Categories, Color Coding saved to Image to use on MacOS and Win10

[hugo]

Hello,

I am wondering why the Categories and Colors I assign to the Photos in XnView MP on Windows 10 are not visible on XnView MP on MacOS. I there any Way I can get this information to be saved to each individual Photo so I can manage my Photos independent from the Source or OS I am working on?

Best,
Hugo

[michel038]

Hi,
You can read this post :
viewtopic.php?p=179720#p179720

( Use export options in the first computer, and import options + import folders in the second one.)

[hugo]

Hi,

Thanks for the quick response. Unfortunately I could not figure it out yet. Do I need to save an extra IPTC or XMP file for each Photo? Also the files are saved on an external drive and it is over 100GB so I need a quick and scalable solution. I would prefer to not export r import all of these files but rather change the "category" tag to be part of the Photos metadata. Could you give me step-by-step Insctructions on this? I attached screenshots with comments as a documentation of what I've just tried.

Best,
Hugo

[michel038]

JPG photos support embedded iptc and xmp metadata. I suggest using iptc and xmp at the same time.
If you haven't previously enabled the export iptc and xmp metadata options, enable them.

A) If you have already put categories on a lot of photos without an export option, select batches of photos and click "view > Update files from catalog" so that keywords will be added IN the photos.

B) Afterwards, adding a category to the photos will automatically write the iptc and xmp keywords to the photos, but on a network drive this can be slow... try it out.
If it's too slow, go back to method A (no export, add categories, select a large number of images, activate export, Update files from catalog.)


C) On the second computer, the "Import folder" button reads the keywords embedded in the photos and builds the xnview.db database. Photos are not copied, but XnviewMP stores the path to the photos (which should not change if the external disk is connected another day) in it's DB, and "Catalog filter" will work.

[hugo]

Thanks again for the response! I think A) might just be the exact solution I was looking for. Unfortunately I just realized, that there is another problem/this is a more complex problem.
I assinged the categories to the photos when they were saved on my local harddrive, then I transfered all of these photos to an external network drive. Now if I open the category section, I see that there are still photos in each category, but I can't open nor preview them because the path refers to the local harddrive and not the external network drive where the photos are currently stored. Most of the photos names and the folder- and subfolderstructure remains the same, so I only need to change the path from C:/ to the Name of the current external Volume. Else, I could transfer all of the photos back to the local drive so the path refers to the correct location, but that would take a lot of time. I did not knew that the categorys are not assigned to each individual photo. The catalog filter seems to be stored in a seperate file that works only on xnview. Can I edit this file to batch rename the path for each photo?

[michel038]

Can I edit this file to batch rename the path for each photo?

Before starting xnviewmp, save your xnview.db file (location found in Settings, Integration, Paths), and keep a copy somewhere. to make sure you won't lose your work.

You can export categories links using the drop down arrow at the top of "Categories" pane : File's categories , Export
This will generate a xml file, that you can edit with a text editor, and you'll be able to "replace all" old paths by new paths...
Then : File's categories > Import will update the catalog with new location of photos, I hope.

[hugo]

I was able to locate the .db file. It was saved in the programs folder on C:/ volume.

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The following instructions I could not follow along, sorry. I do not see where to export the xml file as I don't see the button to Export at the drop down menu of categories.

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Also under Tools > I can only export the Photo itself. There is no category management and I do not see how to export the category Information.

I found the import a .db in the settings though.

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If the .db was a .xml file I would probably use excel to change the paths volume from C:/ to the network folders path in a batch and then import it afterwards.

Also in Tools > Settings > Catalog There is no Base path set, but all Directories paths are listed. The new locations, the old locations and even some subfolder locations a lot of entries.

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Now I found the old location on C:/ an by clicking "Relocate" I could relocate the folders path.

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Will this work i.E. change each photos path in the .db aswell?

[michel038]

I do not see where to export the xml file as I don't see the button to Export at the drop down menu of categories.

This menu is in the "Categories" panel, not categories filter.

Ensure that this panel is ticked (menu View>Panels>Categories) or Ansicht>Bereiche>Kategorien

Perhaps this panel is hidden behind another one (see also small tabs on each area )
.

export3.png

File's categories = Kategorien der Datei

[hugo]

Alright I found the button atleast when selecting existing photos with the correct path in the right location. In this case though, that doesn't work as the photos are not available in the folder and I can't change the Category nor open the "Categories" panel. I need to find another solution I guess.

[michel038]

You "must" find the "Categories" panel ...
Is it checked ?
View>Panels>Categories or Ansicht>Bereiche>Kategorien

[hugo]

Alright found it, thanks! I was able to export the .xml(Categories > File's Categories > Export...), change all the paths in the text editor from the :/C location to the network storage location, but after importing the .xml file in Xnview again (Categories > File's Categories > Import...) I could not see any changes. The photos in the network storage location are still not categorized and the photos in the categories filter section are still connected to the path to the :/C location. I was suspicious that there was no loading time after importing.

[michel038]

If your xnview.db is saved...
... perhaps it's necessary to delete the whole catalog (move or rename xnview.db before starting xnviewmp, or use settings, catalog, delete all)
..before importing the new xml file .

Elswhere, I hope Pierre ("Xnview" the author) will be able to help you to update the original xnview.db file

[hugo]

I just deleted the XnView.db file (only this one file, not deleting the whole folder content) and after opening xnview a new .db was created immediately and now under categories filter section there no photos assigned and only the standard categories exist. After importing the .xml still nothing has changed yet.

[michel038]

I've tried again this method : export, replace paths in the file, settings>catalog>Delete all, import .... and it works for me...

Are you sure you used the right syntax when replacing? (e.g. no confusion between / and \, no extra spaces ...)
Have you used Windows notepad ? I'm afraid it uses a non-compatible text format (a.n.s.i.). Try with utf-8 encoding ?
I used notepad++

[hugo]

There was an Error in the endcoding of "ä" in the path, after changing it and importing .xml file again there was a process bar loading. I checked the next day and it only imported a tiny fraction of the data and the files paths are marked with an exclamation mark. I just started the importing process all over again. Any advice ?

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