432 lines
19 KiB
HTML
Executable File
432 lines
19 KiB
HTML
Executable File
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
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"http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-html401-19991224/loose.dtd">
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<html>
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<head>
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<title>Structured Information</title>
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<link rel=stylesheet type='text/css' href='style.css' title='Style'>
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<style type="text/css">
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<!--
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pre { padding: 0; margin: 0px 2px }
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spc { margin-top: 5em }
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li { margin-top: .5em }
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li.c { margin-top: 0 }
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-->
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</style>
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</head>
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<body>
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<div class='index'>
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<a href="#Reading">Reading</a>
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<br><a href="#Writing">Writing</a>
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<br><a href="#Copying">Copying</a>
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<br><a href="#Deleting">Deleting</a>
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<br><a href="#Fields">Field Names</a>
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<br><a href="#Serialize">Serialization</a>
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<br><a href="#Examples">Examples</a>
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<br><a href="#User">User-Defined</a>
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</div>
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<h1 class='up'>Structured Information</h1>
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<p>ExifTool has the ability to read and write XMP structures through the use of
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either <b>structured or flattened tags</b>. The ability to write via structured
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input was added in ExifTool version 8.44; older versions wrote using flattened
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tags only.</p>
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<p>To illustrate the concept of a flattened tag, the <code>XMP-exif:Flash</code>
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structure contains <code>Fired</code> and <code>Mode</code> fields (among
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others). The flattened tags corresponding to these structure fields are
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<code>XMP-exif:FlashFired</code> and <code>XMP-exif:FlashMode</code>. In the
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<a href="TagNames/XMP.html">XMP Tags documentation</a>, flattened tags are
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indicated by an underline (<code>_</code>) after the Writable type.</p>
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<p>This page describes various techniques used to read and write XMP structures
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using both structured and flattened tags.</p>
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<a name='Reading'></a>
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<h2>Reading</h2>
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<p>When reading, structures are <b>flattened by default</b>, and ExifTool
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returns one "flattened" tag for each field in the structure:</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre>> <span class=code>exiftool -xmp:all a.xmp</span>
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XMP Toolkit : Image::ExifTool 8.44
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Flash Fired : True
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Flash Mode : On
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Flash Return : Return not detected</pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p>But the <code>-struct</code> option may be used to give <b>structured
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output</b>. In this mode structures are returned instead of separate
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"flattened" tags:</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre>> <span class=code>exiftool -struct -xmp:all a.xmp</span>
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XMP Toolkit : Image::ExifTool 8.44
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Flash : {Fired=True,Mode=On,Return=Return not detected}</pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p class=lt>(Note: As illustrated in the example above, structures are
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<a href='#Serialize'>serialized</a> for console output by the ExifTool
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application. However, via the API with the <code>Struct</code> option,
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they are returned as Perl HASH references.)</p>
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<p>The <code>-struct</code> option may also be combined with the JSON
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(<code>-j</code>), PHP (<code>-php</code>) or XML (<code>-X</code>) output
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formats to provide a structured format which may be more compatible with other
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applications.</p>
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<a name='Writing'></a>
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<h2>Writing</h2>
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<p>When writing, <b>flattened tags and structures may be used interchangeably</b>.
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For example, the following commands all have the same effect.</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre class=code>exiftool -flashmode=on -flashreturn=not -flashfired=true a.xmp
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exiftool -xmp:flash="{mode=on,fired=true}" -flashreturn=not a.xmp
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exiftool -xmp:flash="{mode=on,fired=true,return=not}" a.xmp</pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p class=lt>(Note: Structures must be <a href='#Serialize'>serialized</a> when
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writing via the command-line application, in the same format as when reading with
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the <code>-struct</code> option.)</p>
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<p>An advantage of writing in structured form is that it can be easier to
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achieve the desired hierarchy with complex structures or when there are multiple
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structures in a list. For example, this command adds a new hierarchical keyword
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to the XMP-mwg-kw:HierarchicalKeywords list:</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre class=code>exiftool -hierarchicalkeywords+="{keyword=cat,children={keyword=Siamese}}" a.jpg</pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p>But the flattened tags may be more convenient for <b>adding or replacing a
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single field</b> in an existing structure because writing as a structure would
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require that the entire structure be replaced. For example, the following command
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adds a new second-level keyword to an existing HierarchicalKeywords structure:</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre class=code>exiftool -hierarchicalkeywords2+="Persian" a.jpg</pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p><b>Tricky:</b> There is one drawback when using this technique to add new
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fields to existing structures in lists: New fields are added to the first
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structure which doesn't already contain the corresponding field. So before
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adding a new field to a arbitrary structure, dummy fields must first be added to
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all earlier structures in the list which are missing this field. However, the
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alternative of adding a new field by writing structured information also has its
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drawbacks. Here, although a specific structure in a list can easily be targeted
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through any unique combination of field values, the drawback is that the entire
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structure must be replaced (see <a href="#Deleting">Deleting / Replacing</a>
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below).</p>
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<p>The flattened tag names may also be used to <b>write structures at any level
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in a complex hierarchy</b>. The following example writes a third-level
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structure inside a HierarchicalKeywords structure:</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre class=code>exiftool -hierarchicalkeywords2Children='{Keyword=Tabby,Applied=true}' a.jpg</pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p class=lt>(Note: Containing structures are created as necessary. In this
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case, the HierarchicalKeywords and top-level KeywordInfo structures would be
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created if they didn't already exist.)</p>
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<p>The <b>order of structure fields is not significant</b>, so they may be read
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in a different order then written, unlike arrays which maintain the same order.
