Promlem with Sort of File Window by Metadata Tags

[ulrich]

Hallo experienced users,
my prefered sequence for categories is by image timestamp. My sort profile looks like this:

Profile "Erstellungsdatum":
Sortieren nach: XMP::xmp\CreateDate

Images (JPG) and videos (QuickTime) in IMatch database all show this metadata:

XMP xmp
  Erstellt am dd.mm.yyyy hh:mm:ss
  XMP::xmp\CreateDate\CreateDate\0

Some folders are presented in correct sequence (incl QuickTime movies!), some other folders not.
Category collections have always some files on top out of date sequence, but the meta data is correct.

Cannot find any reason, cannot see any difference between files correctly placed and those at top of presentation.
Too many pictures? Category collections contain ca 2000 images.....

I use IMatch 5.6.14 Vollversion with ExifTool-Version: 10.10, installed today. Came available just in time, started to think about QuickTime creation date just yesterday! Mario, thank you!

Regards
Ulrich

[Mario]

When sorting by arbitrary metadata tags, IMatch either treats the tag value(s) as text or as a number (depending on what you specify in the sort profile).

Since ExifTool uses a 'sortabel' ISO date int he format 2014:12:07 09:59:00+01:00 this usually works well. I suggest you carefully examine the metadata of the files you consider to be sorted incorrectly. For example, display the variable

{File.MD.XMP::xmp\CreateDate\CreateDate\0|value:formatted}

in each panel in the file window. This shows the data in the native ExifTool format IMatch is also using for sorting.
Make sure that all timestamps are complete, that you don't have issues with time zones and the like. XMP timestamps may be incomplete.

Any specific reason why you don't use the standard File Date & Time, which is filled from the same source as the XMP timestamps? IMatch knows that this attribute contains a timestamp and uses a specialized sort routine.

[ulrich]

Mario,
spent some more time looking into my problem, concentrating on QuickTime movies:

• QuickTime movies not sorted as expected were created with Camera: Nikon, Software: COOLPIX S9700V1.0.
• QuickTime movies sorted as expected were created with Camera: Coolpix P100, Software: Coolpix P100V1.0 and Camera: iPhone 4S Software: 9.0.2
• Have looked at all three QuickTime movies from above cameras with ExifTool Command Processor and {File.MD.XMP::xmp\CreateDate\CreateDate\0|value:formatted}.
  Result for all three files is the same: File not found: yyyy:mm:dd hh:mm:ss (correct time stamp for all files)
  Cannot see any difference between "good" and "bad" videos.
• Intersting: QuickTime movies having sort problem (created with Camera: Nikon, Software: COOLPIX S9700V1.0) are not shown with Tab "Timeline".

IMatch QuickTime support is very young, so maybe not all variations of meta data has been seen....

[Mario]

IMatch QuickTime support is very young, so maybe not all variations of meta data has been seen....

IMatch does not support QuickTime. It works with the data returned by ExifTool. ExifTool supports QuickTime for many years, despite Apple changing it all the time.

Your post does not tell us what data is actually in your file.
What is the meaning of "file not found", for example? Is this a metadata value you see in the Metadata Panel? ExifTool Command Processor?
If there is nonsense in the QuickTime timestamps, there will be of course nonsense in XMP as well. Although IMatch checks the timestamps for validity and format.

Either show us a dump of the metadata in your file (Metadata Panel, Browser mode) or provide a sample movie. We need more data.

[ulrich]

Attached dump of the metadata in file (Metadata Panel, Browser mode) and a relating movie (just trimmed with QuickTime program) which is no sorted. Editing did not change the "Erstellt am" Meta-Info.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mario]

IMatch shows

Created Date   2014:06:22 21:16:12
Date Subject Created   2014:06:22 21:16:12

for this file. Looks good to me. This data is used for sorting, and in my tests the file is sorted correctly.

[ulrich]

thank you for fast support.

IMatch shows

Created Date   2014:06:22 21:16:12
Date Subject Created   2014:06:22 21:16:12

for this file.

Same here. So "my" problem must related to my settings....

On sort profile "Erstellungsdatum" I have tried both Datum & Zeit and XMP::xmp\CreateDate.

Are there any other settings which could affect sort sequence? On Metadaten2? Metadaten-Optionen für einzelne Dateiformate?

But Timeline cannot be configured, so the problem probably is within the metadata or the folder update process? I use option Force update of all Files.

[Mario]

This will be very hard to diagnose any further wihtout having all the files you try to sort here. Or at least some files which produce the wrong sort result.
You can open a bug report, produce a collection of files which allow me to reproduce this, attach them to the bug report or upload them somewhere. Please understand that I have currently a back-log of about two weeks of stuff users have sent to me for looking into. It may thus take a while for me looking into your specific issue.

[ulrich]

Mario,
thank you. I can survive with that problem, and I will over time continue to experiment with files and IMatch options. Maybe sometime in the future this will show up on an other users systems....

Regarding bug report: I first have to become familiar on how to prepare all information required such that you have a chance to reproduce the problem.