How to use search in imatch5?

[kirk]

I am still using imatch3  mostly because it's super simple and easy  while  imatch 5 puzzles me every time I open it.    One time everything is ok and I am able to use search and filter options there  , then nothing is working at all again.   

I need to filter the whole base for a certain file name  . Write it down to the field, check it in , and push the green arrow. Nothing happens.  At all.   I recall I had to check in some other checkboxes probably  , somewhere,  but can't recall where? 

I try another way with search field above the thumbnails and choose "search files names only".  Wow, finally it works.

Still I can't use it because instead of file thumbnails  of found files I see an infinity of grey bars with folder names.   How can I get rid of those grey bars?

ps. Sorry for the rookie questions. Just want to do one more try with imatch5

[Mario]

1.

Push the green arrow

When you click on the green arrow in the Metadata or Keyword Panels you save your changes to all selected files. You can also click on another file.
When you say "nothing happens" - what do you expect to happen?
Are your changes to metadata not saved?

Or do you click on another green arrow?


2.

To search for file names in the current scope (what you see in the file window) you can use the search bar. Switch it to the "Search file names only" mode using the drop-down menu on the right if you only want to search in file names. Click into the search bar and press <F1> to open the corresponding help which explains this and all the options. There is a lot of search power hidden in that tiny field.

The "gray bars" you mention are the folder caption bars. If you have enabled the hierarchical mode in the file window (toolbar button) it displays the selected object (folder, category, database) and one, two or all child levels. Each level is represented by a caption with the level name (folder name, category name, ...).

And when you now search for a file name using the search bar, you will still see that hierarchy. But most folders will be empty (no matches for your search) and thus are represented by the caption bar with the folder name only.

Just disable the hierarchical mode. Then you see only the files matching your search. No need to click check boxes or stuff.



Tip:  Check out the specialized "File Name" filter in the Filter Panel. It offers a lot more ways to search for file names, including "contains" "starts with", "ends with", ... and even "does not contain" searches. Pretty cool.

Note:

IMatch is not designed to be used once every couple of months by jumping right in and then figuring things out as you go. Unless you are a software wizard you will spend a day or two learning all features you need. Basically like with Photoshop, your RAW processor or any other non-trivial software...

Naturally, when you use IMatch 5 only once every couple of weeks or month, you don't recall or even understand how it works. If you would spend maybe 20 minutes with the search bar help and the general file window help (left-click into the file window, then <F1> to open the help) you will see how much easier it is to work with IMatch 5 afterwards.

The file window and it's feature are one of the key elements in IMatch. They pack a lot of oomph and just reading the help and trying things out will help you lots.

[kirk]

Thanks, Mario.   I figured it out  now.       In fact  I work with iMatch almost every day.    But it's iMatch3 mostly.   

With iMatch5  I have to keep in mind that some checkbox in some forgotten  place should be on and absolutely nothing hints me about it.
I naturally expect that when I push "green arrow" ( Apply filter) I would see  something happening.  You helped me to recall that I have to check in two checkboxes first.

Same with the search bar.   I put something and got nothing, no hints.   It still needs to meet certain conditions from other options. 

Imo it's what makes the problem. 

ps. Surprisingly I didn't read a single help page for Imatch 3 initially.  A few hint messages it shown and a few your posts in the forum was just enough.
   





     

[sinus]

Thanks, Mario.   I figured it out  now.       In fact  I work with iMatch almost every day.    But it's iMatch3 mostly.   

With iMatch5  I have to keep in mind that some checkbox in some forgotten  place should be on and absolutely nothing hints me about it.
I naturally expect that when I push "green arrow" ( Apply filter) I would see  something happening.  You helped me to recall that I have to check in two checkboxes first.

Same with the search bar.   I put something and got nothing, no hints.   It still needs to meet certain conditions from other options. 

Imo it's what makes the problem. 

ps. Surprisingly I didn't read a single help page for Imatch 3 initially.  A few hint messages it shown and a few your posts in the forum was just enough.