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To give a predictable output, fields in structured information are <b>sorted in
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alphabetical order</b> of field name by ExifTool when reading and writing.</p>
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<p>If there are <b>errors converting some fields</b> of the input structure,
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other fields are still written and a warning is issued (but only one warning per
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structure is reported). This also applies when copying structured information
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except that the <code>-v3</code> option must be used to see the warnings when
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copying.</p>
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<p><b>Programmers:</b> Structured information is written and read as Perl HASH
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references via the ExifTool API, but it may also be written as a serialized
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string. The following two techniques are equivalent:</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre># as a HASH reference
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<span class=code>$exifTool->SetNewValue('XMP:Flash' => { mode=>'on', fired=>'true', return=>'not' });
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</span>
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# as a serialized string
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<span class=code>$exifTool->SetNewValue('XMP:Flash' => '{mode=on,fired=true,return=not}');</span></pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<a name='Copying'></a>
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<h2>Copying</h2>
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<p>By default, tags are <b>copied as structures</b>, but flattened tag names
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may still be copied by specifying them explicitly. <span class=lt>(Flattened
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tags are treated as "unsafe" for copying so they are not copied by default
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unless the Struct feature is disabled.)</span> Copying as structures allows the
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hierarchy of complex structures to be preserved.</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre># this copies all XMP information as structures
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# (flattened tags are not copied by default...)
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<span class=code>exiftool -tagsfromfile src.jpg -xmp:all dst.jpg
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</span>
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# ... but flattened tags may be copied individually. Here the
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# first level hierarchical keywords are copied to the Subject tag
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# (this may be done in the same command as one that copies structures)
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<span class=code>exiftool -tagsfromfile src.jpg "-subject<hierarchicalkeywords1" dst.jpg</span></pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p>Note that when copying a specific structure, only the top-level structures
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may be specified:</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre># this copies the complete keyword hierarchy
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<span class=code>exiftool -tagsfromfile src.jpg -keywordinfo dst.jpg
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</span>
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# WRONG because HierarchicalKeywords is NOT a top-level structure!
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<span class=code>exiftool -tagsfromfile src.jpg -hierarchicalkeywords dst.jpg</span></pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p>The copy-as-structure feature may be disabled with <code>--struct</code> on
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the command line, or by setting the <a href="ExifTool.html#Struct">Struct option</a>
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to 0 via the API. When this is done, only flattened tags are copied, and
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structures may not be specified. Conversely, if the structure option is enabled
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(by setting the <a href="ExifTool.html#Struct">Struct option</a> to 1 via the API,
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or with <code>-struct</code> on the command line), only structures are copied,
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and flattened tags may not be specified.</p>
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<p class=lt>(Note: ExifTool 8.43 and earlier copied as flattened tags only, but
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copying as structures has been the default since the ability to write structured
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information was introduced in version 8.44. An enhancement in version 8.82
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allowed flattened tags to be copied explicitly without the need to disable the
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Struct option.)</p>
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<a name='Deleting'></a>
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<h2>Deleting / Replacing</h2>
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<p>A <b>complete structure is deleted</b> by specifying one or more matching
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fields. For example, the following command deletes all HierarchicalKeywords
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structures which have the Keyword "<code>Terrier</code>" at the second level:</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre class=code>exiftool -hierarchicalkeywords-="{Children={Keyword=Terrier}}" a.jpg</pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p>Structure <b>fields may also be deleted individually</b> using the flattened
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tag names. The following command deletes only the matching fields from the
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second-level of all HierarchicalKeywords structures:</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre class=code>exiftool -hierarchicalkeywords2-="Terrier" a.jpg</pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p>Individual structure <b>fields may NOT be deleted by writing a structure</b>
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with an empty field. Instead, a command like this overwrites the entire
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structure with a new structure containing an empty field:</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre><span class=code>exiftool -CreatorContactInfo="{CiAdrCity=}" a.jpg</span> # WRONG!</pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p>When deleting and adding back items in lists in the same command, new items
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are inserted at the point in the list where the first item was removed, or at
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the end of the list if no items were deleted. This applies to lists of
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structures as well as simple lists of string values, and provides a mechanism to
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replace a specific structure or field.</p>
