PSE 2018 Organizer Metadata search issue

[cz35895897]

Does anyone have a workaround for the organizer - Find by metadata problem when you include a "folder name" and any other category? Folder name by itself works, and any other searches together work, but not that combination.

It appears that the search function and organizer freeze up and have to be ended thru the control panel.

I have seen this issue reported for older PSE versions, but it appears it has never been addresed.

[99jon]

It should work if the metadata is present. To find files press Ctrl+F in Organizer

In the left hand panel select the folder icon and choose the folder thumbnail

Then select say the keyword icon and choose a thumbnail with your required keyword

The result should display the photos with that keyword and folder combination.

[cz35895897]

I tried that, but that is not what I am after. The metadata is definitively there, but the icons in the search panel are not flexible enough.

I have folders named after months and years that photos were taken and I wanted to to see all the photos that were taken in say ANY April of any year. Not just one specific folder. This allows for collages of "On this day 10 years ago, and 20 years ago and 30 years ago"

[99jon]

Sorry it was not what you were after, but glad Michel was able to offer help

[MichelBParis]

cz35895897  wrote

I tried that, but that is not what I am after. The metadata is definitively there, but the icons in the search panel are not flexible enough.

I have folders named after months and years that photos were taken and I wanted to to see all the photos that were taken in say ANY April of any year. Not just one specific folder. This allows for collages of "On this day 10 years ago, and 20 years ago and 30 years ago"

My advice is:

Never use the option of folders together with any other criteria in the 'detailed search (metadata)'.

Replace all occurences of that folder criteria by a temporary keyword and combine it with other types of criteria.

For instance, if I want to select pictures taken a 17th of April, I'll use my default downloading template, which is like '2018 04 17'.

I can use a simple search to find all files in folders ending with "01 17'.

Sometimes, you can create two temporary keywords for two folder criteria.

Since the issue can't be solved otherwise than by closing the Organizer from the taskbar, I would suggest moving that option from the 'search by details (metadata) and placing it on the same level so that it can't be combined with other criteria types.

I have seen this issue reported for older PSE versions, but it appears it has never been addresed.

If you can find the link, that would help to bring the issue to the feedback forum.

[MichelBParis · Accepted solution]

cz35895897  wrote

Does anyone have a workaround for the organizer - Find by metadata problem when you include a "folder name" and any other category? Folder name by itself works, and any other searches together work, but not that combination.

It appears that the search function and organizer freeze up and have to be ended thru the control panel.

I have seen this issue reported for older PSE versions, but it appears it has never been addresed.

Yes, I reported that issue some time ago, and it is still there.

By that time, I suggested a workaround which was to create a temporary keyword for the folder criteria and using it in place of the folder one.

I was immediately suggested by a member of Adobe staff to try instead the new advanced search button (magnifying glass on top right). All the different folder plus other combinations I have tried work extremely fast. For instance if you specify

- a substring of a subfolder

- the operator '+'

- a substring of a caption

- the operator +

- a keyword

you immediately get the result. Amazing.

[cz35895897]

Thanks, that does work.

Is there anyway to identify the sub string as belonging to a filename vs folder name vs date?

For instance if I input "Apr", I will get anything in folders that include "Apr" in the name, any file that includes Apr" in the name, and any photo that was taken in April/

[MichaelD_73]

I can confirm this still happens in a clean install of PSE 2022. The workaround from MichelBParis does the trick though it is painfully time consuming. I have a folder structure like this:

  Pictures\Shared\2020\2020-04

where "2020" can be 2003-2021 and there can be multiple folders for any month depending on activity e.g. "2020-04 Graduation". Then I have a lot of photos in folders that are peers of "Pictures." I'd like to search those peer folders only, so that I can move those photos under the Shared umbrella. Why can't I just search for "Path contains 'Shared' or something like that? The MichelBParis workaround required me to create 19 different tags.

Can the underlying error get fixed?