Development Request: User-Exits, sidecar XMP files

[Uwe]

Hello,
I would like to have so-called "user exits".
These are clearly defined and documented interfaces in Daminion that provide data and in which you can add your own programme code to supplement/adapt data. Of course, you also take responsibility for the performance and the further error-free functioning of Daminion. From Daminion's point of view, this could be an "empty dll" that I can replace with one of my own with the same name that contains the additive programme code.
What use cases do I have in mind?

01 In https://forum.daminion.net/topic/4769-users-little-helper-not-to-be-confused-with-the-old-stones-song/ I described the function "01 Program to create customs tags for linked items". The current disadvantage is that it is not an "online function", but basically a batch function. With a user exit at the appropriate place, I could make Daminion also update the custom tables.

02 Another possibility could be to write and read sidecar XMP files for all objects whose metadata is only available in the catalogue, but not in the file or the sidecar file. This way there is no loss of information when files without sidecar files have to be re-imported or transferred to other programmes that process XMP sidecar files. In addition, the diversions via the CSV file is omitted.

03 It would be possible to establish relationships between keywords, for example. For example, you can check if the keyword "car" was entered and the colour, e.g. "blue", must also be present as a keyword.

I think that other applications can certainly be found. But here are just my first ideas. Maybe other users are interested and can add a use case.
Many greetings, Uwe

 

[Uwe]

On 1/26/2023 at 9:15 AM, Uwe said:

02 Another possibility could be to write and read sidecar XMP files for all objects whose metadata is only available in the catalogue, but not in the file or the sidecar file. This way there is no loss of information when files without sidecar files have to be re-imported or transferred to other programmes that process XMP sidecar files. In addition, the diversions via the CSV file is omitted.

Hello,

I would like to raise this issue again as a development request. For all formats where it is not possible to write all the information in the database to the file, why not write it to an XMP sidecar file to be generated? Since there is no longer a current local Daminion client, I have had to deal with a few other programs that I can use locally on my laptop during longer absences to tag files of different formats in order to import them into the catalogue when I return. These are programs that write XMP sidecar files for "not natively supported formats", e.g. the Affinity formats. Here it would be desirable if Daminion could read these XMP sidecar files, not possibly development settings saved there, as the standard XMP tags (DateTime, Keywords etc.) are filled with content, e.g. for RAW format photos.

Regards, Uwe

[lintujuh]

I have a related request, but the other way. I would like Daminion to write the tags into these XMP sidecar files. I use darktable as my RAW processor, and it writes both the development instructions and the standard tags in file.raw.xmp, and when generating the JPG, it only reads this XMP file.

In my workflow, I import first the raw images in Daminion, then develop the images, and finally tag them. If I later decide to re-develop or to create another version of the raw file, I need to remember to write the tags from the database to the image as the re-developed JPG doesn't have any more the assigned tags.