exiftool.org/gui queensu links and install dir recommendations

Started by obetz, February 19, 2020, 04:41:56 AM

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obetz

Hi Phil,

https://exiftool.org/gui/ has several links to queensu.ca

Changing this would be a good opportunity to get rid of the recommendation for the installation directory:

"Now copy renamed exiftool file into Windows directory -this is the best place- and ExifTool is ready to be used" is a bad advice.

ExifToolGUI searches first it's installation directory, so putting ExifTool.exe in the same folder as ExifToolGUI.exe is a pretty good place unless the user already has ExifTool.exe in his "path".

The same applies to  jhead.exe & jpegtran.exe: "If you think you might need this GUI feature, then copy both files into Windows directory" should be changed.

I didn't try where ExifToolGUI.exe looks for jhead.exe and jpegtran.exe, but both shall not be in the Windows directory.

Oliver

Phil Harvey

Hi Oliver,

I've changed the links, thanks.  The GUI directory isn't as good because then the utilities aren't available via the command line unless you specify the path.

- Phil
...where DIR is the name of a directory/folder containing the images.  On Mac/Linux/PowerShell, use single quotes (') instead of double quotes (") around arguments containing a dollar sign ($).

obetz

Quote from: Phil Harvey on February 19, 2020, 07:05:36 AMThe GUI directory isn't as good because then the utilities aren't available via the command line unless you specify the path.

The ExifToolGUI directory is in any case a better place than the Windows directory. For people only using ExifToolGUI (and not the command line), it's not even bad.

People using ExifTool "anywhere" need to put it in a suitable place (not the Windows directory) and add it to the path environment variable.

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.

Think what a mess that would be if every program was installed into the Windows directory.

Oliver