P: Missing Add button for IPTC Extension Location Created and Image Supplier

[johnrellis]

The Add button is missing from the fields Location Created and Image Supplier in the IPTC Extension tagset of the Library Metadata panel.  The standard allows these fields to contain multiple values, and LR correctly displays multiple values in imported images.  But LR doesn't allow you to add additional values because of the missing Add button:

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

John, 

Was the [Add] button ever there or has it always been missing?

[johnrellis]

Good question.  I just tried LR 4, and it's missing there too.  This issue arose helping one of my plugin customers.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

This probably falls into the realm of a feature request then - if it has never existed - it can't be broken... right? Should we convert this to an Idea instead?

[alanterra]

As "the customer" I would just say that the point of this field is to capture an image that is a collage of multiple sources. Regardless of whether it was ever in Lightroom, it really should allow a list of values, and it is in my mind a bug as it stands.

[bhousto90]

Looks like it has always been missing ...just checked in LR 4.4, Lr5.71, CC2015.8 and CC2015.10 and it is missing in each one

[johnrellis]

Seems like a bug, in the sense that the Metadata panel isn't behaving as originally anticipated by the likely product design:

- The IPTC Extension standard calls for multiple values in those two fields.
- The Metadata panel will display multiple values already existing in those fields in imported photos.
- There's a Remove button present for removing individual values.   
- All the other Extension fields supporting multiple values have an Add button.  
- I can't come up with a plausible idea for why the Add button would have been deliberately omitted from just those two fields.  

But whether it's labeled bug or feature, it's very likely a trivial implementation change (a table entry), and it's also likely to impact few users, given the lack of reports over the past many years.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

IPTC Extension support was released with Lightroom 3 in June of 2010 (if my failing memory recalls accurately). It speaks to John's statement that " it's also likely to impact few users, given the lack of reports over the past many years." given that it is seven years later and this is just surfacing.  If somebody wants to provide me with a file that demonstrates the panel's misbehavior, I can file it as a bug (provided it misbehaves when I test it).  If it comes back as 'as-designed' then it goes into the realm of the feature request. 

Anybody got a file they can send me?

[johnrellis]

Here's a file in which Location Created and Image Supplier each contain two values: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21811200/iptc-ext-bug-2017.04.30.jpg . That demonstrates that LR does indeed display multiple values when they are already there on import.  

But the bug can also be replicated on a fresh file:

1. In the Metadata IPTC Extension panel, click on "---" to the right of Location Created.

2. Enter a value into City.

3. Note that the Add button doesn't appear to let you add another Location Created.

Ditto for Image Supplier.  

Thanks.

[alanterra]

Not to beat a dead horse, Rikk, but this started when I tried to use the IPTC extended metadata in the way that (I think) that they are supposed to be used to attribute sources and authorship in an image with multiple sources. But, because of the poor support for IPTC extended metadata (posted 4 years ago), I am punting on this and just (mis)using the IPTC core metadata. So while I do consider this a bug, right now I'll never notice it if/when Adobe fixes it.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

@john, thanks for the sample file. After playing with the panel on my file and then contrasting it to your pre-populated file, I am going to file it as a bug. 

[johnrellis]

Thanks.

[alanterra]

Rikk, a related bug, that I think is best reported here rather than as a separate thread:

If you select two or more photos with the same "Image Supplier:Name" and look at the metadata panel, Lightroom will not show them as having the same value, unless both Name and Identifier are the same for the photos. If both fields do not match, the value for this compound field is hidden. This means that it is impossible to find all photos with Image Supplier:Name = "Abode" (ie, misspelled), and change them all to "Adobe." There are work-arounds to achieve this, but I think one would want to use the metadata panel to make changes like this.

If someone ever takes up the Image Supplier metadata issues, it would be good to get them to think about this issue as well.