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<a name='Fields'></a>
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<h2>Field Names</h2>
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<p>Structure field names use a format <b>very similar to tag names</b> in
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ExifTool. The following table lists some similarities and differences
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between tag names and structure field names:</p>
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<blockquote><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 width='100%'>
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<tr><th>Feature</th><th>Example</th><th>Tag Names</th><th>Field Names</th></tr>
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<tr align=center><td align=left>Case Insensitivity</td><td>Title, title, TITLE</td>
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<td class=grn>Yes</td><td class=grn>Yes</td></tr>
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<tr align=center><td align=left>Alternate Language Suffix</td><td>Title-de</td>
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<td class=grn>Yes</td><td class=grn>Yes</td></tr>
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<tr align=center><td align=left>Numerical Value Suffix</td><td>Mode#</td>
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<td class=grn>Yes</td><td class=grn>Yes</td></tr>
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<tr align=center><td align=left>Group Name Prefix</td><td>XMP-dc:Title</td>
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<td class=grn>Yes</td><td class=red>No<sup>†</sup></td></tr>
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</table>
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<sup class=red>†</sup> Except that group name prefixes are
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allowed in structures which support arbitrary XMP fields (eg.
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<a href='TagNames/MWG.html#Extensions'>Region Extensions</a>)
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</blockquote>
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<a name='Serialize'></a>
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<h2>Serialization</h2>
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Structures are <b>serialized when reading or writing from the command line</b>.
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However, serialization is not done when reading via the API, and is optional when
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writing via the API. The serialization algorithm is as follows:
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<ol>
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<li>Escape the following characters in string values (structure field values and
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list items) by adding a leading pipe symbol (<code>|</code>):
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<ul>
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<li class=c>pipe symbols (<code>|</code>) and commas (<code>,</code>) anywhere in the string</li>
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<li class=c>closing curly brackets (<code>}</code>) anywhere in structure field values</li>
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<li class=c>closing square brackets (<code>]</code>) anywhere in list items</li>
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<li class=c>an opening curly (<code>{</code>) or square (<code>[</code>)
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bracket, or whitespace character (SPACE, TAB, CR or LF) if it appears at the
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beginning of the string</li>
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</ul>
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<span class=lt>(Note: Any other character may be escaped by adding
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a leading pipe symbol without effect.)</span></li>
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<li>Enclose structures in curly brackets. Use an equal sign (<code>=</code>)
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to separate field names from their corresponding values, and a comma between
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structure fields.</li>
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<li>Enclose lists in square brackets, with a comma between list items.</li>
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<li>Optional whitespace padding may be added anywhere except inside a structure
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field name, or inside or after a string value, and an optional comma may be
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added after the last field in a structure.</li>
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</ol>
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<p>For example, with a command like this:</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre class=code>exiftool "-RegionInfo<=INFILE" a.xmp</pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p>the INFILE below may be used to write structured information to
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XMP:RegionInfo.</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre>{
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AppliedToDimensions =
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{
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W = 4288,
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H = 2848,
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Unit = pixel,
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},
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RegionList =
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[
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{
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Area =
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{
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W = 0.15, H = 0.17, X = 0.3, Y = 0.4,
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Unit = normalized,
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},
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Description = A Physics Icon {relatively speaking|},
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Name = Albert Einstein,
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Type = Face,
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Extensions = {
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XMP-xmpRights:UsageTerms = copyright Phil Harvey,
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XMP-xmpRights:UsageTerms-fr = droit d'auteur Phil Harvey,
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},
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SeeAlso = dc:subject,
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},
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{
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Area =
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{
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W = 0.06, H = 0.09, X = 0.5, Y = 0.6,
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Unit = normalized,
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},
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Description = this is a test|, what did you expect?,
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Type = Focus,
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FocusUsage = Evaluated|, Used,
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}
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],
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}</pre>
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</td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<p>In this example, white space has been added in all allowed locations for