I do not know, how many pages my latest Nikon's do have.
A lot.

When I remember the first Nikon, what I bought, the world was still more "quiet".

The world has changed. IMatch3 was easier, yep, but also a lot less powerfull than IM5.

IMatch5 is really much more powerful and you can do things, what IM3 cannot offer.

Hence, with such a program, I think, we should read at least some pages of the helpfile. And do some tests and so on.

After you are familiar with IM5, you will love it.





     

[Mario]

With iMatch5  I have to keep in mind that some checkbox in some forgotten  place should be on and absolutely nothing hints me about it.

There are no forgotten places in IMatch 5.

I naturally expect that when I push "green arrow" ( Apply filter) I would see  something happening.  You helped me to recall that I have to check in two checkboxes first.

The filter panel automatically applies your filters, unless you switch it to manual mode (unusual). So you don't need to press the green "Play" button at all.

The filter panel allows you to enable and disable each filter individually. This has many advantages and gives you a lot of flexibility. Especially when you work with large file sets or you want to quickly enable/disable parts of a filter.

If you change an inactive filter the caption bar of the filter blinks blue for a second to "hint" you that the filter is not enabled and thus will not take part in the filter process.
IMatch also shows an info popup message about this a couple of times. You probably have uses the "Don't show again" option to often and now all popups are disabled.
You can re-enable all popup hints via Help > Reset popup tips. Make sure you leave the "Show popup tips" option enabled.

IMatch cannot show popup messages or "Did you know?" boxes all the time. They would get in the way pretty fast and annoy users.
And if you have learned once that to use a filter you have to enable it, it's not that hard to remember. The blinking should remind you as well.

Same with the search bar.   I put something and got nothing, no hints.   
It still needs to meet certain conditions from other options. 

No. You enter a search term, and the search bar searches the file window contents.
It even tells you "Search the file window" unless you type something.

The only options you can configure is where you want to search.

Is that what you mean?  If so, how else would you give users the choice of where they want to search? Not all users want to search only in file names. Or in metadata. Or in Attributes. Sometimes using regular expressions is the only way to specify exactly what you want to find. And if you only want to search in file names, it makes no sense to slow down the search by searching also in metadata...

You can always tell if a filter or the search bar is actively filtering the file window contents by the color of the file window caption.

[jelvers]

Same with the search bar.   I put something and got nothing, no hints.   It still needs to meet certain conditions from other options. 
     

I have defined some personal filters in the filter panel which I use quite frequently and therefore in my case the filter panel is enabled most of the time. When I use Search in the search bar, however, I have always disabled the filters in the filter panel by clicking on the Icon-button in top part of the panel to enable/disable it. Otherwise nothing happens. Have you checked that in your case?

Re to the strength of the search engine: in my case I can identify a picture with one(!) special word in the attributes (i.e. title/description) via the search bar out of 126.000 pictures in a very short time!!

You miss a lot by to using IM5. I tell this as old IM 3 user...............

Regards, Juergen

[kirk]

Thanks for the help, guys.   I still consider iMAtch best DAM software . It's just I  read the help couple times already  in search of exactly same solutions.   Maybe I am just getting older  and things slips my mind sooner than before, but usually I don't have to do it.   

    I totally understand that such a kind of swiss knife  of a software   couldn't be same useful as a simple hammer in some respect.   But IMO there should be a nice balance in between flexibility and simplicity for a user and IM3 had that balance.  After all  it's  an accessory  software and not a CG monster like Maya or 3d max  with a same kind of checkbox craze like space shuttle cockpit.   Hate it there too BTW.

I love how a new image editing program , Affinity Photo, does things automatically with a kind of AI that makes a guess what should be done to have things working right.  Or how Apple Photo guess what keyword you want to put after just a single letter.  And does it in some clever way you don't have to set anything.

[Mario]

Or how Apple Photo guess what keyword you want to put after just a single letter.

