"invalid Tag Name"

[lolodunord]

I really think i am making a rookie mistake, i ask my question here: i work in a library and we have some videos to embed in itunes. I have to add information contained in a CSV file to easily find the videos. When I import the metadata I get an "invalid tag Name" error message yet I feel I'm doing well. Can you help me, thank you and thank you for this great application.
Second Question, can I insert coverARTs with Exiftool?

[Luuk2005]

The exiftool uses comma to separate everything for csv files, so not to use semicolon for the separator.
I dont believe the exiftool writes images into .mp4 binary tags?... https://exiftool.org/forum/index.php?topic=7903.0

[lolodunord]

okay ! Thx for your post, but then can I use the semicolon to separate my different tags? Because my first table have "*" to separate keywords and cast

[Luuk2005]

The exiftool only grants comma for separators in the csv, and so it quotes values with a comma like...
Tag1,Tag2,Tag3,Tag4,Tag5
Value1,Value2,"Value3,With,Comma",Value4,"Value5,With,Comma"

[StarGeek]

The CSV file must be in the same format that exiftool outputs.  Make sure your read the docs on the -csv option and FAQ #26.

[Luuk2005]

Im extremely curious, please to say what did create this csv file?
I like to experiment, so I wrote a sed-script to fix it back into comma-separated, but then noticed bad dates, so adding that also.
But Im also on Windows, and does the library really use filenames without extension?? It seems like many things can be wrong!

If its from another database, so you cant recreate it with exiftool, maybe there is graphical apps to also conduct these conversions?
You can always use exiftool -csv SomeFile.mp4 >StudyMe.csv to study the format, but also to first read like StarGeek is saying.

[lolodunord]

Thank you all for your posts,
with you I understood my errors:
First is not to have started by exporting my csv file from the videos. I took my Excel table for mac directly. It makes sense to start by exporting the table to complete it.
Second I must correct the dates in my column ContentCreateDate
Third to think I could do it on my own. fortunately there is this forum and people so active as you.
If I understood correctly, I just have to add my columns of my table to those of the csv file that Exiftool to create and then import everything?

[Luuk2005]

Please dedicate some time to read the links that StarGeek provides, there is many good translators if needed.
This to help the experts provide better recommendations to change whatever it is, that you are doing incorrectly?
Im really just noob trying to help another noob, because feeling bad for asking the questions, but never giving answers.

Its unfortunate, but I cannot understand the sentences after "First is not"...
If you already have videos with correct metadata? Then use exiftool to perfectly create the csv-files.
If you dont have the videos with correct metadata? Then maybe contact the person who has them?
So then, maybe they use exiftool to create csv-files in the correct format.

Im looking at your 'fables modifiées.csv' and its still counterfeit format, because using semicolons to separate.
There is also a date-tag still in the wrong format, and some other tags that cannot ever be written.

If you are using the exiftool to create the csv, but then using another application to add more tags?
Then look for settings in the application to grant using comma for the separator, and forbid the semicolons.
And also, try not adding read-only tags like FileSize, but really this just means exiftool not writes them.

I passed both of your csv's though my sed-script and attached them, to present more how they should look.
Please not to look at them with advanced csv viewers, but instead with something like the notepad.exe.
This to let you see the separators, and also notice what Im 'believing' should be correct for ContentCreateDate?

If your application does forbid commas, then please look for another advanced csv-editor instead.
Because its much better to invent them correctly, instead of depending on scripts to modify them afterwards.

[lolodunord]

Thanks for your help
yes, I isolated 2 videos in a folder to do the tests. I then exported with Exiftools to get a CSV and added with Excel MAc the fields from my other table. Finally I saved in CSV.
I have a piece of answer: United-States, decimal is the point and in Europe it is the comma! CSV format has never really been the subject of a formal specification. However, RFC 41801 describes the most common form and establishes its MIME type "text / csv", registered with IANA. So when I use a French interface in my Mac, all softwares that will export to CSV will use semicolons instead of commas. by changing the interface to English I no longer have this problem.

[Luuk2005]

Thats very good troubleshooting, this is something I would never discover in a million years!
So now the only difference from our .csv's, is being the date-format for ContentCreateDate.
Im not experienced to know about this date-tag, but this what my experiments presented...

exiftool -ContentCreateDate="12:02:1651 10:00:00Z" test.mp4     invents: "1651:10:00 00:00:00Z"
exiftool -ContentCreateDate="1651:12:02 10:00:00Z" test.mp4     invents: "1651:12:02 10:00:00Z"

So my sed-script was converting mm:dd:yyyy --> yyyy:mm:dd, but maybe your date-format is dd:mm:yyyy ?
I dont know anything about the Excel MAc, but thinking it should have ways to convert them automatically.
Nice troubleshooting!

