AH,
I'm sorry, I wasn't clear and I ended up asking the wrong question.
I meant to ask if the fact that User/Client data elements are NOT automatically stored in image metadata -- unless explicitly applied to an image with the user/client variables -- could be made more clear in the documentation.
Specifically in the
List of Photo Mechanic Variables, and the
User / Client Variables documents. And perhaps anywhere else the
Job button is mentioned. Possibly something like this: "
Note: User/Client data is not stored directly in image metadata unless it is explicitly applied to one of the image metadata fields with a User / Client variable."
For background, I was trying to search for images tagged with a particular client, or user, or job, and was unsuccessful until I realized that the User/Client data store was separate from the list of metadata applied to an image. I had already read the
Introduction to Variables,
List of Photo Mechanic Variables, and the
User / Client Variables documents. It wasn't until I found the
Metadata (IPTC) Template Map and didn't see any of the User / Client fields listed that I realized the source of my confusion. Then, a more careful re-reading of the User/Client variable document confirmed the cause of my error.
Perhaps I'm being singularly dense, but I thought a bit of clarification might help other users.
Does that make sense?
Also, one other question: Is there a complete list in one place of all possible media metadata fields that are written to / updated by / viewable by PM for an image? If not, could one be created, perhaps in tabular form, that listed each field, the source for the field, the read-write or read-only status or recommendation for the field, which kinds of images it applies to, and other such pertinent information?
The
List of Photo Mechanic Variables lists many of them, but as variables that can be accessed and used across different contexts.
(
the User/Client variables listed in this document along with variables that are populated from image metadata is what started my confusion about the functionality of the User/Client variables. Most of the variables listed in this document get their values set by metadata in the image, except some of the time/date variables, some of the special variables, and, I now realize, the User/Client variables. But that wasn't clear to me at first because it seemed to be a list of variables and image metadata fields.)
And I'm not sure if it's a complete list of metadata fields.
The
Metadata (IPTC) Template Map also lists many of them -- with more detailed descriptions -- but contains only IPTC fields.
I think something like the List of Photo Mechanic Variables, but instead of or in addition to that document, a
List of Metadata Fields used by PhotoMechanic that listed all the fields, whether the field was sourced from PhotoMechanic, EXIF, IPTC, Adobe, etc., whether the field is read-only or writeable by convention, and a very brief description of the field. Then it could link to the List of Photo Mechanic Variables and the Metadata (IPTC) Template Map for more detail.
I hope my questions make sense, and that my suggestions would help other users, but you know your users and what questions they commonly have better than me.
Thanks again for your continued excellent support and patience,
Ed
EJ,
If you haven't seen it already, I suggest that you take a look at our Introduction to Variables document
This document specifically mentions the User/Client variables and that they return values from information that the user added to the image.
Can the fact that User/Client variables are NOT stored in image metadata unless explicitly applied to an image be made more clear in the documentation
I would like to clarify this: no Variables are stored in image metadata. Variables are something that you, as a user, type in to a text field in Photo Mechanic, and at the time that the variable is evaluated, it pulls specific metadata from the image or other information as specified. The document that you linked specifies what value each variable returns.
The only variable that has some really unique properties is the sequence variable. And because of this I have written this document with the purpose of going as in-depth as I possibly could regarding it: https://camerabits.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/48001205803-the-sequence-variable
