Web based family history software

Question Media file strategy

  • makitso
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8 years 5 months ago #1 by makitso
Media file strategy was created by makitso
I have a lot of pictures on my personal website that are stored outside of webtrees. Initially, this seemed like the thing to do since were mostly from old family photo albums, they could be watermarked, and getting them online was pretty easy.

However, I would like to move these photos under webtrees control which poses some challenges – for me that is.

I can upload one media object at a time and link it to an individual or I can upload multiple media objects in the Admin section. However, the later does not generate a thumbnail. Right now, I am looking at adding about 1000 photos.

Anyway, the reason for this post is to ask for suggestions as to how to handle the naming of media, both the title and the file name, use of sub folders, etc. I would be greatful for any other tips you can provide.

Thanks in advance,

Rob

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8 years 5 months ago - 8 years 5 months ago #2 by norwegian_sardines
Replied by norwegian_sardines on topic Media file strategy
In my internal only site I use a lot of media for cataloging and sources.

I have over the years created and utilized a coding system that is similar to that used in museums and other repositories called "Accession Numbers". An Accession number is the date I add the object to my system. For old objects (before I created this system) I find the approximate date of the acquisition. The Accession Number of older stuff is not real important, but each number must be unique.

Every object in my database receives an Accession Number, be it a person, a source, a family or a photo.

An Accession Number represents the date and order that an object was added to my system.

For Individuals it looks like this: 2004.0912.0001 <=Year.MonthDay.Order
For a Family it Looks Like this: F2004.0912.0001
For a Source: S2004.0912.0001
For a media object: M2004.0912.0001 <= both a REFN value and the file name.

Media then gets placed in a folder structure that mirrors the year and month values of the accession number.

I also have a database that supports the accession number and notes for the photos and I use the internal EXIF metadata of JPG files to record any important information about the photo, like names, dates, events, family, place as they relate to the photo.

Ken
Last edit: 8 years 5 months ago by norwegian_sardines.

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8 years 5 months ago #3 by fisharebest
Replied by fisharebest on topic Media file strategy
I put all my files in one folder, and name them according to their SHA1 hash. So, I have files with names like: 8d0bed2033d4fd5eca782acfc626ac6e.jpeg

But then, I'm a software engineer, not a librarian ;-)

Greg Roach - greg@subaqua.co.uk - @fisharebest@phpc.social - fisharebest.webtrees.net

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  • makitso
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8 years 5 months ago - 8 years 5 months ago #4 by makitso
Replied by makitso on topic Media file strategy
So, I really have two issues, the first is the taxonomy naming convention for files. At this point, I am using Sirname-GivenName-Date.jpg/png for the file name and GivenName Sirname, etc for the title. I am also starting to use Sirname sub folders to manage like media.

The second issue has to do with an old photo album that belonged to my maternal grandmother. It has over 40 photos of the Schmidbauer family, most of which I can not identify. In the short term, I created an individual child [object] record for the oldest Schmidbauer and named the individual Schmidbauer Family Photo Album . I then added all the photos to this object.

Rob
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Last edit: 8 years 5 months ago by makitso.

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8 years 5 months ago - 8 years 5 months ago #5 by norwegian_sardines
Replied by norwegian_sardines on topic Media file strategy
Early on I realized that naming files with Surname and Given Name or with names of any kind was difficult. For photos of one person using the person's name was ok. However, because photos were costly, so many of the photos I had from the late 1800's were family photos or of two people from a wedding. Using Names just got harder to do.

When I took up Library and Museum I learned about cataloging and Accession numbers became the obvious answer. But, also being a geek and computer application programmer I get what Greg does as well since he can produce those with a simple PHP algorithm (and it works to make a unique item number), while mine requires a little more work, and I have not learned PHP to incorporate the code into webtrees.

I also take lots of pictures of residences, maps and family objects like chairs, dishes, paintings, ships, etc. made or owned by a family or its member and these are harder to tie to a person specifically. I have a rather larger library of books and other objects from the family that I like to catalog as they relate to my research. So some kind of alternate key to the photos and objects are required.