[StarGeek]

I'm not too familiar with Excel but if it's anything like LibreOffice, there should be a way to format the time into a Year Month Day Hour Minute Second order.  In LibreOffice, you would right click the top of the column and select "Format Cells".

See FAQ #5 for more details on how time data needs to be formatted.

[lolodunord]

Thx For all, We are almost there !
i made the date format changes in excel. So my CSV is good. But it still doesn't matter. I went to read the topics recommended by StarGeek. I think I have the full name of the different fields. so I used:
exiftool -csv -g -api largefilesupport=1 *.mp4 > list.csv
the field names are different! I get : PLIST:Cast, PLIST:Producers, PLIST:Screenwriters, PLIST:Directors, PLIST:Studio, PLIST:Comment, QuickTime:Genre, QuickTime:Description, QuickTime:LongDescription, QuickTime:Title, QuickTime:MediaType, QuickTime:ContentCreateDate
so i changed field's names and tried to import into my videos. Quicktime fields are ok but PLIST fields are not. Do you have an idea?

[Luuk2005]

The -g or -G options always ouput csv-headings like Group:TagName, but this wont present any problems.
The PLIST Tags are not writable, so maybe just change the headings to some other related writable tag?
Sorry, but Im not experienced to know about which "related tags" for writing those values to.

Edit: So if you remove -g  then PLIST:Directors--->Directors, and exiftool always tries to write Directors to its PreferredGroup:Directors
But without any Group:Directors, it wont get written, because exiftool doesnt automatically look for synonyms (like removing the s).
The config-file could tell exiftool when it should instead look for a "synonym", except Im thinking they are called shortcuts?

[Luuk2005]

Im piping exiftool -s -f -ListX through sed, looking for writable-tags with..."Cast|Actor|Producer|Screenwrit|Director|Studio|Comment"
The sed-script filters away MakerNotes, and this a partial list of what it presents...

Ducky:Ducky:Image:Comment (Avoid)
EXIF:ExifIFD:Image:UserComment
EXIF:IFD0:Image:XPComment
File:File:Image:Comment
File:MacOS:Other:MDItemFinderComment (Unsafe)
QuickTime:ItemList:Audio:ArtDirector
QuickTime:ItemList:Audio:Comment
QuickTime:ItemList:Audio:Director
QuickTime:ItemList:Audio:Producer
QuickTime:ItemList:Audio:ExecutiveProducer
QuickTime:Keys:Other:Comment
QuickTime:Keys:Other:Director
QuickTime:Keys:Other:Producer
QuickTime:UserData:Video:Comment
QuickTime:UserData:Video:Director
QuickTime:UserData:Video:ProducerKeywords
QuickTime:UserData:Video:Producer
XMP:XMP-exif:Image:UserComment
XMP:XMP-xmpDM:Image:DMComment
XMP:XMP-xmpDM:Image:Director
XMP:XMP-xmpDM:Image:DirectorPhotography
XMP:XMP-xmpDM:Image:LogComment
XMP:XMP-xmpDM:Image:MarkersComment (Flattened,List)
XMP:XMP-xmpDM:Image:TracksMarkersComment (Flattened,List)
XMP:XMP-xmpMM:Other:VersionsComments (Flattened,List)

Im not good with synonyms, but "Cast|Actor" and "Screenwrit" never found anything, but if you can think of more synonyms, I can search for them.
Im no idea which tags are best to write, but thinking the experts might, and also probably even knowing the synonyms from often writing to them?
You only need Group:TagName if you have the same TagName in another group, or dont prefer the default-group, so usually never need them!

The exiftool also lets you create your own custom tags, so you could create a list-type tag called MovieCast, and put the names in there.
From reading the forums, most people say these custom tags are great, but then other applications often do not see them.

[StarGeek]

I get : PLIST:Cast, PLIST:Producers, PLIST:Screenwriters, PLIST:Directors, PLIST:Studio, PLIST:Comment,

Unfortunately, exiftool cannot write PLIST tags.  As Luuk2005 says, you'll have to find similar tags to write to.  See the Quicktime tags page.

Also, I don't believe that exiftool can insert cover art into a video.  You might look at AtomicParsley.  It's an older program and I don't think it's easy to learn, but I do know that Youtube-DL uses it to insert thumbnails into videos.