Setting up Xnview - Categories and keywords

[hpu]

If keywords are simple categories, why don't the keywords added to a photo inside 'Edit Metadata' add to the list of Categories on the left bar?


When you add a keyword/Category directly on the category list, when does it move to its place alphabetically?
Can a keyword list in Word for example be imported as a basic keyword list which can be edited afterwards?

Thanks for some urgent feedback.

[XnTriq]

Can you explain the back up principle with XnView, (I know how to back up normal files).

• xnview.ini: general settings/preferences
• *.bar: customized toolbars
• *.keys: customized keyboard shortcuts
• XnView.db: categories/keywords + ratings + color labels
• Thumb.db: thumbnail cache

It is a little bit dangerous to delete the xnview.db because there is the catalog (ratings, colors, categories/keywords etc.). And anyway that db is quite fast. You can safely delete if you want the thumbs.db

ALSO, how do we save the cat sets? say we want the same ones on a new PC? I gather they are built into the db, because I managed to lose them today, when add folder (with 60k files) sucked up all system memory and I aborted it. Then I restored the db from back up and the cat. sets were back.

The sets are stored in xnview.db in two tables.

[hpu]

How do you save a photo or several photos into a category set? I've tried and nothing seems to work. Sorry for posting so many questions.

[hpu]

Can you please tell me exactly where I can import a keyword list please? We have imported this text file but it does not appear on the list of Categories/keywords, it seems to be stuck somewhere.
Thank you in advance.

keyword text file image.pdf

(360.6 KiB) Downloaded 162 times

[xnview]

How do you save a photo or several photos into a category set? I've tried and nothing seems to work. Sorry for posting so many questions.

you can't, a category set is a group of categories to help you to assign categories to your photos.

[xnview]

Can you please tell me exactly where I can import a keyword list please? We have imported this text file but it does not appear on the list of Categories/keywords, it seems to be stuck somewhere.
Thank you in advance.

keyword text file image.pdf

You have imported the list into keywords for IPTC/XMP dialog not categories. You would like to import your own categories?

[hpu]

Yes, we wanted to import the list into categories (which are also keywords).

[xnview]

Yes, we wanted to import the list into categories (which are also keywords).

you need to create text file like that

Code: Select all

Cat1
  Child1
  Child2
Cat2
  Child1
Child2

In category pane, you have 'import category file'

[hpu]

You instructed someone else to use tabulations in the text file so we did, they take an enormous amount of space and ended up in the wrong place. Are you using tabs or spaces?
Can you show me an image of the where I can find this 'import category file' please? I cannot find it.

Thank you in advance.

[m.Th.]

If keywords are simple categories, why don't the keywords added to a photo inside 'Edit Metadata' add to the list of Categories on the left bar?

'Edit Metadata' window takes the info from the file itself while Categories pane takes the info from XnView's database.

You can sync them if this is what you really want and the file format supports it.

When you add a keyword/Category directly on the category list, when does it move to its place alphabetically?

Usually when you add it. If not, a refresh will do the trick.

Can a keyword list in Word for example be imported as a basic keyword list which can be edited afterwards?

Thanks for some urgent feedback.

Pierre already answered this point.

But you need to convert it to text, first. (in Word use File | Save As...)

Also about the Tabs - what do you mean with "it takes a lot of space and ended up in a wrong place"?... You can find a standard keyword list (it is/was a work in progress) here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_vkJK ... rict&pli=1

Make sure that your list has the same format. In fact it is the format which any other program which deals with keywords (for example Lightroom) uses.

You can import a keyword/category file here:

Import-File.jpg (16.21 KiB) Viewed 4159 times

[hpu]

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, please, can you tell me how the categories imported inside the Edit Metadata face can be synced with the Categories pane in XnView's database? The file was a text file, formatted with tabulations.
When I say it took a lot of space, on the vertical catalogue menu, the space was taken due to the tabulations used to format it which meant that the whole column had to be made wider to work with which is not very practical.
I cannot get my version of XnView to show the Categories pane at the top as you have shown. If you have to to go to 'View show title of panes' my version is light grey and therefore not possible. I have taken another screenshot to show you what I have on my screen.

Thank you the time you are taking to help me!

[m.Th.]

Yes, please, can you tell me how the categories imported inside the Edit Metadata face can be synced with the Categories pane in XnView's database?

(Quasi-)automatically: Go to Tools | Settings | Metadata page. In the IPTC & XMP tab (the 1st one) check all import/export checkboxes there.

Dunno (anymore) if this works for all file formats.

Manually: Select All files + View | Update files from catalog

When I say it took a lot of space, on the vertical catalogue menu, the space was taken due to the tabulations used to format it which meant that the whole column had to be made wider to work with which is not very practical.

Aha!

Your problem stems, in fact, that you don't have tooling there, especially a keyword search engine.

In fact the real solution here is to have a unified keyword filtering / assignment engine in the way in which I described here:

http://www.xnview.com/mantisbt/view.php?id=389

...in order to use all the tooling which already exists in the Categories pane (search, tree management etc.) and not to recreate it in the Categories Filter.

It is very good that you post screenshots. It makes much more simpler to understand what you're talking about.

I cannot get my version of XnView to show the Categories pane at the top as you have shown.

Sure. Because you look elsewhere. My screenshot is from Categories pane while you look at the Categories Filter. IMHO, the next big step after the already completed transition to Qt5 should be the unification of the two trees which show the Categories/Keywords. Then the GUI will be much simpler and faster (no need to generate/update/maintain two trees)

If you have to to go to 'View show title of panes' my version is light grey and therefore not possible.

Yep. You must 'free' the layout. Now it is locked. Go to menu View | Layout and make sure that 'Free' (the last option) is checked. Perhaps it needs a restart. After this 'Show title of panes' would be enabled again. Besides that, you can drag your panes and arrange your layout as you wish.

[hpu]

Thank you for all your comments.
I am not a programmer, I do not really understand what I have to do in order to have a complete Category pane.
I have freed the layout but am not prepared to spend hours correcting an incomplete version. Should I delete and re-install another version?

[coolmonkey]

Can you please tell me exactly where I can import a keyword list please? We have imported this text file but it does not appear on the list of Categories/keywords, it seems to be stuck somewhere.
Thank you in advance.

keyword text file image.pdf

Hello,
I think, I know what your problem is.
My english is not so good, but I try to explain my solution.

Choose your picture, open the menu Edit IPTC/XMB and open the tab "keywords".
Click on the right triangle right next the field, where you write in your keyword.
Now a menu will be opened, choose "edit history" and copy/paste the list from your text-file into this textfield, close the window with OK.
Do the same with categories.

I hope I could help someone else too, because the thread is rather old.