|
|
|
ImageFolio Pro Edition 2.2 User's Guide
Using Metadata Files
This document covers the use and implementation of metadata in ImageFolio Pro Edition 2.2.
Overview
In ImageFolio, metadata is the label, catalog or descriptive information about files in your gallery. Each file in your gallery may be associated with a "psuedo-database," which may contain as little or as much information as you care to share with your site visitors. Individual "databases" are called metadata files; text files consisting of a structure similar to XML that associates field names with values.
Composition of a Metadata file
A Metadata file consists of one of more rows of information. Each row is divided into two columns and each column is separated by a Tab. The first column in each row is the field name. The second column in each row is the field value. Here is an example of a metadata file:
# fitzwater001.data - metadata file for fitzwater001.jpg
%%%NAME%%% Michael Fitzwater
%%%LOCATION%%% Phoenix, AZ USA
%%%EMAIL%%% mfitzwater@fotostreet.com
%%%CAMERA%%% Sony Cybershot
%%%COPYRIGHT%%% Copyright 2000 FitzFoto
|
How ImageFolio Deals with Metadata
A metadata file should be stored in the same directory as the file itself. When the full-size image page is displayed, ImageFolio will look in that directory for a file called FILENAME.data, wherein FILENAME is the name of the file being displayed, minus the extension. If ImageFolio finds a metadata file, it will gather the records from the metadata file and store it in memory.
When ImageFolio parses the code from the HTML template image.html, it will try to match the special %%% tags it contains, with the first column of tags it remembers from FILENAME.data. If ImageFolio finds any of these field names in image.html, it will replace them with the values stored in the second column of FILENAME.data.
Referring to the sample metadata file above, ImageFolio will look in the image.html template for these tags:
%%%NAME%%%
%%%LOCATION%%%
%%%EMAIL%%%
%%%CAMERA%%%
%%%COPYRIGHT%%%
If ImageFolio finds any of the tags, it will replace them with these values:
Michael Fitzwater
Phoenix, AZ USA
mfitzwater@fotostreet.com
Sony Cybershot
Copyright 2000 FitzFoto
This sample metadata file is just one example of the many things you can do with metadata. You are not limited to the amount of information or records a metadata file can contain. Theoretically, each file in your gallery could have a metadata file that consists of thousands of records (field names and values). What you want to do with this power is completely up to you.
Adding a Metadata File
To add a Metdata file to your gallery:
- Determine the file for which you would like to add a metadata file and note the category in which the file is stored in your
gallery directory
- Using a text editor, create a new document
- Type a short list of field names and their values, delimited by a
[TAB]
- Be sure to add three percent signs, "
%" at both ends of each field name (for example, %%%FIELDNAME%%%
- Save the document as
FILENAME.data, wherein FILENAME is the name of the file for which you are creating this metadata file, minus the extension
- Using an FTP utility, log in to your server and navigate to the
gallery/DIRECTORY directory containing your file
- Upload
FILENAME.data to this directory
Note...
In order to use the metadata contained in your metadata file, you must put each %%%FIELDNAME%%% into the template, image.html
[ Top ]
© Copyright 1999-2005 BizDesign, Inc. All rights reserved.
BizDesign® is a registered trademark of BizDesign, Inc.
Permission to distribute, in any form, whole or part, is forbidden.
Report Errors or Omissions to webmaster@imagefolio.com
|
|