IMatch does that to. Ever tried out the suggestion panel in the Keyword panel? IMatch uses the surrounding of your selected file, looks at keywords assigned to files with similar keywords, at keywords you have assigned to files nearby etc.

It also helps a lot to fill and maintain your thesaurus. Saves a lot of typing. Multiple keyword assignments with a mouse-click or keyboard shortcut. Pickup lists. Suggestions. Keyword coloring. Tons of stuff to improve the typical workflow speed to several hundred fully captioned, tagged and culled files per hour.

It's a lot better and quicker than what Apple does. Geez.

I use Affinity Designer. And yes, they have a slick user interface. But they did it by leaving out many advanced features and fine-tuning options we know from e.g., Adobe products. The features that require more than one button and maybe a glance at the help. Or even some check boxes. That's the Apple way to do thins. Remove features until it's simple, then tell people they don't need more.

Maya, 3Ds, Blender etc. all have the options users want and need. If you want something simple, you look at the bottom-end of 3D animation software and then accept that you are limited in what you can do. The same is true for, say, Paint.NET and Photoshop.

So far I did not really understand what your problem is with the simple search box in the file window. If you forget how it works, just press <F1>. The filter panel is more complex, but that's because it has not been designed primarily to be simple to use, but to handle the typical filter requirements of a DAM user. You can configure it to be as simple as you like, or as complex as needed.

I'm always listening to suggestions from users. If you tell me what the problem is, and how you would solve it without annoying users by repeating boxes or popups and without removing features, I'll be all ears.

For the user interface of IMatch WebViewer I have reduced complexity as much as possible, deliberately limiting features and options.
This interface is designed for non-DAM users, people who only want to be able to browse an IMatch database. But should also allow typical IMatch users to quickly browse their existing database on a tablet or via a web browser. Admins even have options to dumb-down the user interface by hiding features which may potentially confuse entry-level users.

Still, during some local presentations and trainings even non-DAM users quickly came up with requests like "I would like to invert the search result" or "Our file names use a numeric system, can I find all files which contain 123 at the end, but not elsewhere?" It's always hard to draw the line between simple enough and too simple...

Long-term IMatch users find the user interface in the WebViewer slick and easy. But they also note than this comes at the price of a reduced feature set.
It's easy to design a software which does only five things. But when you have to design a software that does 300 things and 50% of these things are used by all users while the other 50% are used in various combinations by various user groups, things become a lot more complicated. You cannot get it right for everybody.

[sinus]

Or how Apple Photo guess what keyword you want to put after just a single letter.

I use Affinity Designer. And yes, they have a slick user interface. But they did it by leaving out many advanced features and fine-tuning options we know from e.g., Adobe products. The features that require more than one button and maybe a glance at the help. Or even some check boxes. That's the Apple way to do thins. Remove features until it's simple, then tell people they don't need more.

I can stress this.
Yes, it is really cool, if we have only 3 buttons and all is easy, not a lot guessing, because (generally) we have only one or two choices.
Makes things quicker.

But, really, if you want then have something special, you are very quickly out of the game, because there is simply not such a possibility.
Using IMatch since 2001, I had really very very wishes, what IMatch could not offer. But yes, sometimes, such options are not easy, but it is worth to think about it and read something about it.

In the meantime I do a lot with IMatch, sometimes, yes, with help of a script or an app.
But since IM5 we have built in natively really a lot.

BTW: I do organize not only photos, but also all files in IMatch.
And I do even (with the Attributes) create bills and let them print out with Word.

[sinus]

BTW, Kirk

If you are totally keen on flexible searching, you could also think about taking or creating a script.
Ferdinand has created and offered it on the forum (if I am not totally wrong) here.

