folder watching and synchronising on demand

[Per-BKWine]

I am unsure if this exists already in some way or not.

 

Can Daminion "watch" folders and alert me if something has changed (is out of sync); and then let me know which folders/files are un-synced; let me sync on demand, and then show me what has been catalogued?

 

Example:

 

Let's say I have a "master folder" called 2014. I want Daminion to have all of the contents catalogued. But when something new is catalogued I also want to do some modifications on it in the catalouge.

 

If I add a sub folder in the "2014" folder, lets say a sub-folder called "141204 Paris", then I would like Daminion to alert me to that there is a new (or changed) folder in the "watched" 2014 folder.

 

But I don't want Daminion to catalogue the new folder automatically because if it does I might not be aware that there are new items in my catalogue.

 

So I want Daminion to simply alert me that something is "not in sync" and then give me the option to sync it manually.

 

Is this possible in some way?

[rene]

I agree, good Idea.

[Murat]

In order to work with files in the Daminion they should be imported into the program before.

 

You can add a new sub-folder called "141204 Paris" by the "Rescan Folder" or by the "Auto-Rescanning Folder" command in a server catalog.

 

After that you can locate all newly imported files via the "Saved Searches > Last Imported" option. You can also select the "Saved Searches > Imported Today" and then sort the files by Imported Date or Imported Session Id in order to see the recently added files.

 

Hope this helps.

[Per-BKWine]

Well, doesn't quite do what I want. I understand that you need to import files to work on them.

 

It is a question relative to what work-flow one has, and I'm trying to figure out a way how to fit Daminion into my workflow.

 

I would normally move new files (folders) into my archive folder, which is catalogued, with Windows Explorer. Then I would go into the cataloguer and catalogue the new files and assign metadata.

 

Without "folder watching" (as it is called in the defunct Extensis Portfolio) I have to remember which are these new folders and then manually select them and catalogue them.

 

This is easy if you just work with one or two folders. But today, for instance, I have moved about a dozen folders with new files into my archive folder. It can take quite a while to copy and I might not have the time to do all the cataloguing in one go. So now I have to manually remember (until tomorrow, or until next week or until whenever I gat back to this) what I have moved and what of it has been catalouged.

 

That's doable but it is easy to forget something.

 

It would be helpful if Daminion could tell me that "there is something here, a folder/files, that has/have not been catalogued" and then let me do that cataloguing manually.

 

The fact that there is a "last importer" as well as "today" and "yesterday" is very helpful though. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Murat]

Each imported session in the Daminion is marked with the Session ID. Would it be helpful if we'll display the list of these Session IDs along with the import dates? So you can select the recently imported files.

 

As a workaround you can create the custom Saved Search (Import Date > LastNDays > 20) that will display all files since the last 20 days.

 

 

And then sort the thumbnail list by Import Session ID or ItemID. This will bring all recently imported files in top of the list.

 

-----------

 

Another idea is to hold the Ctrl key and check Keywords > Unassigned, Categories > Unassigned, People > Unassigned. And the hit the "gear" icon and save this as the Saved Search.

 

 

Now you can find all the uncatalogued files with checking this Saved Search

[lintujuh]

One way of keeping track where you are in your cataloging would be to use the color tags. You could either color tag all your images you have catalogued with one color (e.g. green) and when you import new images they would all be black. When you have assigned all the tags to an image you turn the color tag green. Or assign a color label (e.g. yellow) to all imported images, and when you processed an image turn the color label off. This way the color labeling would keep track where you are in your process.

 

The first alternative could be better, if you would use the (auto-)rescanning feature. The rescan would add all the new images without color. In the second alternative you would have to check the "Last imported" and manually turn the color tags on.

 

-Juha

[Per-BKWine]

Thanks Murat and Juha,

 

Useful suggestions. I am slowly getting to grips with how it could possibly integrate into my workflow, trying small steps at a time. Not always easy to get to grips with. Your help and suggestions are very appreciated.

 

It is not always easy to figure out alternatives to the way one is used to organise the workflow.

 

Nevertheless, I would suggest that it could be a good idea to have some kind of feature like the one I suggest.

 

Also I think it would be useful to be able to use "rescan" in two steps:

Step 1: scan and present a list of changed items (new/missing/modified), without actually doing any changes to the catalogue

Step 2: Allow the user to review the list of "changes" and say "OK, catalogue" or "no, don't make changes to the catalogue.

[Murat]

Also I think it would be useful to be able to use "rescan" in two steps:

Step 1: scan and present a list of changed items (new/missing/modified), without actually doing any changes to the catalogue

Step 2: Allow the user to review the list of "changes" and say "OK, catalogue" or "no, don't make changes to the catalogue.

 

 

If Daminion will present a list of changed items prior importing them to the catalog, you still need to distinguish them later, after importing, in order to properly catalog them. So my suggestion is to remove unwanted files after importing, because you can more carefully review them: compare them side-by-side, view in the full screen, compare their metadata.

 

Plus add the next two options:

 

1. Display a list of Imported Sessions, like:

. Imported by Per on 01 Dec 2014 - 12:31

. Imported by Juha on 01 Dec 2014 - 12:24

. Imported by Murat on 01 Dec 2014 - 10:09

. Imported by Per on 30 Nov 2014 - 09:34

 

2. Special tag (a saved search) that will show images without any manual tag changes.

 

These are in addition to the steps that Juha and me suggested above will help do not miss the uncatalogued files or remove unwanted files later.