Can you batch keywording?

Manual: v5 - Pages 156-158 (Master Palettes), v6 - Pages 76-77 (Master Palettes)

"Can you get Portfolio to batch keywords, captions, credit large groups of images?" Yes, you can batch any field that has a pre-defined list by means of a 'Master' palette. Portfolio automatically creates a Master palette based on the Master Keywords List (MKL) regardless of whether it has been populated. Any Custom Field you create will also generate a Master palette if it has a pre-defined list The way to batch apply a value is to select all target records and use a Master palette's 'Assign' button.

The List and Record views allow Keywords and Descriptions to be edited in place on a record by record basis. A Record's Properties dialog allows an individual record's Keywords, Descriptions, and Custom fields to be edited - but only one record at a time.

For the non-keyword case (i.e. you can't use master keywords) you could export the relevant data to a text file, import into Excel and assign attributes (you could even write little formulae for some assignments, like ascending number fields for ordering Galleries, or converting text fields to ISO-8859-1 valid characters for web deployment). Then import back into Portfolio, using filename as the primary key. Since Portfolio exports as delimited text fields, there are many tools which could be used as an editor in place of Excel. This export/import method can be very helpful for setting up the Master Keyword List (MKL) which is a useful tool as the you can display the MKL easily in a palette and novice users with Portfolio Browser can easily search on MKL entries - very point'n'click.

For more sophisticated batching you will need the Network Version or higher (at least one seat anyway) and VB or AppleScript according to your OS. You might also consider batching in something like Photoshop where you can embed the same info in TIF tags or the like which Portfolio can parse out (of TIFs, JPGs and PSDs anyway) when adding images to the catalogue. Where the image type can hold the data that Portfolio can read - e.g. TIF tags - I've moved to putting the data in the image file itself rather than the record to make it more persistent and then updating the record to read the data into Portfolio. This means that if the image is used in another Catalogue, the info is already in place when exported. Automating Photoshop is just such a way to do this (get the Photoshop SDK for references/info). Anyway, either outside Portfolio or by script control of Portfolio 'mass' change/update of field info is possible.

If you want to get fancy you could script everything making "smart" assignments using the Portfolio VB automation library, Excel COM objects or combinations of other tools which have exposed interfaces. The more fancy the work the more time you'll probably spend on build and test, so consider the scope of the project when planning such features to ensure cost effectiveness.

The scripting interface in Portfolio is not extensive but seems to allow most things. Some things like deleting records cannot be done via scripting and if you want to refresh the app's interface to reflect what's going on you need to do some SendKeys stuff (on Win OS anyway). Much of the time taken setting this up is in error trapping which you will need unless only doing the scripts for personal/local use where you're more likely to understand and deal with any errors arising.

Question: Can you batch keywording? [FAQ00050.htm]
Last Update:- 31 May 2006

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