[Digikam-users] How to write file name to IPTC title field

[Jean-François Rabasse]

Hello...

On Mon, 12 Nov 2012, Elle Stone wrote:

> On a somewhat related note, does anyone else besides me think the
> digiKam interface implies that the XMP-dc Title and the IPTC Object
> Name (also referred to as the IPTC Title) should hold image
> description synopsis information, rather than identifying information
> such as the file name?

I think too.
The major reason - from my point of view - is that the filename is
already known to DK. With fresh new imported images, it's already
possible to do a search on filename(s).
Hand editing information should then add extra information, not
eisting one.

> The proper metadata fields form image description synopsis are the
> ITPC Headline and the XMP-photoshop Headline fields, which is what I
> would expect to find in the right-side pane
> "Captions/Tags-Description" tab. But in fact anything entered
> Description/Title actually gets written to Title metadata fields.

You're perfectly right.
Strictly speaking what you call « image description synopsis » is the
exact description of the IPTC Headline.
  -- Cf. : Headline [IPTC Core]
  -- the Headline should grab attention and summarize the image's content.

Aside from that, the Dublin Core standard gives a poor and misty
definition, cf. :
  -- http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/
  -- Term Name: title
  -- Definition: A name given to the resource.
  -- Comment:    Typically, a Title will be a name by which the resource
     is formally known.

Ehm, formally known ? Should rather be an URI than a filename (IMHO)

> If digiKam really means "Title" (eg file name) should be entered here,
> then there would seem to be no easy way to enter an image
> headline/synopsis.

Right again. And that's probably why it's up to users to know what they
want to keep along with the image.
Headline and Description are important features for an image. And this
requires user input, there no automatic way for a software to guess
that such or such picture represent « Sonia's wedding » or « Children
at play ».

Probably it's just a matter of names. The DK GUI labels the fields
Title and Caption, but we can think as Headline and Description.
So what ? Probably the places, the fields where to store data isn't
that important as long as applications that use data can find it.

Regards,
Jean-François