An option to make some labels version-specific?

[David Grundy]

Trying this idea on for size...

I have a number of times thought about asking for "version-specific" catalog labels (ie not synced within version sets) as well as the existing "version set" catalog labels (ie synced across all files in one version set). It really would be quite helpful sometimes. Some thoughts:

1. You could have version-specific labels such as "VersionID | Print", "VersionID | Display", ""VersionID | BlackAndWhite", "VersionID | ExperimentalEffects" etc, and you could have several files labelled with the same label. For example if you had three versions all of which you regard as portfolio versions they can all be tagged that way and all displayed when you search for the tag "VersionID | Portfolio".

2. PSu could have a Label Category property for "Version-specific" in the same way as there is already one for "Private". The implication is that such version-specific labels would never be synchronised across versions.

2a. (If you need to synchronise across versions after all, for a subset of files, one obvious way would be (a) find the group of images with the version-specific category you want to propagate through their version sets (b) assign a specific temporary non-version-specific label (c) search for the temporary label (d) assign the version-specific label to all the found images (e) unassign the temporary label.)

3. Such a system could actually completely replace the "version placeholder" system and would be a lot more flexible. I think it would also be more intuitive to understand. Basically this is one concept which (I think) is quite unambiguous, whereas the version placeholders at the moment seem (to me) confusing.

4. Then for example if you were bringing a set of Black and White renderings into the catalog as versions that you love, you could get them version-tagged as "preferred version for viewing" and "black and white" at the same time during import.

5. It copes easily with the situation where sometimes you have (say) separate print version and Black & White version, and sometimes these are the same file. These properties are defined according to the file rather than according to the placeholder.

Any other thoughts?
... David

[Update: Edited for tone in #3 above.]
[Update: Edited to separate #2 and #2a into separate points]

[Hert]

You can always log feature requests in Mantis. This one sounds very complicated for the user to comprehend.

[David Grundy]

Hert, I agree I could log a request. But if PSu users tend to think it's hard to understand I wouldn't bother. On the other hand it might be that other people also think it would be useful. I'd like to know.

The whole idea is contained in two sentences, and the rest is just a few examples of where it might be useful.

I have a number of times thought about asking for "version-specific" catalog labels (ie not synced within version sets) as well as the existing "version set" catalog labels (ie synced across all files in one version set).
...
PSu could have a Label Category property for "Version-specific" in the same way as there is already one for "Private".

Personally I don't think it's very complicated to understand; but I know that my mind doesn't always work the same way as "other people". So that's why I put the idea here first.

It's not necessarily a replacement for version placeholders, that was just me pointing out that the placeholder idea isn't the only way to get the functionality that's currently in the placeholders. I probably got a bit overexcited.

... David

[David Grundy]

Anyway I'm interested to know if other people think the option to make some label categories "version specific" would be useful, or not.
And whether this concept and the implementation described in #1 and #2 of the original post is easy or hard to understand.

If people seem interested then I will pursue it. Otherwise, given Hert's comment, it seems likely it would not be implemented even if I request it. (Which would be quite reasonable if Hert's view is that it would be confusing and (almost) nobody wants it.)

... David

[weidmic]

David,

my opinion is: I don`t know if I would like it. I have requested this a very very long time ago, and it hasn't be made into the application. Today, I think it was a good decision.

You could add a custom field (in the info panel). In the Catalog view (by image details) Here you see a new branch in the tree called "your input fields" From there you then could make B&W or whatever entry a favorite and include it in your searches. How about that?

Michael