Hi Kirk, I have a request for speeding up many kinds of workflow where one uses code replacement a lot. This would apply to sports, and many others.
I would like to have user fields where I could quickly enter e.g. player numbers
without any code replacement delimiter character, these fields wouldn't be written to specific IPTC field but automatically translated by code replacement and translated to appropriate field where the e.g. User1 User2 User3 variables were put. In other words, way to utilise the powerful code replacement feature without having to write the delimiter chars each time and quicker, since one could just type in numbers on the numpad and press a shortcut to next photo.
Example of workflow:
I am shooting a football game. I have captioned (either during ingest or afterwards) my selects with generic caption like "Czech Gambrinues League, Football match between AC Sparta and FC Bohemians 1905. <UserField1> fights for the ball with <UserField2>". UserFieldX would get instantly evaluated from my Code replacement file to e.g. "Vaclav Mrkvicka (#7), Goalman, AC Sparta" Going through my photos, I imagine a section in the Preview window right pane where I could enter a value, [tab] to next input field, enter value, [tab] to third. Press arrow key for next photo, enter other values. Or at least doing this in IPTC window, the same way, pressing command-] to evaluate the UserFieldX from the Code replacement file, save and show next photo. But the right info pane would be ideal for this, IMO.
In addition, the values for these fields could get stored in the XMP as custom PM data (or at least in RAM if PM is set to ignore XMP but write only legacy IPTC), so remembered for the files.
So the workflow could be:
Shooting football. Going through photos in Preview tagging my selects. For every or some selected, I quickly enter the player numbers in the User fields. Then at the contact shield, I select (perhaps according to colour category, perhaps just manually) all the good photos with players fighting for the ball, and apply a caption stationary from a snapshot which populates the caption with the above example. Then I select all photos where players are celebrating, and apply another stationary from another snapshot which again populates the caption accordingly.
Perhaps there is a way to do this in the current version by use of variables inside code replacement file, and writing the player numbers inside some unused fields like Category, I am not sure as I am still using 4.5.x. (where if I want to do this, I need to make two passes with the stationary and thus prone to mistakes). But having additional user input fields which would be independent of the IPTC fields and where I could enter text to be translated via CR easily (even perhaps in the Preview pane if you update the code someday) would be beneficial I think. Along with better UI for managing Code replacement files ( by allowing one to checkbox which CR files to use in the current session from a prepopulated list of files, and by calling an OS UI function, to allow direct editing of them inside PM).
Thanks for consideration, and feel free to elaborate on the idea
Frantisek
