Categories panel/tree data not updating at startup

[monitor]

I has been a while since I last used XnviewMP (XvP) to add category data to some of my images and now that I have come back to trying to review that data I am a bit puzzled. FWIW, I am now working with 0.98.0 under Win 10 64-bit (updates are current)

Last time I worked with XvP I saved my category tree and it seems intact now in the Categories pane at the top right.
When I select one of the images (jpg) I see the categories and other data I had entered at the time in the lower left pane, in either the IPTC-IIM, XMP or Exiftool fields, as I would have expected.

What I am not seeing is these categories selected and marked with a tick mark in the 'Categories' tree, nor listed in the bottom pane Categories Sets -> Assigned
I am as sure as I can be, that I assigned categories from the tree to specific images by clicking the appropriate check box in the tree. The data was written to the image when I changed images and all of the check boxes corresponding to the assigned properties would be checked again when I selected the same image again.(The necessary check boxes in Tools -> Settings -> Metadata -> IPTC & XMP are set as needed for this to work)
That is not happening now for data already in the images when XvP starts up (i.e. none of the corresponding check boxes are selected), though the check marks appear/disappear as expected for newly assigned/deleted categories.

Same goes for the 'Assigned' list.
That the 'History' and 'Suggested' lists are empty at this stage is unsurprising and understandable.

[xnview]

could you post a screenshot?

[monitor]

Since the images refer to people in a genealogy environment, I have blurred certain details.
If that is a problem, I can provide more details, but off-line to avoid privacy issues.

[xnview]

could you try to select the file and View>Update catalog from files?

[monitor]

Executing the commands you suggested does give me some of the expected results, including _some_ of the keywords as well as filling in the 'Assigned' list as far as I have tested the data at this point.
2 issues:
1 - not all check boxes back up to the trunk of the tree are selected
2 - is there a way/option to have the 'update' happen when ever I switch to a new image

#2 is the more important issue. Though, for the time being, I can work around that.

#1 is something I now have to investigate further to see how it relates to my 'category' tree setup in my supporting text file and how it may relate to duplicate strings in the 'Assigned' list

[xnview]

is it possible to send me a sample file?

[monitor]

Sample sent to contact @ xnview.com

[michel038]

it seems that you have lost the functioning of the database (the catalogue), perhaps because the photos have been moved, or the functioning of the "new" xnviewmp is no longer in line with the old catalogue.
To re-establish this link between the keywords and the catalogue, you can use the "add" button in "settings, catalog", this feature can update whole foders and subfolders at once; but first you have to enable correct settings in "settings, metadata" pane, in order to import keywords.


There are hierarchical categories in your screenshot , and your iptc keywords seems to be not hierarchized (= flat)
It's not always easy to handle hierchical categories with IPTC keywords, I choosed XMP LR Hierarchical keyword for this task.

And I don't think that xnviewmp would be able to read flat iptc keywords and fill hierarchical categories . (Pierre ? )

To add parent categories, you can enable 'auto apply parent keywords", and uncheck / check children category .
To do this on a large amount of photos, use categories filter, select a category, select all photos found, uncheck (wait a while ) /check category , and unselect photos (before doing anything else)

[monitor]

Whether the DB interface has changed, I can't be sure. There have been a couple of updates since I added the data to the test image.
It is even possible that I modified the Categories structure. A detailed change log or version control would be very useful, but I have not figured out how to accomplish that.

As to the way XVP stores the hierarchy, I am unsure, but dumping the XMP data gives me, among other things:

Code: Select all

Xmp.dc.subject                        XmpBag   4 Headstone, Headstones, Grabstein, Headstone
Xmp.MicrosoftPhoto.LastKeywordIPTC    XmpBag   1 Headstone
Xmp.MicrosoftPhoto.LastKeywordXMP     XmpBag   1 Headstone
        Xmp.iptcExt.PersonInImage     XmpBag   1 Abram G. Weaver 
       Xmp.lr.hierarchicalSubject     XmpBag   4 Keywords|Headstone, Categories|Genealogy|Headstones, Grabstein, Headstone

Whether that represents a 'flat' hierarchy, I have no idea, but I assumed 'hierarchicalSubject' was/represeted a tree.
It appears, that XVP chose to save the data in Xmp.lr.hierarchicalSubject

Where would I find the options to adjust:

enable 'auto apply parent keywords", and uncheck / check children category

As yet I have not tried to the 'fix' you suggested, but will have a better looks at the procedure now.

[michel038]

Where would I find the option (...) auto apply parent keywords

>settings > metadata

[monitor]

Here is what the dialog I believe you are referring to looks like in my version (0.98.0 )XVP
Unless you are referring to 'Auto.....parent keywords" which is checked

[monitor]

@xnview I have just noticed that not all images in the same directory exhibit the same problem.
One in particular seems to tick all the proper boxes, as far as I can tell at this point, so quite possibly the problem lies in the meshing of my categories tree and the actual data in both the database and the specific file(s).
It is very probable that at least some of the images in that directory were edited with different versions of the text file underlying/recording the categories tree.
This probably means I have to re-edit the images with a more consistent categories base.
My apologies for not realizing/remembering enough of the history

[xnview]

In the example sent, the picture has Headstone, Headstones, Grabstein keyword but not Categories & Genealogy

[michel038]

Unless you are referring to 'Auto.....parent keywords" which is checked

This option takes effect when you unmark/mark children category , and release selection.
This method can be used to "repair" missing parent keywords.
Translated from french ... not always good translation.

[monitor]

In the example sent, the picture has Headstone, Headstones, Grabstein keyword but not Categories & Genealogy

Just where all of the data ought to appear I am not really sure, nor where XVP is expecting to find it, and how it will react when not it does not find what it expects ...
It is very possible/almost certain that this image - in fact, the whole folder - came to be as part of my adding data to the images during the time when I
was trying to understand how best to use the available options to add the category and keyword information I wanted as part of these images.
Even now, I am still very unsure of the best work flow for this purpose.
There seem to be so many options and interaction between the data and option settings, especially as far as Categories go.
Quite evidently I am trying to use the software in a way which is beyond its basic purpose, or at the very least, I don't understand this part well enough.
On top, it has been some time since I last worked on this part of my genealogy project, though I will have to revisit this part now.