Export To XML - customize data?

Report · Apr 24, 2006

Greetings,

I see that there is a similar post that asks my question, but I would like to take it a step further.

I want to export data from images that I have selected to an XML. If I highlight the images and choose tools>photoshop>web photo gallery>flash-gallery, I have the option to output these files and have SOME of the data recorded exported to XML.

Now, there are two problem with that:
1) in order to generate a very small XML file, I have to process dozens and dozens (depending on what I want) RAW images. I ONLY want to export the XML file

2) the XML file OMITS some data I want included, and includes some data I want omitted.

There must be a way to harness what Bridge has built into it here to export the data I want to XML. Does anyone know what language, or how, to implement code that does exactly what Bridge does? I want to be able to process the XML without the images and include other data that the "info" boxes carry. Any help, even if it means pointing me to the language that I need to know and how I could implement it into a menu or script would be MASSIVELY appreciated!

-Alastair

Report · Apr 25, 2006

Alastair,

The approach I've taken in the past is to use XSLT transformations to extract the data I want from the XMP packets and reformat it into a simpler XML document. XSLT is a mechanism for transforming one type of XML document to another (or even to other text-based formats) so it's perfect for this.

Otherwise, you might be more comfortable using Adobe's JavaScript runtime in Bridge to get at the metadata object for each image, compose it into a new XML document, and then write that out.

Finally, external tools like ExifTool by Phil Harvey can get the data you want out of XML through a command line interface, so if you're comfortable shell scripting or working in Perl then that's another easy route.

All of these would be much faster than using a tool like Flash Gallery to get at this data, which is in the end just a side-effect of the bigger purpose for Flash Gallery.

Report · Apr 27, 2006

COMMAND LINE SCRIPTING! YIKES!!!!!!

Thanks Roger, I actually found a great script over at another discussion in the Bridgne Scripting forum that exports all of the data into a database format. Works perfectly. I still need to look through the scripting manual to locate where, what and how I can find the specific varaibles I want from the xmp data.

Do you know of a list some where where I can find how to access these variables?

Thanks for your suggestions. I hate the command line. I clam up everytime I have to open that terminal window!

-Alastair