Script to add folder name as additional keyword - PROBLEM in keywords are added in quotation marks

[ront88495709]

Can someone help me modify this Bridge script?  I have used scripts to add file and folder names to the metadata description field and I am trying to adapt one of those scripts to add keywords. But when the keywords are added they end up with quotation marks around the result.

"keywords; keywords; keyword3"

I think the reason is that I am not adding new keywords as part of an array but as a string. But I'm having trouble correcting that.

Note that I do not get quotation marks when I use this line of code: 
Desc=Desc.toString() + "" + FolderName;

And with the above line, the script adds the keyword but without a separation of space or comma

But when I modify the line to add semicolon and space I get the quotation marks: 
Desc=Desc.toString() + "; " + FolderName;

The resulting keywords are like this "apple; testfolder"  (in this case apple was an existing keyword that I want to keep and testfolder is the folder containing the selected files.

Here is the code.

//this adds the folder name of selected files but not with space as a second keyword
// added semicolon spacein line 33 but it results in  keywords enclosed in quotes
 
 #target bridge     
if( BridgeTalk.appName == "bridge" ) {    
FT = MenuElement.create("command", "FOLDERName to KEYWORD-33", "at the end of Tools");  
}  
FT.onSelect = function () { 
    var thumbs = app.document.selections;   
    if(!thumbs.length) return;  
    if (ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript == undefined)  ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = new ExternalObject("lib:AdobeXMPScript");  
    for(var a in thumbs)
{  
    var selectedFile = thumbs[a].spec;      
    var FileName = decodeURI(selectedFile.name).replace(/\.[^\.]+$/, '')  // get file name - not neededfor this script

    var FolderName = (decodeURI(selectedFile.parent.name)); //get foldername  selected File defined above - i added this line

      var myXmpFile = new XMPFile( selectedFile.fsName, XMPConst.UNKNOWN, XMPConst.OPEN_FOR_UPDATE);   
    var myXmp = myXmpFile.getXMP();  
    var Desc=[];  
    var count =  myXmp.countArrayItems(XMPConst.NS_DC, "subject");  //replaced description with subject
    for(var i = 1;i <= count;i++)
 {  
    Desc.push(myXmp.getArrayItem(XMPConst.NS_DC, "subject", i));  //replaced description with subject
 }  
    Desc=Desc.toString() + "" + FolderName; //was FileName                                            //adding  semi colon and space to string
        myXmp.deleteProperty(XMPConst.NS_DC, "subject");  //replaced description with subject
        myXmp.appendArrayItem(XMPConst.NS_DC, "subject", Desc, 0, XMPConst.ALIAS_TO_ALT_TEXT);  //replaced description with subject
        myXmp.setQualifier(XMPConst.NS_DC, "subject[1]", "http://www.w3.org/XML/1998/namespace", "lang", "x-default");  //replaced description with subject
        if (myXmpFile.canPutXMP(myXmp)) 
    {   
        myXmpFile.putXMP(myXmp);  
         myXmpFile.closeFile(XMPConst.CLOSE_UPDATE_SAFELY);   
       }   
    }  
}  

[Stephen Marsh · Accepted solution]

You are correct that Keywords need an array, they are not a simple string as with Description. This has caught me out in the past with both Adobe scripting and when using ExifTool. Try this script from the great SuperMerlin:

/* 
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2411817
https://community.adobe.com/t5/bridge/adding-image-metadata-from-folder-s-name/td-p/9542797?page=1
*/

#target bridge
   if( BridgeTalk.appName == "bridge" ) {
folderTokeys = MenuElement.create("command", "Add Folder Name to Keywords", "at the end of Tools");
}
folderTokeys.onSelect  = function () {
var thumbs = app.document.selections;
if (ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript == undefined)  ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = new ExternalObject("lib:AdobeXMPScript");
var FolderName =  decodeURI(Folder(app.document.presentationPath).name);
for(var a =0;a<thumbs.length;a++){
var selectedFile =  new Thumbnail(thumbs[a]);
app.synchronousMode = true;
var xmp = new XMPMeta(selectedFile.synchronousMetadata.serialize());
xmp.appendArrayItem(XMPConst.NS_DC, "subject", FolderName, 0,XMPConst.PROP_IS_ARRAY);
var newPacket = xmp.serialize(XMPConst.SERIALIZE_USE_COMPACT_FORMAT);
selectedFile.metadata = new Metadata(newPacket);
    }
};

[Stephen Marsh]

An equivalent ExifTool command line code would be:

exiftool -r '-Subject<${directory;s/.*\/([^\/]*$)/$1/}' 'MAC FILE or FOLDER PATH'

exiftool -r "-Subject<${directory;s/.*\/([^\/]*$)/$1/}" "WIN FILE or FOLDER PATH"

Adding a + plus sign should append (untested):

exiftool -r '-Subject+<${directory;s/.*\/([^\/]*$)/$1/}' 'MAC FILE or FOLDER PATH'

exiftool -r "-Subject+<${directory;s/.*\/([^\/]*$)/$1/}" "WIN FILE or FOLDER PATH"

[ront88495709]

Thanks Stephen: That works! I love it.

I'm a fan SuperMerlin scripts on this forum and yours. Thanks for pointing this one out.

Now I need to figure out WHY it works. Need to get up to speed with handling arrays.  I see a response from  Lumigraphics below that I will dig into.

[Stephen Marsh]

I'm not sure if SuperMerlin's script is doing exactly the same thing as your original script, so please let the forum know if any modifications are required.

[Lumigraphics]

thumbs is an array of selected thumbnails

keys is an array of keywords

var md = thumbs[a].synchronousMetadata;
var xmp = new XMPMeta(md.serialize());
xmp.appendArrayItem(XMPConst.NS_DC, 'subject', keys[b], 0,XMPConst.PROP_IS_ARRAY);
xmp.appendArrayItem('http://ns.adobe.com/lightroom/1.0/', 'hierarchicalSubject', keys[b], 0, XMPConst.PROP_IS_ARRAY);
var updatedPacket = xmp.serialize(XMPConst.SERIALIZE_OMIT_PACKET_WRAPPER | XMPConst.SERIALIZE_USE_COMPACT_FORMAT);
thumbs[a].metadata = new Metadata(updatedPacket);

[ront88495709]

Thanks for this Lumigraphics!