Create "Category View" to hierarhical keywords

[Lord_Helmchen]

I'm sure this question must already be answered anywhere, but I can't find it.

Currently I have organized my classification in categories. I want to migrate e.g. the "what" category into hierarchical keywords. But for easier access, I want to "mirror" the "@Keywords|what" into category "what" (including the hierarchy).

I tried to do this via alias, formula or data driven categories, but I wasn't successful.

How can I do this?

[Mario]

"Easier access" for what and where?
If you want easier access in the Categories Panel, add a new tab for this part of the @Keywords hierarchy: Working with Additional Category Tabs perhaps?

Alias categories are for individual categories, not for hierarchies.

[Lord_Helmchen]

I'd like to have a category that shows the "What" sub-tree of the keywords. So that I can in category view select them directly without opening the @Keywords tree and selecting the "What" sub-tree.

And then I'll have a dedicated tab for the "category view" to @Keywords sub-tree as an additional tab (as I already have now).

What I could achieve is a data driven category that shows hierarchically e.g. "XMP::other\excire:hierarchicalSubject\HierarchicalSubject\0" (with selected including "Hierarchie erkennen" switch). I'd like this just for the "what" sub-tree of the keywords.

[Mario]

XMP::other\excire:hierarchicalSubject\HierarchicalSubject\0 is not the hierarchical keyword tag used by IMatch. If you use this anywhere, replace it with the correct hierarchical keyword tag.

I'd like to have a category that shows the "What" sub-tree of the keywords.

IMatch has no feature to "mirror" entire category hierarchies elsewhere. This would be very complex to implement, of very limited use and real bad for performance.

When would you need this? If you create a tab for @Keywords|WHAT in the Category Panel, you can "(...) select them directly without opening the @Keywords tree". Just switch to the tab to see only WHAT categories to assign.

BUT, if you use categories to assign keywords, maybe re-evaluate your workflow?
The Keywords Panel is much better suited to quickly assign keywords. Assuming your thesaurus is set up, just type WHAT to get auto-suggestions from your WHAT keywords. Or type parts of the WHAT keyword and pick it from the auto-suggestions list.
There is really no need to scroll miserably long list of categories in the Category View or Category Panel up and down to assign keywords.

Create favorites for your most frequently used WHAT keywords. Then assign these keywords with a click or keyboard shortcut.
If you often assign the same set of keywords, setup keyword links - this way you assign only one keyword and IMatch assigns all other keywords. Same for synonyms.

AutoFill can be a massive time saver when you often add specific combinations of metadata and keywords.

The only way to somehow "mirror" a @Keywords category hierarchy somewhere else in the categories tree would be a
data-driven category based on a variable like {File.Categories|filter:^@Keywords\|WHAT} with hierarchy detection enabled using the | character would do the trick (mostly), but that would be very slow for even mid-sized databases.

[Lord_Helmchen]

The Excire keyword is the "internal" including hierarchy. In the "regular" does only contain the leave.

As I wrote, I currently use categories for classifying my photos, but want to migrate to hierarchical keywords, because it's much easier to assign them.

I like the easy way for browsing through the categories. When I have the WHAT keyword hierarchy between hundreds of unstructured keywords that makes it hard to simply find the WHAT.

Therefore I thought it would be a way to create a "view" in categories for simplified access.

[Mario]

I wonder why Excire still hides hierarchical keywords inside a proprietary and unsupported XMP name space...
This is not supported elsewhere and does prevent IMatch from working properly.

If you want to continue to add keywords via categories and not using the Keywords Panel and thesaurus, my post above explains the tools you can use.

[Lord_Helmchen]

Don't ask be about Exicre. Officially they say, that the hierarchical keywords are not supported outside of Excire. But that's not the topic of this thread.

You got me wrong. I said: " want to migrate to hierarchical keywords". Currently I use categories, but I want to use keywords. But I find the way of browsing though the hierarchy of categories more convenient than through the hugh keywords tree with that many flat keywords.

My goal is:
- Use keywords
- Browse through the keywords hierarchy to show photos as convenient as currently possible with categories.

[Mario]

See https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?msg=96545 for pointers on how to map categories into keywords.

- Browse through the keywords hierarchy to show photos as convenient as currently possible with categories.

That's what the @Keywords Category is for. It maps hierarchical keywords into categories.

[Lord_Helmchen]

I have ca. 1.900 flat keywords in my @Keywords category before the "WHAT" hierarchical keyword shows up. And it is impractical to scroll through ca. 70 pages before seeing the "WHAT" hierarchical keyword. There must be an easier way.

[Mario]

I have ca. 1.900 flat keywords in my @Keywords category before the "WHAT" hierarchical keyword shows up.

That explains your problem.
Have you considered renaming WHAT to _WHAT to sort it to the top?

[sinus]

I have ca. 1.900 flat keywords in my @Keywords category before the "WHAT" hierarchical keyword shows up.

That explains your problem.
Have you considered renaming WHAT to _WHAT to sort it to the top?

This is a very good proposal. I do this often, when I work with a category often, simply add a _  in front, or to a numeric - system. 

[Lord_Helmchen]

I have ca. 1.900 flat keywords in my @Keywords category before the "WHAT" hierarchical keyword shows up.

That explains your problem.
Have you considered renaming WHAT to _WHAT to sort it to the top?

This is a very good proposal. I do this often, when I work with a category often, simply add a _  in front, or to a numeric - system.

That would be the ultima ratio. But I don't like the idea to have the "_"WHAT keyword written in the files. Therefore I was sure, there must be a better way in IMatch...

[Mario]

Usually top-level keywords like WHAT, WHERE, WHO, ... are set to group-level and never written to files.
Your mileage may vary, of course.

[thrinn]

You could also use the Bookmark panel (at the bottom of the category view). If you create a bookmark here for the WHAT keyword, you can quickly jump to WHAT without any scrolling.

[Mario]

Or use a Favorite for the WHAT category. Category favorites support a "Goto" command, switching to the category.

[Lord_Helmchen]

Thanks, I'll have a closer look at the options. Or is there possible a way to move the flat keywords to @Keywords|FLAT|<...>? Because that would male the @Keywords more practicable, if there would only be hierarchical keywords and the "pseudo" hierarchical "FLAT" tree. Of course in the files only the keywords without the "FLAT" should be stored.

[Mario]

Make a FLAT entry (group-level keyword) in the Thesaurus and move your flat keywords under it? If your thesaurus is maintained...
For 1000+ keywords to move, I recommend a backup of the database and some checks afterwards.

Or, just enable the auto-grouping for the @Keywords category. Group by the first 1 or 2 characters or so to greatly reduce the number of keywords IMatch has to display on the top-level.