It works very good and looks like you can see in my attachement.
It calls "Search from Anywhere" ... ah, here is the link:

https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=4725.msg32049#msg32049

[kirk]

Thanks Mario for Suggestion hint. I didn't  know that.   it works pretty similar to Apple Photo still it misses one feature. In a fresh folder it often has no suggestions or too many irrelevant ones. Photo makes a suggestion based on first letter you push.    Otherwize Apple Photo is useless thing.

I actually agree with you on Apple products and don't want anything similar.    Still the fact that after  couple years I  have no idea of such a key feature   says a lot not only about my laziness, but also that something  is wrong with how software interface and features are organised.     I don't want it to be dumbed down  I want it to be set in a kind of layers ,  from simple to more complicated.

  So at first  I should see it as a very simple interface  with regularly used functions just in front of my nose, not requiring  any cross conditions fulfilled  or hidden behind some panels or drop down "hierarchy" lists.   And any pro functions comes in deeper layers as a diversification of initial base tasks.      I know, it's hard  to do for complex things  still Apple Photo keywords is a good example.   I don't have to dig them out there. It's just a letter pushed with selected picture.    Imo we don't need to dumb things down  for having so intuitive  approach.

ps. Thanks sinus . The script is very helpful. It's what I call easy interface.

[kirk]

BTW: I do organize not only photos, but also all files in IMatch.
And I do even (with the Attributes) create bills and let them print out with Word.

How did you do that?  I have a lot of 3d files : FBX, Blender , 3d max ones .    Can imatch include them in its base?

[Mario]

Photo makes a suggestion based on first letter you push.

The Keyword Panel in IMatch also makes suggestions as you type. The suggestions are based on the contents of the thesaurus. If you have not filled your thesaurus yet, this feature will not work of course.

Still the fact that after  couple years I  have no idea of such a key feature   says a lot not only about my laziness, but also that something  is wrong with how software interface and features are organised.

Sorry, but to me this sounds rather like you have never explored the features of the Keyword Panel yet. Did you never click on the Suggestions tab? Wondering what it is good for? Or pressed <F1> to open the help topic for the Keyword Panel which will quickly give you an impression of what it can do for you?

So at first  I should see it as a very simple interface  with regularly used functions just in front of my nose,

Your set of regularly used functions probably differs a lot from what the next IMatch user considers as such.

Some never work with categories. Some never work with keywords, only with categories.
Some never input metadata, for others this is paramount.
Some users don't know what EXIF or XMP data is. Other users buy IMatch because they can see all this data and control how it is used and displayed.
Some users rely on IMatch Attributes and related features, while other users don't even know that these exist or what to do with it.
...

(...)It's just a letter pushed with selected picture. 

Sure. IMatch does that too. Super-fast thesaurus lookups. Support for synonyms, ...,  spell checking. Coloring as visual aid, ...
If you work with keywords in IMatch and don't use the time-saver features in IMatch, you have missed a lot of stuff. Please at least browse the help topic for the keyword panel. This will open your eyes.

Fill you thesaurus - either by importing the keywords already in your file, manually or by using a controlled vocabulary. Whatever fits you.
Then see how many features and time-saver functions this opens for you.

Check out the knowledge-base article Free Controlled Vocabularies for IMatch for more info.

If all you need is done by the Apple software you mention, by all means, use it. If you need more features than implemented in the simple Apple software, you have to accept that there is a learning curve. Sorry to say that, but that's how it is. It's the same for Photoshop, RAW processors and all complex software. There is just too much functionality to make it 'intuitive'. Even such a 'simple' feature like adding keywords to files.

I assume you did read the intro topics in the IMatch help?
Especially the "Visual Index", which shows every major IMatch feature so you can pick what you find interesting and useful for your workflow?
Did you browse many knowledge-base articles on the photools.com web site for additional pointers about IMatch features which may be helpful to you?
You don't need to learn all about IMatch, just what you use.

I doubt that anybody can understand IMatch just by looking at it from time to time, while still working with a version of it 4 years out of date.

[Mario]

How did you do that?  I have a lot of 3d files : FBX, Blender , 3d max ones .    Can imatch include them in its base?

