JohnZeman]

I didn't convert IMatch 3 metadata or properties to xmp files, I copied specific information to specific xmp metadata tags such as {File.MD.XMP::aux\Lens\Lens\0}

To do that I imported the IMatch 3 properties "as is" into IM5 then wrote a script to copy those attributes (IMatch 3 properties) to appropriate xmp tags.  That may not work for you though depending on how your IMatch 3 properties are set up.

So instead of a script I wonder if one could filter IMatch 5 attributes for specific values and then manually write those values to xmp metadata tags?

[Mario]

The Filter Panel has an Attributes filter which allows to find files with specific attribute values.

But if the properties were initially filled from EXIF/IPTC data in the file, this data will be in the IMatch 5 database already. You can use a Value filter to find files with specific values. Or create data-driven categories on the IPTC/EXIF data you are interested in to see all files with specific values at once...

[Ferdinand]

Two brief comments.

1.  I think that being able to create a custom metadata layout to see and edit (where possible) all the metadata you're interested in is one of the big advantages of V5.  I strongly recommend creating one.

2.  The need for Properties / Attributes is much reduced in V5, and I find that I need very few of the ones that I had in V3.6.  For example, importing the embedded colour space into a property was the easiest way to see this information, but I no longer need to do this.  As Mario said, all of a file's EXIF information as well as IPTC & XMP is available to the metadata layouts.

[DavidOfMA]

I see that there are only a few of the Attributes I'd need to display either in a custom metadata layout or your Collapsible Metadata Viewer, which seems a great way to see everything in one place. What I can't find in the Help is the syntax for accessing Attributes so that I can display them in either of these places. It would be helpful to get a pointer to where this is documented. I didn't see anything about referencing Attributes in a metadata layout in either the metadata or the attributes sections of the help.

Thanks,
David

[JohnZeman]

I see that there are only a few of the Attributes I'd need to display either in a custom metadata layout or your Collapsible Metadata Viewer, which seems a great way to see everything in one place. What I can't find in the Help is the syntax for accessing Attributes so that I can display them in either of these places. It would be helpful to get a pointer to where this is documented. I didn't see anything about referencing Attributes in a metadata layout in either the metadata or the attributes sections of the help.

Thanks,
David

This question was kind of sort of maybe answered in https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=335.50

[Mario]

The Metadata Panel shows metadata managed in IMatch. This means data like IPTC, EXIF, XMP etc. which is contained in your files.
The Metadata panel does not display or edit Attributes. That's what the Attributes panel is for. You can display both panels at the same time of course, and even dock them side-by-side.

If you really need something that displays mixed metadata, look into a HTML template for the App panel. Here you can display metadata, Attributes, categories, history data, keywords etc. in a free mix.

[Ferdinand]

Just to clarify my comment - I wasn't suggesting that you could display Attributes in a metadata panel.  Rather I was suggesting that there's less need for Attributes than there was for Properties in V3.6, because many of the things that you used to have to import into Properties can now be viewed in a metadata layout.

[Of course that's not to say that Attributes have no use - they will have many new uses because they have more functionality.]

[DavidOfMA]

This question was kind of sort of maybe answered in https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=335.50

Thanks, that will at least take me partway there. Big learning curve before I'll actually be able to create what I want, though, I fear.

David

[JohnZeman]

What exactly do you want to achieve David?

[DavidOfMA]

I'd like to modify your collapsible metadata viewer so that it also contains a section that displays the Attributes I've imported from Imatch 3.6 that are not duplicated in other metadata. At the moment, I have no idea how to add another section to the viewer that pulls Attributes into a new collapsible section.

[JohnZeman]

Do you just need one section or more?  It would be quicker for me to do it and post it here rather than trying to explain how to do it.

[DavidOfMA]

I see from your other viewer thread that you have already added attributes to it. No time to look at it now, but that is likely to be all I'd need. I do have a lot of Properties, but some are duplicated elsewhere. Will it be obvious to me how to add a second Attributes panel if needed?

[JohnZeman]

I already did (attached)

[attachment deleted by admin]

[DavidOfMA]

That was quick. Thanks!

[ColinIM]

Thank you also from me John!

I have to queue this version of your panel for deeper scrutiny later, but I'm pretty certain it will improve my display & access to various of my own (imported) IMatch 3 Properties also ... those which hold notes, annotations and some other values that exist nowhere else except in the IMatch 3 Properties.

Colin P.

[sinus]

Thank you also from me John!

I have to queue this version of your panel for deeper scrutiny later, but I'm pretty certain it will improve my display & access to various of my own (imported) IMatch 3 Properties also ... those which hold notes, annotations and some other values that exist nowhere else except in the IMatch 3 Properties.

Colin P.

+1 from me to John. Great work.

[JohnZeman]

Glad you guys are getting some use out of that app.  Just remember that after you make any changes to the viewer.htm file to save it as a UTF-8 file.