Where is the file of Master keywords saved?

[jisner]

I'm new to Photo Mechanic and to keywording, so I'm not sure if I'm doing things correctly.   

I added keywords to about 100 folders of images using the Keywords Panel.  In doing so, I built up a long list of keywords in the Keywords Panel.  I then exited Photo Mechanic. 

When I restarted Photo Mechanic and launched the Keywords Panel, the panel was empty!  Oops, I realized that I probably should have clicked the "Save Master" button before exiting.  So I laboriously re-entered all the keywords into the Keywords Panel and clicked "Save Master."   Since there is no save dialog, I wasn't sure if saving worked.  So I looked for a file in the Camera Bits folder under App Data (Windows 7).  I could not find any file with a current timestamp that looked like a file of keywords.  Now I am reluctant to exit Photo Mechanic for fear of losing my keywords once again!

Can you tell me (1) if I'm using the Keywords Panel correctly, and if so (2) where the Master keyword file is saved in Windows 7?

[Kirk Baker]

I'm new to Photo Mechanic and to keywording, so I'm not sure if I'm doing things correctly.   

I added keywords to about 100 folders of images using the Keywords Panel.  In doing so, I built up a long list of keywords in the Keywords Panel.  I then exited Photo Mechanic. 

When I restarted Photo Mechanic and launched the Keywords Panel, the panel was empty!  Oops, I realized that I probably should have clicked the "Save Master" button before exiting.  So I laboriously re-entered all the keywords into the Keywords Panel and clicked "Save Master."   Since there is no save dialog, I wasn't sure if saving worked.  So I looked for a file in the Camera Bits folder under App Data (Windows 7).  I could not find any file with a current timestamp that looked like a file of keywords.  Now I am reluctant to exit Photo Mechanic for fear of losing my keywords once again!

Can you tell me (1) if I'm using the Keywords Panel correctly, and if so (2) where the Master keyword file is saved in Windows 7?

1) Yes, you need to Save Master if you want the list of keywords in the Panel to be your new Master Keywords list.  You can also save sets as snapshots (use the Lightning bolt button) and this will cause individual files to be saved.  If you want to know where the snapshots are being saved, hold down the Shift key while you choose one of the snapshots from the popup menu and Windows Explorer will come forward and display the snapshot.  You can copy/rename/delete the files if you like.  Later the snapshots can be loaded up at will from the Keywords Panel without affecting the Master Keywords list.

2) They're stored in the Preferences file.

HTH,

-Kirk

[jisner]

Thank you, Kirk.  You answered both of my questions!

[jisner]

Unfortunately, when I exited and restarted PM, my keywords were gone -- all 100+ of them. Fortunately I made a snapshot of the list so I will be able to re-enter them manually.  But clearly the Save Master button on the Keywords Panel is not saving my keywords.  I suspected this when I checked the timestamp on the preferences file after "saving" and saw that it had not changed.

I think it is a permissions problem.  The C:\Users\John (that's my user directory) is (by default) owned by SYSTEM.  I changed the owner to me, and tested by saving the Master Keywords list with some dummy keywords, exiting and restarting PM and reloading.  It now works, and the prefs file timestamp is updated.  I hope this is the solution, because I'm about to re-enter all my 100+ keywords -- ugh.

I do have a nit to pick with PM. The Save Master and Load Master buttons on the Keywords Panel don't give any feedback.  Non-freeware Windows programs typically give you a save dialog, a progress indicator, or even just a message like "your Master Keyword list has been saved"  (and if your keyword list could NOT be saved, it ought to tell you that too :-)  If you have added, deleted, or changed your master list, you should also get a warning before exiting the program.  These are all standard niceties that we have come to expect from Windows programs.