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demonstration purposes and to improve readability. Also, optional commas have
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been added after the last field of each structure. (Note that a comma may NOT
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be added after the last item in a list because this would be interpreted as an
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additional list item of a zero-length string.)</p>
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<a name='Examples'></a>
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<h2>Examples</h2>
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<p>Here is an example of an advanced console session showing some commands which
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manipulate a complex list of structures (see the
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<a href="TagNames/XMP.html#iptcExt">XMP-iptcExt tag documentation</a> for details
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about the ArtworkOrObject structure tags used):</p>
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<blockquote><table class='box'><tr><td>
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<pre><span class=lt># 1. Create a XMP-iptcExt:ArtworkOrObject structure using flattened tags</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -artworktitle="a title" a.xmp</span>
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1 image files created
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<span class=lt># -- Read back as flattened tags (-S is used just to shorten the output)</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -xmp-iptcext:all -S a.xmp</span>
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ArtworkTitle: a title
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<span class=lt># -- Read back as a structure</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -xmp-iptcext:all -S -struct a.xmp</span>
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ArtworkOrObject: [{AOTitle=a title}]
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<span class=lt># 2. Write another field to the structure as a flattened tag</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -artworkcreator=phil a.xmp</span>
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1 image files updated
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<span class=lt># -- Note that the structure now has a new field</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -xmp-iptcext:all -S -struct a.xmp</span>
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ArtworkOrObject: [{AOCreator=[phil],AOTitle=a title}]
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<span class=lt># 3. Add another creator using the "+=" operator</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -artworkcreator+=joe a.xmp</span>
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1 image files updated
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<span class=lt># -- It was added to the first AOCreator list</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -xmp-iptcext:all -S -struct a.xmp</span>
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ArtworkOrObject: [{AOCreator=[phil,joe],AOTitle=a title}]
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<span class=lt># 4. Add another artwork title</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -artworktitle+="another one" a.xmp</span>
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1 image files updated
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<span class=lt># -- This created a new ArtworkOrObject structure in the list of structures
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# (AOTitle itself is not a list, so a new structure must be created)</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -xmp-iptcext:all -S -struct a.xmp</span>
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ArtworkOrObject: [{AOCreator=[phil,joe],AOTitle=a title},{AOTitle=another one}]
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<span class=lt># 5. Simply write a different title (do not add with "+=")</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -artworktitle="different" a.xmp</span>
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1 image files updated
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<span class=lt># -- This deleted all existing AOTitle fields and wrote back only one
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# (if the second ArtworkOrObject structure had contained more fields, they would have been
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# preserved, and the second structure would still exist, but without an AOTitle field)</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -xmp-iptcext:all -S -struct a.xmp</span>
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ArtworkOrObject: [{AOCreator=[phil,joe],AOTitle=different}]
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<span class=lt># 6. Add a completely new structure to the list
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# (this is very difficult to do properly using flattened tags)</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -artworkorobject+="{aotitle=help,aocreator=[paul,ringo]}" a.xmp</span>
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1 image files updated
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<span class=lt># -- The new structure was added with the specified fields</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -xmp-iptcext:all -S -struct a.xmp</span>
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ArtworkOrObject: [{AOCreator=[phil,joe],AOTitle=different},{AOCreator=[paul,ringo],AOTitle=help}]
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<span class=lt># -- See how the relationships are lost when reading as flattened tags</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -xmp-iptcext:all -S a.xmp</span>
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ArtworkCreator: phil, joe, paul, ringo
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ArtworkTitle: different, help
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<span class=lt># 7. Delete all structures containing a specific field value</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -artworkorobject-="{AOCreator=phil}" a.xmp</span>
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1 image files updated
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<span class=lt># -- The ArtworkOrObject list now contains only one structure</span>
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> <span class=code>exiftool -xmp-iptcext:all -S -struct a.xmp</span>
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ArtworkOrObject: [{AOCreator=[paul,ringo],AOTitle=help}]</pre></td></tr></table></blockquote>
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<a name='User'></a>
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<h2>User-Defined Structures</h2>
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<p>User-defined XMP structure tags may be created via the ExifTool config file.
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See the NewXMPxxxStruct tag definition in the <a href="config.html#xmp-xxx">XMP-xxx
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examples of the sample config file</a> for more details.</p>
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<hr>
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<i>Last revised Nov. 25, 2014</i>
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<p class='lf'><a href="index.html"><-- Back to ExifTool home page</a></p>
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</body>
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</html>
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