EDIT: The older photos would either have a unique SHA1 key generated for each or a unique accession key for each based on some day in the past that you received the photos. Like 1995.0101.0001, 1995.0101.0002, 1995.0101.0003, 1995.0101.0004 ... 1995.0101.0040

Ken
Last edit: 8 years 5 months ago by norwegian_sardines.

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  • makitso
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8 years 5 months ago #6 by makitso
Replied by makitso on topic Media file strategy
Ken, what your suggesting makes sense. Like you, I have many family group photos as well as object photos, buildings, etc. The biggest problem with Assession numbers is that their meaningless when looking at a folder of files. But let me look closer at the idea :-)

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8 years 5 months ago #7 by norwegian_sardines
Replied by norwegian_sardines on topic Media file strategy
Yes the file names have no specific meaning but once you put EXIF metadata in the file/photo MS-Windows can see it (other PHP or Photo programs for Windows or Linux too) and can tell you what the photos are about. AND if you use the Media Object in GEDCOM to it's fullest you can put information in that to describe what the files are as well.

Use TITL where you would normally enter the Surname Given name or other description of the photo.
Use NOTE Structure for additional information
Use REFN to reiterate the Accession Number or SHA1 value.

n @XREF:OBJE@ OBJE {1:1}
+1 FILE <MULTIMEDIA_FILE_REFN> {1:M} p.54
+2 FORM <MULTIMEDIA_FORMAT> {1:1} p.54
+3 TYPE <SOURCE_MEDIA_TYPE> {0:1} p.62
+2 TITL <DESCRIPTIVE_TITLE> {0:1} p.48
+1 REFN <USER_REFERENCE_NUMBER> {0:M} p.63, 64
+2 TYPE <USER_REFERENCE_TYPE> {0:1} p.64
+1 RIN <AUTOMATED_RECORD_ID> {0:1} p.43
+1 <<NOTE_STRUCTURE>> {0:M} p.37
+1 <<SOURCE_CITATION>> {0:M} p.39
+1 <<CHANGE_DATE>> {0:1} p.31

Ken

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8 years 5 months ago #8 by StuartG
Replied by StuartG on topic Media file strategy
Rob,

I'm not a librarian, software engineer, archivist or conservator, but I do maintain a reasonable number of images in webtrees. Essentially I use the common naming structure as discussed by Ken:

FamilyName-Fornames

I have many sub-folders. Examples of naming subfolders, apart from the usual birth, death and marriage certificates and birth, death and marriage notices are:

Events-Other
Funerals
Graves-headstones
Items
Memoriums
MilitaryRecords
Obituaries
Places
Property,
and so on.

I have over 7,000 images in my graves-headstone subfolder alone. On the rare occasion of having images of graves of people of the same name, I simply add the date of death at the end of the file name. For marriage certificates, marriage notices, weddings and similar I use the two family names. This format is typically used in marriage notices in newspapers. Male family name first. For example:

MacKenzie-Siddins

If two people with the same family names marry, I add the forenames of both people. For example:

MacKenzie-Siddens-KennethMalcolm-AdaStyne

Naming of images of people and family groups becomes a little more difficult. But I follow a similar logic to the above. I use the date or estimated date of when the photo was taken.

Using this naming structure throughout my subfolders enables me to quickly list specific family images.

Just my way for what it is worth.

Stuart

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  • makitso
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8 years 5 months ago #9 by makitso
Replied by makitso on topic Media file strategy
Thanks Stuart,

I think your taxonomy is very close to what I want. My considerations are:

All of my pictures were scanned.
I want a file name that identifies the image in some way.
All photos have a primary relationship to a person, even a picture of a building, tombstone, etc.
Separate surname sub-folder

Surname-Firstname-SequenceNumber.extension Photos of individuals
Surname-Firstname-FamilyPhoto-SequenceNumber.extension Photos of families
Surname-Firstname-ObjectName-SequenceNumber.extension Photos of an object, building, etc.
Surname-Firstname-Surname-Firstname-SequenceNumber.extension Photos of two or more related/unrelated people

SequenceNumber can be an integer 1,2,3 or a date yymmdd.
ObjectName can be something like tombstone, Building Name, etc.

Thanks to everyone for your help.

Rob
www.skatekey.net ( webtrees 2.1 beta GitHub)
webtrees forum admin
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Hosted at tigertech.net

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