Alphabetic file numbering

Started by rcrigan, November 07, 2021, 10:40:51 AM

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rcrigan

I would like to rename pictures to an eleven letter template: xxxddddddAA where:
   xxx are three letters representing my studio name
   dddddd are six digits representing the day the photos were made, YYMMDD
   AA are two letters of the alphabet from A to Z, a unique pair for each photo on that day. The first photo of the day is AA, the second AB, the third AC. After twenty-six photos the first letter rolls over and the twenty-seventh is BA, twenty-eighth BB and so on.
This gives over six hundred names for each day. It's not enough for many photogs but sufficient for my needs.
The obvious advantage of this scheme is that the date is Immediately evident without looking at the file's EXIF content. And also that sorting by date is automatic should that be what you want.
A big advantage for me, less obvious, is that when discussing files with a client or selecting a file for editing I need only refer to the last two characters of its filename. There's less chance of misreading or misremembering HM say than 091356.

Mario

To make this more clear: the only thing IMatch cannot currently do is:

QuoteAA are two letters of the alphabet from A to Z, a unique pair for each photo on that day. The first photo of the day is AA, the second AB, the third AC. After twenty-six photos the first letter rolls over and the twenty-seventh is BA, twenty-eighth BB and so on.

If you need something like this, please +1 below.
-- Mario
IMatch Developer
Forum Administrator
http://www.photools.com  -  Contact & Support - Follow me on 𝕏 - Like photools.com on Facebook

Aubrey

If files were initially set up so last 3 characters were numbered 001, 002 etc. Then it would be relatively easy to write an app to change these using a base 26 converter. However, personally if I was discussing photos, I would prefer to refer to a photo as photo 29  rather than "ac" or 530 as "tj"...

Might be an interesting bit of js (276) to write on a wet winter's day.

BTW, is hexadecimal or octal  numbering currently available?
Aubrey

sinus

Quote from: Aubrey on November 14, 2021, 08:04:19 AM
If files were initially set up so last 3 characters were numbered 001, 002 etc. Then it would be relatively easy to write an app to change these using a base 26 converter. However, personally if I was discussing photos, I would prefer to refer to a photo as photo 29  rather than "ac" or 530 as "tj"...

I am fully agree.
Best wishes from Switzerland! :-)
Markus

Mario

Quote from: Aubrey on November 14, 2021, 08:04:19 AM
BTW, is hexadecimal or octal  numbering currently available?
Aubrey

Hex and Roman, via cast. Search for hex on Variables
-- Mario
IMatch Developer
Forum Administrator
http://www.photools.com  -  Contact & Support - Follow me on 𝕏 - Like photools.com on Facebook

rcrigan

Quote from: sinus on November 14, 2021, 09:12:56 AM
Quote from: Aubrey on November 14, 2021, 08:04:19 AM
If files were initially set up so last 3 characters were numbered 001, 002 etc. Then it would be relatively easy to write an app to change these using a base 26 converter. However, personally if I was discussing photos, I would prefer to refer to a photo as photo 29  rather than "ac" or 530 as "tj"...

Way back, Durst used words to identify enlarger parts. They were made up words and mostly random but all were pronouncable. That way a customer on the phone could order a sivoma and be reasonably sure the rep on the other end did not make an error in transcribing it. He would be not so sure if the part was known as a NC3765/667. But at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and I've made my clear. I may be in a crowd of one.

sinus

Quote from: rcrigan on November 17, 2021, 02:22:08 AM
Quote from: Aubrey on November 14, 2021, 08:04:19 AM
If files were initially set up so last 3 characters were numbered 001, 002 etc. Then it would be relatively easy to write an app to change these using a base 26 converter. However, personally if I was discussing photos, I would prefer to refer to a photo as photo 29  rather than "ac" or 530 as "tj"...

Quote from: rcrigan on November 17, 2021, 02:22:08 AM
Way back, Durst used words to identify enlarger parts. They were made up words and mostly random but all were pronouncable. That way a customer on the phone could order a sivoma and be reasonably sure the rep on the other end did not make an error in transcribing it. He would be not so sure if the part was known as a NC3765/667. But at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and I've made my clear. I may be in a crowd of one.

"Sivoma ... NC3765/667"

Of course, that is perfectly clear, I agree fully.
I would also prefer cameras or computers, for example, to be called "chameleon" instead of "v4x7-n08".

But there is a big difference if I, as Aubrey wrote, use a photo number "29" instead of "ac" or number 530 instead of "tj".
In such a case, I much prefer the numbers.

As I wrote somewhere, three-digit numbers or at most 4-digit numbers are not a problem from my personal experience. A "normal person" can deal with that.
Because you simply learn it that way from childhood. In this area, I would definitely prefer numbers to letters.

By the way, there's something else I've noticed time and again (e.g. when transmitting passwords): if you give a number, e.g. on the phone, you usually don't have a problem understanding it.
But as soon as I use letters that are easy to confuse, it quickly becomes critical.
In German, for example, I often have to say "S" like Susanne, because S can easily be confused with F, or "D" like Doreen, because it can be confused with "T".
I don't know, but I could imagine that this also happens in English and other languages.

This can also happen with numbers, but much less often.
For these reasons, I personally would always go for numbers with such a short number of numbers or letters.
Best wishes from Switzerland! :-)
Markus

Aubrey

#7
Indeed over the phone was that "mn" (352) or "nm" (377)?
Perhaps use phonetic alphabet, alpha, bravo, charlie,...., zulu. This could be coded as easily as "mn", "mikeNovember", using camel case in the example.

I'll get around to the js soonish

Aubrey