ExifTool Forum

[Originally posted by andreas on 2007-10-04 10:16:25-07]

I'm processing several images in one go with the command line tool, doing several queries for each image. The output generated by exiftool looks nice. However, I'm haveing trouble to separate the output by query and image. There does not seem to be a way to print a custom separation text in order to make parsing easy. At least I couldn't find it in the docu. Am I missing something?

[Originally posted by exiftool on 2007-10-04 11:37:58-07]

Currently the only option that affects the separation text is -q.
With it, you don't get any separation text.  Without it, you get a line like this
before each file when there are multiple files processed:


I would have guessed that a line beginning with "====" would be unique
enough to use as a separator line.  But if you want some custom text there
instead, you can use a little trick to force extraction of a non-existent tag
before the rest of the information.  ie)


This will produce output like this:


Maybe this will help.

- Phil

[Originally posted by andreas on 2007-10-04 15:10:15-07]

The "=========" followed by file name works as a separator and I've used it until today. But this separator has one flaw - it only works if at lest two images are processed...
If you could change this so that it is printed for a single image too I would be happy.
However, I guess adding an option that allows printing a custom text would not be too hard to implement?

[Originally posted by exiftool on 2007-10-04 15:55:42-07]

Ah yes.  If you only have one file on the command line you don't
get this line.  However, you do get the line if you have one directory
on the command line but only one file in the directory.

Adding an option to print custom text wouldn't be too hard, but
I strongly resist adding new options since the list of options is
already too long.  Can't you key on the "ExifTool Version Number"
tag, which is always printed first, or on a dummy tag name as I
suggested before?

- Phil

[Originally posted by andreas on 2007-10-04 17:59:37-07]

Ah, the -exiftoolversion tag is perfect. I didn't perceive it, looked only at "Tag names explained", sorry. I saw the -ver commandline option but it is unusable.

I can understand very well that you don't want to add further options. Using a dummy tag is not a satisfactory thing as it forces me to use the -f option.

So -exiftoolversion is a fine solution. Thank you!