Category Check Configuration

[jch2103]

A while ago I set up a Quality Panel setting for one Category, "Quality Control|No original date assigned|Other". This uses a data-driven category described in the attachment, and which works correctly. However, this category check returns all the items in the data-driven category (everything in the database!), not just the 'Other' subcategory (which the Quality panel correctly shows as having only 55 items from the entire database).

How do I configure this to show only the 'Other' data? I suspect I have some kind of syntax issue in the quality Qanel, but didn't see anything in the Help that would clarify this problem.

[Mario]

I tried to reproduce this.
I've create a data-driven category "By Year" from the year part of XMP::photoshop\DateCreated\DateCreated\0 (use part of: yes => 1,4) and enabled other.
For my test database, Other now contains 1,970 files.



I then created a formula-based category "No Year" with this formula: "By Year|Other"
This category contains 1,970 files. OK.

I created a new category-based quality check in the Dashboard for "By Year|Other" and this check also returns 1,970 files:



Anything I did different than you?

[jch2103]

It looks like this was a case of user error... My apologies! My original QC query and your slightly more complicated on (with a second, formula-based query) both work the same.

I was clicking the arrow icon in the Categories entry, instead of the clickable description of the category. If I had looked more closely at the popup for the arrow, I would have noticed that it returns all the files NOT assigned to the category!

This is different behavior from the Standard Checks, where only the arrow icon can be clicked. I think I understand why you implemented the Quality panel this way (so a user could invert the custom Categories), but it confused me.

[Mario]

I'm not sure I can follow, sorry.
I've just used a formula-based category to double-check that the results are OK.

What do you mean by arrow? The button which opens the files for that element in a result window?

I've just added a new check based on quality and entered year to get By Year|Other and that produced a check for this category (showing the # of files in that category vs. the total number of files in the database).

Is there anything confusing? Something to improve? In the UI or the help?

[jch2103]

The category you provided (and the one I used) both work fine. The issue I found is an interface inconsistency between the top part of the Quality panel and the Categories section.

In my specific example ('No Year'), clicking the underlined portion gives me 53 images, whereas clicking the 'arrow' icon gives me 85,401 images plus 1,179 stacked (i.e., almost my entire database). When I saw the large number of images instead of 53 of them, I thought my query was written wrong or there was some other issue.

In the top part, only can only click the 'arrow' icon. In the Categories part, one clicks the underlined category, which has the same effect as clicking the 'arrow' icon in the above section. See screenshot. However, clicking the 'arrow' icon here effectively inverts the selection in the underlined category. My problem is that I was clicking the icon, expecting it to perform the same as it does in the upper section of the Quality panel.

As I noted above, I think I understand why it's set up this way (i.e., to allow either the specific category to be chosen or its inverse). But I initially didn't understand this, so thought there was a problem with how I set up my category. So yes, I was confused. This issue is specific to the Dashboard and the Quality panel. I'm not sure what to suggest to clarify this.

[Mario]

Ah. I also felt for that right now. But this is indeed by design. The tooltip makes this clear:

[jch2103]

The tool tip for the upper and lower sections is close enough in size that a user (e.g., me!) might not notice that the text is actually different..

A couple of interface suggestions:
- Emphasize the 'not' (bold?) in the lower tool tip
- Possibly change the background color in the tool tip just enough to attract the attention of the user

I'm generally in favor avoiding things like bold, bright colors, etc., but something that would grab a little extra attention might help ensure that the user pays attention to the (important) text difference.

[Mario]

The tooltip size, font and color is controlled by the browser (in this case, Chromium) and the app has no control over it.

In the Category Quality check in the Dashboard help, I write:



I can add another "Tip" box to make it even more clear that clicking the category name opens the category and clicking the arrow button opens all files not assigned to the category in a result window.
But, IMHO, users don't read the help and, probably, also not the info show in tooltips  Just how it is.

[jch2103]

I agree about the Help; users likely wouldn't see it (I didn't find that).

But something simple like 'NOT' (capital letters) might catch someone's eye enough so they would see that the text is different, and that the 'arrow' does something different from the upper section.

And I have not idea how many users even add custom QC checks...

[Mario]

I agree about the Help; users likely wouldn't see it (I didn't find that).

But something simple like 'NOT' (capital letters) might catch someone's eye enough so they would see that the text is different, and that the 'arrow' does something different from the upper section.

And I have not idea how many users even add custom QC checks...

I can CAPITALIZE the NOT. But I doubt many users (yet) use category checks. Or the Quality panel. Or the dashboard...

It takes a looong time for users to notice and evaluate new features.