Is anyone smart enough to know how to avoid duplicate sub-keywords?

[robirdman1]

Is anyone smart enough to know how to avoid duplicate sub-keywords? I am not. I had made phylogenetic keywords originally, in the form, Diptera (FLIES).  I found out, importing to my website, that the proper separation is with commas, and () causes problems.  So I decided to rename to Diptera, FLIES,

This is an Order of Insects, and there are Families, Subfamilies and Tribes below this. And there are parents, Arthropods and Insects above.  I was first just trying to work on one family of Bee Flies, Bombyllidae, whose format I thus changed.  But then I found when I checked one of the subkeywords, the same one in the older one would also check.  Likewise with uncheck.  I spent hours, trying to view all the subkeywords and starting over, unchecking all the levels but they still came duplicated.  that when I then went to the parent keyword Diptera and did the same thing, but it made no difference except creating another duplicate of Bee flies in the new format.  Then I selected all the images in the family folder and selected every level and uncheck all the way up to Arthropods. I deleted all levels of duplicate keywords. I I closed and reopened the Bridge and tried again, all to no avail. I had also tried deleting both instances of a subkeyword in the old and new keywords and then putting back in the new and checking.  The old came back with all the levels.. I changed the preference to not apply parents, but the subkeyword still duplicates.

[robirdman1]

Dumb. I am not getting it.  I realized the files before already had the correct format so weren't changed.  but now I tried another copy batch put in the test folder and pasted the above code and then enter.  Window closed and I see the files are unchanged,  

[Stephen Marsh]

@robirdman1 

https://exiftool.org/dummies.html

Windows Command Line

Before following the steps below, you must first install exiftool for use from the command line by following steps 1 through 4 in the installation instructions for the Windows Stand-Alone version.

Steps to run exiftool from the command line:

1. Click the Windows "Start" menu and run the "cmd" application:
   • In Windows XP, select "Run..." from the start menu, then type "cmd" and press ENTER.
   • In Windows 7, search for "cmd" from the "Start" menu, then press ENTER.
   • In Windows 8, move the pointer to one of the right side corners to bring up the side bar, select "Search", and type "cmd" into the search box. Then click on the command-line icon that should appear.
2. Type "exiftool" followed by a SPACE on the cmd window.
3. Drag and drop files and folders on the cmd window.
   (This saves you typing the full path names of the files/folders.)
4. Press ENTER to view the metadata from the files you dropped.

Here, I have dragged a file from my user account desktop called "file.jpg" into the CMD.exe window to complete the path to the file:

I have ExifTool installed in:

C:\Windows\exiftool.exe

Note that I am not using the exiftool(-k).exe version, I want access to the full command line functionality.

[robirdman1]

This is Windows 11. So I renamed the exiftool(-k) to exiftool.exe.  I moved it to the Windows directory, got a command prompt and typed exiftool with a space and not recognized, so I typed exiftool.exe and got the window.  I dragged a folder and nothing happened.  I dragged the files in the folder to the window and nothing happened. since the icon disappeared from the desktop after moving, I created a new shortcut from where it now is in /Windows and dragged a folder.  There is just a flash while it opens and closes and likewise with a single file. 

[Stephen Marsh]

@robirdman1 

Please look at my example screenshot from Windows. Compare it carefully to yours and note the differences.

Also look at my previous static and animated screenshot examples from the Mac, the basic principle is the same, apart from the minor operating system differences.

Please refer to my last few posts and read them more than once.

Using a CLI tool for the first time isn't easy, but it soon will be!

Here is the code again, ensure that it ends in a space:

exiftool -P -overwrite_original_in_place "-ExifIFD:DateTimeOriginal>XMP-photoshop:DateCreated" 

Then drag the file or folder into the command prompt window to complete the path and then press enter to execute the command.

There are three fundamental components of the command line code:

1) The program being called, followed by a space separator (exiftool)

2) One or more commands/arguments/flags followed by a final space separator (the code posted above without the faux file path example)

3) The full system path to the file or folder to process. The easiest way to enter this is to drag the file or folder into the command prompt window. Otherwise you need to type or paste it in manually and surround it with double quotes if the path contains spaces.

