Unable to move hierarchical keywords to root level on a PC

[cjonesmn]

Using the Keyword List in Lightroom Classic I am unable to move hierarchical keywords back to the root level on a PC running Windows 11. 

Lightroom Classic version: 12.4

OS Name: Microsoft Windows 11 Home
Version: 10.0.22621 Build 22621

Expected Result: Move keywords out of a hierarchical keyword structure to the root level

Actual Result: I get a "not allowed icon" (redcircle with slash thru it) when attempting to do this.

I'm told that this is possible on a Mac based system (see attached screen shots for how this looks on a Mac. On a PC the blue line does not appear, only a "not allowed icon" appears (red circle with slash thru it.

[dj_paige]

I can't see your screen captures, I can't see attachments. Please use the Insert Photos icon to include screen captures in your message. 

Dragging and dropping keywords can be tricky and touchy as the user interface isn't the best for this task. You need to drag slowly when you get near the desired location, the thickness of the line between keywords ought to increase as you get to the desired location, but you have to go slowly.

[cjonesmn]

Yep, I know how touchy "drag and drop" can be, but I promise that I am well experienced in this area. Here are the screen shots per your request....

[dj_paige]

Screen shots are too small for me to use.

[cjonesmn]

Those were provided to me by a Mac user. I could try to replicate the look on my PC, but basically all the screen shots show is that on a Mac, there is a blue line shown when something can be dragged and dropped in the Keyword List. I don't have a Mac to replicate that, but I could mockup something larger for you to see this. Would you like me to do that?

[dj_paige]

As I am not a Mac user, I would say that this is as far as I can go, I probably can't help further. I know what it looks like on Windows.

[JohanElzenga]

As I am not a Mac user, I would say that this is as far as I can go, I probably can't help further. I know what it looks like on Windows.

By @dj_paige

The OP is a Windows user! He confirmed that several Mac users don't see this problem, so you can definitely help by trying to reproduce this on your PC.

[dj_paige]

Thanks for pointing that out. I am 100% sure I have done this on Windows, but when I get home after work, I will try it out and report back.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

It works fine on LrC 12.4 on Windows 10. 

[dj_paige]

Windows 11, LrC 12.4

Moving a keyword from somewhere in the hierarchy to the "root" level works as expected.

[cjonesmn]

Weird, it just doesn't work for me. I wonder if it might have anything to do with a display driver, resolution setting, corrupt LRC file, etc?

[dj_paige]

Can you show us a video of exactly what you are doing? Can you include the video in your reply by clicking on the "Insert Video" icon?

[cjonesmn]

I'm not familar with "Insert Video". It's asking for a URL and it's on my PC, so not sure what that URL would be. I've hopefully added it via "Browse Files" though. In the video, I'm trying to move the "chaska" keyword FROM the minnesota parent folder to a location between minnehaha park and minneopa state park. You'll see the red circle with a slash when I try to position it in that location. I end the video by dragging "chaska" into the minneopa keyword to show that drag and drop does work if I place a keyword into a parent directory.

[JohanElzenga]

This does indeed look like some driver is interfering. Your cursor shows a rectangle suggesting some selection tool, and I have never seen that stop sign in Lightroom before.

[cjonesmn]

John, I see the "stop sign" (red circle with a slash) any time I try to drag and drop something into a place it doesn't belong. I see it in Lightoom and elsewhere. The "rectangle" is not the cursor. The cursor is a white arrow.

[richardplondon]

Here's a screenshot on Windows. I clicked to highlight "louvre" and went to make it a top level keyword instead of a nested one, It is not necessary to drag right to the top of the list to do this: any gap between keywords will do, provided it puts the dragged item at the desired level. In this case "france" is top level, so dragging "louvre" to the gap just above "france" will make that top-level too. After that it will move automatically to wherever in the overall list the alphabetical / nested sorting requires it to go. 

The thickened grey line just above "france" was my indication (that I could let go of mouse button). It's certainly dim and subtle! There is no blue seen. If your display does not allow you to see this gradation of grey then I suggest taking a look at the brightness of its backlight adjustment and perhaps its calibration. That dim grey bar should IMO be visible on any display with tonality that is otherwise suitable for image editing.

I do see a circle-with-oblique-line warning ("can't do that") when attempting some move that does not make sense. For example, I get that if I try to drag-drop "louvre" onto "paris" - since that is already the current nesting, such a drag will not achieve any valid change.

[JohanElzenga]

John, I see the "stop sign" (red circle with a slash) any time I try to drag and drop something into a place it doesn't belong. I see it in Lightoom and elsewhere. The "rectangle" is not the cursor. The cursor is a white arrow.

By @cjonesmn

Well, maybe that is a Windows thing. I do not see that stop sign on my Mac. If you look carefully, then you'll see that the cursor becomes a white arrow with a dotted rectangle (square) below it. Not from the very beginning, but after you tried dragging the rectangle appears (about half way in the video).

[cjonesmn]

Johan, I don't know... to me it's more like a drag/drop indicator that the folder the cursor is over is selected and is where the keyword will be dropped into. Getting back to why I can't drag and drop hierarchical keywords though, does anyone have thoughts as to why it's not working for me?

[richardplondon · Accepted solution]

Is there a keyword of that same name already present at the top level?

[cjonesmn]

richardplondon, Good one! As a matter of fact, yes, there are duplicate keywords at the root level. I found one that wasn't at the root level and I was able to drag and drop it to the root level. That appears to be the issue. Now I just need to figure out a quick way to work around the duplicated keyword issue I now seem to have.
(You would think that there could be some sort of messaging that the keword already exists at the root level and is the reason that the drag and drop will not work.)

[richardplondon]

You could rename any keywords that you are having trouble with dragging - add a Z at the end, say. Then you will be able to drag those, after which you will see each one sorted alongside its match. At that point you can decide how / whether to resolve. E.g. find all photos with the Z version keyword, and then within the Keywording panel edit out the Z suffix. Once the Z-suffixed keyword version shows 0 photos against it in the keywords list, you can delete that.

[cjonesmn]

richardplondon... good idea and thank you for all of your help. I really appreciate it!

[JohanElzenga]

Johan, I don't know... to me it's more like a drag/drop indicator that the folder the cursor is over is selected and is where the keyword will be dropped into. Getting back to why I can't drag and drop hierarchical keywords though, does anyone have thoughts as to why it's not working for me?

By @cjonesmn

OK, fine. Ignore it if you think this is irrelevant. You are the one having the problem, not me.

[dj_paige]

I cannot and will not download attached files. So I cannot help at this time. The "Insert Videos" icon is an icon in the toolbar above where you type.

[cjonesmn]

dj_paige, Try this: (removed by OP)