Import text file data into fields, not records

[muzz]

I would like to import EXIF data from existing digital photos (ie not straight off the camera). A utility called EXIF-O-Matic does a great job (see attached) but when I try to import the data I can only seem to get it into FMP as a new record for each delimited piece of information. I would like to have all this information in one record (i.e. separate fields) to store with the image of the same name.

Is there a simple way to do this or will it require importing all the text into one field and then parse each line using the tabs and carriage returns to separate the elements?

Any help appreciated.

Cheers, Muzz

EXIFtextfile.zip

[Lee Smith]

Your sample is a tab-separated text file and can either be imported, or opened directly in FileMaker. If you elect to open it directly, choose the option of data in first recor being Field Names, and you are in business.

HTH

Lee

[comment]

ahem... I'm afraid that's not the case. Although it is a tab-delimited FILE, the DATA is structured as "FieldName-tab-FieldValue-CR".

If it were me, I'd take the easy way out and import the thing as is into a RELATED table, then show it in a portal.

Another option would be to pivot the data in Excel.

[Lee Smith]

Oops, sorry Muzz,

Comment is right.

Of course, the data could be manipulated easly in TextWrangler, or BBEdit, to prepare it for Import.

Do you already have the fields in your data base?

Lee

[muzz]

Hi guys, thanks for your input.

No Lee I don't have the fields in the file yet. I wanted to look a bit further at this problem as I'm not sure that all cameras apply the same amount of EXIF data to their images, and whether or not the data labels are consistent between cameras.

I thought about relating the data through a portal and thought I could tie the data to the image name which is the same as the text file output name other than the suffix, but was uncertain how to identify each record as related to that data other than by a post-import script - would that be how you would envisage it?

The other option is that EXIF-O-Matic can out put as a HTML file which I could keep in a folder and open this using a URL command, but this wouldn't be searchable.

Thanks for your further input.

Cheers, Muzz

[comment]

Yes, you would need a post-import script. But after import, only imported records are in the found set. And the image name is in the first record. So it should be easy to do something like:

Go to Record/Request/Page [ First ]

Set Variable [ $imageName ; Value:Substitute ( EXIFData::Field1 ; " - EXIF Information" ; "" ) ]

Replace Field Contents [ EXIFData::ImageID ; Replace with calculation: $imageName ] [ No dialog ]

You may also want to delete "header" records, etc.

[muzz]

Thanks comment,

I will have to have a closer look at that script. I've only just recently upgraded from v6 to 8 and I only have a pretty basic idea of what I'm doing.

I also have photos from a number of sources so I can have a look at the EXIF data from a variety of these and see how much different the data is.

I appreciate all your help with this and I will have a go at posting a file if/when I get it to work.

Cheers, Muzz