[robirdman1]

When I first had the exiftool(-k) icon on the desktop and dropped folder on it, it opened with files listed and I typed the command but it didn't work.  I went back to the instructions and followed, renaming and putting in the Windows directory and creating a new shortcut on the desktop.  But when I then get the command prompt and drag the folder or files there, I get red slash in circle, so nothing more appears, and I can't do any further steps as nothing is there to work on. If I instead drag to the new shortcut made by dragging from the Windows exiftool.exe then it's just a flash open and close. Is it the path, when it said ' any other directory in your path' ?  Nope, moving exiftool.exe to c"\users\rob, no difference.  Can't drop any folder to window.

[gregreser]

When you open the command line, do you see this (but with your username)?

[robirdman1]

Yes, so then I moved the exiftool over there, still undroppable,

[robirdman1]

Actually don't get any farther because command without exe not recognized.  With exe, then opens but then can't drop files.

[gregreser]

To make sure exiftool is working, try a simple command to just read the date.

Open the command prompt window, paste in this command (be sure to include the space at the end)

exiftool -DateTimeOriginal 

You should see this:

Drag a file on to the command prompt window. You should see this (but with your file path):

Click on the command prompt window to make sure it is the active window and press Enter

You should see this - showing that is has read the Date/Time Original

[robirdman1]

[gregreser]

Is exiftool in the Windows directory?

[robirdman1]

It was as I indicated in picture a couple of posts ago, but when that didn't work, I thought maybe it needed to be in the path of my user name and moved it, with no change in not working.  I can move back again. Picture shown again. Mine says .exe as instructions said to name thus. Win 11.

[gregreser]

Sorry, I meant to say the WINDOWS (main drive) C: directory

So one level up from where you have it now.

[robirdman1]

In the C: root, it isn't recognized while with ,exe is psays no file specified,

[gregreser]

I don't know why you have to include .exe, but it seems to make a difference.

Now, try using .exe then draging a file into the command prompt window so you see the file path.

If dragging and droping doesn't work, you can type the file path directly in the command. Use double quotes around the file path.

[robirdman1]

I think that window must have been left from a previous location of the exiftool before some moves, as now in the C: root I get not recognized. 

[robirdman1]

then I tried moving it back to Windows and got something.  but the last line was 'more'. I couldn't drop a file > red slash circle.

When I started to type H as the drive letter for the path, [Option: psfq=<space><ret>] 

[gregreser]

Curious.

You can try entering the full path to exiftool.exe

In Windows Explorer, go to the directory containing exiftool.exe

Click the path bar to expose the raw path.

Use this at the beginning of your command

[gregreser]

I didn't see this post before sending my last reply.

You have got it working!

Now, close that command window, open a new one and enter the whole command. If you can't drop the file, enter the file path manually.

[robirdman1]

I had tried while it was back in the windows directory, using C:\windows\exiftool.exe and it didn't work so I put back in C:\ and still the same result 

[gregreser]

What have there means exiftool is running!

You just have to put in the rest of the command before pressing Enter.

C:\exiftool.exe -DateTimeOriginal YOUR FILE PATH

I might know why dragging the file doesn't work for you (red slash circle).

Are you draging the image file on to the exiftool shortcut? You have to drag it into the command prompt window.

[robirdman1]

Some success!  Problem maybe with the spaces in the folder path so I moved the test folder and got rid of spaces.

[gregreser]

Success!

You just have to use double quotes around the file path, then the spaces wont matter.

Now try reading some other properties to get comfortable with it.

exiftool.exe -FileCreateDate

exiftool.exe -CreateDate

exiftool.exe -Keywords

Next, try the date fix command on a test file

[robirdman1]

I looked back on the thread and found the date changer and it worked on all the files! Great news.

[gregreser]

That is great news! You can see how exiftool is very fast for big jobs.