Sure. If you deal with files not automatically supported by IMatch, you can add the formats under Edit > Preferences > File Formats.

You find the info in the IMatch help when you press <F1> in that dialog, or just search for file formats in the help index and then click on the Configure entry in the results. I've spend months writing the IMatch help and many users helped with feedback. It's actually pretty good.

[kirk]

Wow, I really missed a lot of stuff.    And I can explain why,  I see no thesaurus option by default and nothing hints me it exists just because I have "adding new keywords to thesaurus" off by default.    So I once tried keywords,  shrugged and continued to use other soft for adding keywords.     Nothing nudged  me to even push F1 there.   Now, thanks to your hints,  I digged out a lot of cool stuff and even color coding, which, to be honest,  was  not too obvious even from the help article.

Still I would prefer just hover cursor over a picture,   and get an instant keyword suggestions .  It would be an "intuitive" way not requiring me to search in Help and find specific options.   In fact I would even like  a kind of AI auto categorising  by iMAtch  based by some image recognition, keywording pattern, similarities  etc.       Honestly I have to learn too much constantly in my direct field and expect from an accessory soft  to be convenient, i.e. to free my hands and mind from any extra puzzles. That's why I consider "intuitive" to be no less important than feature reach.

It's not a criticism really.  I'v never found anything better than iMatch as a whole DAM solution.  Very same problem exists in 3d CG soft  I am working with.    And looks like Autodesk and others started to understand an importance of "intuitive" way  only recently.    Still "convenient software"  is a kind of oxymoron   mostly.


ps.  Would be cool to have a few very short and compact summary youtube videos explaining cool stuff . It's a kind of natural way to learn nowadays.

[Mario]

Why should IMatch show keyword suggestions when you hover over a file?

+ Would that not get into the way?
+ What if the file already has keywords?
+ Or if you have configured IMatch to automatically add keywords during import, e.g. based on EXIF data (many users do that) or from GPS location data produce by automatic reverse-geocoding?
+ What if a user has a thesaurus with 5000 entries (not uncommon). Would you want to wait one or two seconds until IMatch has figured out the suggestions? While you only want to move the mouse over a few thumbnails to set a rating, bookmark or open the File Window Info tip?
I doubt that this will work. Maybe with a few hundred keywords. But not with thousands.

Adding keywords to files with IMatch is a super fast process. I usually keyword 300 to 500 files in a go, in maybe 20 minutes.
But I have read the Keyword Panel help, setup my thesaurus the way I need them. And then forgot about it.

ps.  Would be cool to have a few very short and compact summary youtube videos explaining cool stuff . It's a kind of natural way to learn nowadays.

Sure. Feel free to create some.
Please understand that multi-billion dollar companies like Adobe or AutoDesk have entire departments of people who only write for the web site, Facebook and produce videos. You cannot expect me to do all this on my own, and provide support, write the software, answer community postings and emails. There are only 24 hours in a day.

And I'm sure you already watched all IMatch Anywhere training videos I have on my web site?

https://www.photools.com/imatch-anywhere-learning-center/

I will do some videos for IMatch as well, when there are requests.

Remember: Don' assume so much. Press <F1> and let IMatch show how to work with each feature and what these can do for you. Usually it takes only a few minutes to learn about a new feature - and you may save days or weeks of work afterward.

Did you view the Visual Index in the help yet? You probably don't know about 80% of the IMatch 5 features set yet...

[jch2103]

ps.  Would be cool to have a few very short and compact summary youtube videos explaining cool stuff . It's a kind of natural way to learn nowadays.

If you dig deep enough in the IMatch discussion boards, you can find some test videos about IMatch I did a few years ago. Probably somewhat out of date at this point, but perhaps useful to you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC3APmK1SV0&feature=youtu.be
https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=902.0

Of course, Mario has now added a number of official videos, as he mentions.

[sinus]

Cool, John, thanks for digging.