Metadata Templates
Use the Metadata Templates page to select and customize metadata templates and help create consistency and expedite your cataloging process. Templates are available for the general project (all item types), for specific item and object types, as well as for specific image file types.
Use the Metadata Templates to automatically add descriptive metadata and administrative metadata to appear in specified fields for all items when they are added to a project. For example, if you are working on a project in which all the images were created by the same photographer, use the Metadata Templates to add the photographer's name once and then import all the images.
Properties within the templates also allow for the extraction of certain information from individual items. The individual data would then be different for each item, but the data type would be the same. For example, you can use the templates to add a file name attribute to one field. That field would contain the file name for each record.
You also can use the templates to import full-text transcripts into fields within the collection as you import items into a project.
If you do not select file-specific metadata templates, then the more general template is applied when any file of that type is added to the project. For example, if you add a JPEG image but do not have the JPEG template selected, the Images template is applied. If the Images template is not selected, then the Project template (general) is applied. If you select only the JPEG template and add JPEG and PNG files, the JPEG template is applied to the JPEG image and the Project template will be applied to the PNG image. The Project template (general) always is selected.
Establish your Metadata Templates settings before adding items to a project. Thereafter, the metadata fields of all items added to the project will carry the information you specified in the templates. The settings can be changed at any time.
Note: Metadata Templates settings are applied when you import your files using a tab-delimited file. Metadata Templates values are introduced after the tab-delimited import is complete. In fields where tab-delimited text exists, CONTENTdm inserts a semicolon and a space and then appends the template metadata.
Using the Metadata Templates
- Navigate to the Metadata Templates section of the Project Settings Manager.
- Select the templates to use for the types of items and files to be added to the project.
Note: If you do not select file-specific metadata templates, then the more general template is applied when any file of that type is added to the project. For example, if you add a JPEG image but do not have the JPEG template selected, the Images template is applied, if you selected it. If the Images template is not selected, then the Project template (general) is applied. The Project template (general) always is selected.
- Click Edit for the selected templates you want to use. The template displays, enabling you to specify default metadata and to define fields.
- Type default metadata values into the text boxes or specify the default types. (For example: Color Space, Directory Import, File Name, File Size, Format, Height, Text, Width, User Name and Checksum. For date fields that have a Date data type, choose from Date or Date Imported.)
To select a property, click a field in the Default Type column and choose from the list that appears.
If you select Text as a default type and enter a default value, the default value you enter will appear in the specified field of the metadata for all items you add to the project.
Selecting an option other than text will extract specific information from the file and display it in the field.
General default types:
Default Type Description Checksum Calculates a value used to test data integrity. CONTENTdm generates a CRC32 checksum. The CRC32 checksum is specified in RFC1952, which defines a lossless compressed data format that is compatible with the GZIP utility. Directory Import Import text from text files into the designated field. You will be prompted to browse to a directory containing the text files. This is especially useful for working with transcript files. Text files with the same root file names will be paired with appropriate images. For example, the root file name of item2.jpg is item2, so CONTENTdm will seek out a text file named item2.txt. When you add items to your project, the text from the files in the directory you selected will be displayed in the specified fields. File Name Original name of the file. Can be used in Title field or in addition to the Title field. File Size Size (in bytes) of the source file. Format Format options include: Image, PDF, Audio and Video. Most common audio and video formats are recognized.
Text The default property. Enter text into the Default Value field. User Name Collection username of the person importing items. Date See Enter dates for guidelines and formatting rules.
Date will only be an option in the Default Type column drop-down list if your collection has a date Data type field established by the collection administrator.
- After you have finished adding default values and defining your template, click OK to save changes
- Repeat the previous steps to edit any other templates you want to use.
The following definitions may be useful if you are not familiar with the more advanced image property types:
- Bits per Sample: The number of bits per sample. Note that this tag allows a different number of bits per sample for each sample corresponding to a pixel. For example, RGB color data could use a different number of bits per sample for each of the three color planes.
- Samples per Pixel: The number of samples that make up a pixel (also known as “channels”). For example: greyscale has one sample per pixel and RGB has three samples per pixel (red, green, blue).
Note: Bit depth can be calculated by multiplying the value of bits per sample by the value of samples per pixel.
Metadata Template types
The following table details the property types for each item- or file-specific metadata template.
Default Sub-type Values
The following table details the sub-type values that can apply to the EXIF and IPTC property types (JPEG and TIF templates).