Date, Time problem within renamer!?

[ChrisMatch]

Hello

in short: I tried to use the renamer to distribute new files in my folder structure.
the problem: the date for none-image files seems to be wrong

This may result in a feature request and a bug report - but I am not sure.
Maybe I am doing something wrong - so thanks for you opinion.

the long story:
In addition to some NEF files I have also some MOV (video files) and MP3 (audio recording) from this session.
The problem is, that the renamer seems to take the wrong date for the MOV and MP3 files.

First screenshots shows the renamer window and the fact that it would choose the 20th of December for the date.

Second to fourth screenshot shows the dates I found in the metadata browser.
All dates there show the 13th of December.

The fifth screenshot shows that XMP holds the 20th of December (yesterday).
Don't know where this comes from.

I continue with an additional post to add one more screenshot....

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[ChrisMatch]

....

The last screenshot shows that windows explorer shows the 13th of December for both, the create date and the last modification date.
So even if exiftool was unable to return a useful date, the fallback to the last modification date should have led to the 13.12.2013.

So I have two questions:
question 1) Is this a reproducible bug or am I doing something wrong
(what additional informations should I provide here?)

question 2) shouldn't iMatch use the 'create date' of the file if exiftool is unable to extract a date instead of "the last modified on disk timestamp maintained by Windows"?
This would be more like the "Date and Time Original" which is imatch's first attempt anyway.

Thanks
Chris

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[ChrisMatch]

Please let me add a third question:
Which tag must be used to get the same result as "Date" in the renamer?

EDIT:
I think I found a good candidate >> {File.DateTime|format:YYYY-MM-DD}
@Mario or someone else that is sure about it: Can you confirm that File.DateTime always returns the same value like the 'Date' step in the renamer?

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[sinus]

Please let me add a third question:
Which tag must be used to get the same result as "Date" in the renamer?

Hi Chris
To be honest, I have not the time yet to look into this.
But maybe the VarToy - App could help you to find out something about dates and so on (at least variables).

If I go to the App "VarToy" and use there "Browse Variables" you can quickly find for example this:

{Application.DateTime}
{File.DateTime}
{File.MD.Exif::Main\36867\DateTimeOriginal\0}

and the results
21.12.2013 21:43:11
26.09.2013 15:12:23
26.09.2013 15:12:23

But there are of course a lot more variables.

[ChrisMatch]

Thanks for the tip.
The only problem with this approach is that I never could be sure if the tag would be the same in all cases.
It even could be, that there is no tag that always returns the same result as the 'Date' step.

[ChrisMatch]

I think I found a good candidate >> {File.DateTime|format:YYYY-MM-DD}

@Mario or someone else that is sure about it:
Can you confirm that File.DateTime always returns the same value like the 'Date' step in the renamer?

If yes, only 2 questions remain open.

thanks
Chris

[Mario]

Hi, Chris

please search for Date and Time in the help index. This leads you to the File Date and Time help topic which explains how IMatch extracts the file date and time it uses everywhere, and also for the {File.DateTime} variable.

There is no common standard among different file formats. Not even among image formats. This is why IMatch implements a specific sequence of which date and time metadata fields it checks, and it also checks different tags for different file types.

[ChrisMatch]

Hi Mario
and thanks for your answer.

Well, I have spent quite a time reading the help before posting but was unable to find an answer to my question.
Further down you can see the information I found in the help and I thought could be relevant.

What I am missing is the information if the renamer 'Date' step will always return the same information like the File.DateTime (for the same file of course). This is important because I use the 'Date' step for the naming of the FILE but use a variable for naming the PATH and those should correspond.
If not, I would like to know which variable (if one exists) will correspond to the renamer 'Date' step.

Help says:
Renamer: Date and Time
These steps insert date and time information in various formats. They use the date and time maintained by IMatch, which is the EXIF timestamp for images or a similar time stamp for other file formats.

link to more details:
Date and Time
IMatch extracts a default timestamp from image files and other file formats. This timestamp is accessible as Date and Time, e.g. in File Window Layouts or in Variables.

How IMatch fills Date and Time
If IMatch imports an image file and the image file has a valid EXIF record, IMatch uses one of the three optional EXIF timestamps, in the following order:

Date and Time Original
Date and Time Digitized
Date and Time
Note that none of these timestamps may exist in the EXIF record and that sometimes the information is invalid or garbled.

If the file is a PDF file, IMatch uses the PDF Create Date and Time, if available.

If the file is an Office document or a document containing FlashPix information, IMatch uses the Create Date and Time when available.

If the file is an Open Office document, IMatch uses the OOXML Create Date and Time if available.

If no date was found so far, IMatch uses the CompositeDateTimeOriginal or CompositeDateTimeCreated as delivered by ExifTool. ExifTool produces these tags by looking at various other tags, depending on the file format, e.g. for video files. QuickTime (MP4, MOV) files usually have usable date and time information.

If no usable embedded metadata tag is found, metadata in XMP sidecar files is considered.

If still no usable date and time was found, IMatch uses the last modified on disk timestamp maintained by Windows.

variables: File.DateTime
The EXIF timestamp of the file, or equivalent. If IMatch cannot determine a value from the file, this variable returns the same value as File.Modified.

[ChrisMatch]

In the attempt to describe the 'problems' as good as possible my initial two post got quite long.
So may I also draw your attention to the other two points mentioned in my first two posts.

Thanks
and Merry Christmas

[Mario]

IMatch produces the File Date and Time attribute when it imports the metadata from the file. This attribute is filled as described in the help, and then stored in the database. Whenever you use that attribute (e.g. in the file window, the renamer or via the File.DateTime variable), the same value is used.