jExifToolGUI: A java/Swing Windows/Linux/MacOS graphical frontend

[hvdwolf]

then please double check before posting about Windows.

I do double-check, but then still you can make errors (I do). And sometimes you have to fully trust on observations of users. There are so many more situations and configurations than you can ever check.

And actually I do sextuple checks (double-checks on three platforms and actually even more for different linux distros). By now on more than 30.000 lines of code (and no: I do not test every option again and again on every platform).
Testing and checking on 3 platforms takes a lot of time and more time than only windows and is therefore more error-prone, especially if you are not a fulltime programmer but just an amateur having to do this in spare time.

[Phil Harvey]

Phil, may I ask you to reconsider the installation instructions in this regard? c:\windows is really not the right place.

Sure.  Tell me what you want me to say and I'll update the Windows install instructions.

- Phil

[obetz]

Sure.  Tell me what you want me to say and I'll update the Windows install instructions.

The recommended directories are:

1. For all users, with admin rights: %ProgramFiles(x86)%\ExifTool. The advantage is that the ExifTool installation is then protected against unintentional or malicious modification.

2. Without admin rights: %LocalAppData%\Programs\ExifTool. Also good if you want to fiddle with the sources.

Of course, the user might want to change the "ExifTool" part, e.g. to deal with different versions one might use \ExifTool_12.25 and so on. But those will figure it out...

Oliver

[hvdwolf]

I will manually add the "%LocalAppData%\Programs\ExifTool" to the "search exiftool" on windows, and have a look at wildcards in the path.

[Phil Harvey]

Hi Oliver,

The recommended directories are:

1. For all users, with admin rights: %ProgramFiles(x86)%\ExifTool. The advantage is that the ExifTool installation is then protected against unintentional or malicious modification.

2. Without admin rights: %LocalAppData%\Programs\ExifTool. Also good if you want to fiddle with the sources.

Thanks.  Are both of these locations in the default Windows PATH?  Does this work for XP, Windows 7 and Windows 10?

- Phil

[StarGeek]

Thanks.  Are both of these locations in the default Windows PATH?

No, they would have to be added to PATH.  Which would discourage inexperienced users.

[Phil Harvey]

No, they would have to be added to PATH.  Which would discourage inexperienced users.

This is the reason the instructions recommend C:\WINDOWS

- Phil

[obetz]

Installing to c:\windows saves the user from creating the path entry, but that doesn't make it a good place.

I don't know of any program that installs there.

Adding a path entry manually is no that difficult these days: Hit the Windows key once, then enter "envi" and Windows will offer "Edit system environment variables" and "Edit environment variables for your account". The individual "path" elements are displayed in rows.

Using the installer is even simpler and safer.

Just my two cents, I don't insist on changing the instructions.

[Mizkreant]

I was trying this out and have a few questions/comments.

I tried to load some images with the Load Directory option. The progress bar started and it showed the number of images in the status bar but would never load any. The folder was the Windows default Pictures directory. I assume this is because of some permissions issue. I could load individual images from that directory fine though. Other directories also seemed to work.

Double column mode doesn't seem to work for me no matter what I set in Preferences. It's always single column. Nevermind. I misunderstood what "double column" meant.

I selected some images and created an Arg file just to see what the output would be. Where are these files created? I couldn't find them. Maybe this feature isn't implemented yet?

Just a suggestion: it might be a nice feature to be able to load images from a text file. Either CSV or filenames on a newline.

[hvdwolf]

I tried to load some images with the Load Directory option. The progress bar started and it showed the number of images in the status bar but would never load any. The folder was the Windows default Pictures directory

I selected some images and created an Arg file just to see what the output would be. Where are these files created? I couldn't find them. Maybe this feature isn't implemented yet?

Just a suggestion: it might be a nice feature to be able to load images from a text file. Either CSV or filenames on a newline.

I really don't know. I don't have a windows machine at home and must admit that on my tests I never tried the Pictures folder. I will have a look.

All files that are "extra" created, like arg, csv, pdf, sidecar, xmp, etc. are written to the same folder as where the image resides.

About your suggestion: I will think about that. It might indeed be handy, but did you know that you can specify folders, files, folders with wildcards, files with wildcards, and mixes of that on the command line?
And also that you can drag&drop files or a folder onto the (opened) program window, and on Windows also onto the program icon.

(I have been on a very long stand-still due to an overload of project work which simply took too much time, and in the occasions when I had the time, I didn't have the motiviation to program. Now picking up again)

[hvdwolf]

Finally! A new version.

Version 1.9.0 released
Releases page Changelog

Only important thing to mention here out of the long and extensive Changelog is:
- Dropped support for java-8. See for details the Changelog itself.

[StarGeek]

Looks like some really nice QoL changes. Definitely would use it if I already wasn't better with the command line

[hvdwolf]

Looks like some really nice QoL changes. Definitely would use it if I already wasn't better with the command line

Yeah. Something like "real men use the command line".

[MrVideo]

This is the reason the instructions recommend C:\WINDOWS

Windblows is not really designed (IMHO) for running command line programs. On my XP and Win7-64 systems, I have cygwin installed and start up two Xterms running Zshell. That gets me a Linux-link environment to run command line stuff. Not for the faint of heart.

If I did install exiftool on Windblows (I run it under Linux), I would place it in "Program Files(x86)\exiftool". IMHO, it is not a good idea to drag programs to the desktop, only shortcuts. Easier to find them when they are in the standard installation location. The C:\WINDOWS location is NOT a place to install programs. Unfortunately "Program Files(x86)" is not meant as a place to install programs, but to contain directories that have the actual program. But, for programs like exiftool that a single executables, with no support files, a user could create a "bin" directory there and add that to the PATH. Then all simple executables could be placed in there and be found. Doesn't help with exiftool though.

Unfortunately, because exiftool can't be run like a shell, i.e., starts and listens for commands, I know of no simple way to start exiftool and pass it options all at one go under Windblows.

Just my 10 cents (inflation).

[Phil Harvey]

Unfortunately, because exiftool can't be run like a shell, i.e., starts and listens for commands, I know of no simple way to start exiftool and pass it options all at one go under Windblows.

I'm not sure if this is exactly what you meant, but ExifTool can start and listen for commands.  This is done via -@ and the -stay_open option.

- Phil