Multiline tag values

[paulmapcreator]

Hi,

I'm having trouble adding multiline tagvalues to a pdf, the readme states that I should use '$' but that doesn't work (the $-sign isn't replaced internally into a newline).

For encoding reasons I use the -@ arglist option.
Have tried to surround the multiline value with "" but that didn't work either (files weren't updated due to errors).

Any solutions to this?

[StarGeek]

You might want to read FAQ 21.  It's not DollarSign $, it's DollarSignSlash $/ and you would use it in a redirection rather than assignment.  For example, in your arg file to set Description, you would use
-description<Line One$/Line Two

No quotes in an arg file unless you actually want quotes in the metadata.

Myself, I tend to use the -E option and insert the HTML entity. In an Arg file it would be:
-E
-description=Line One&#x0a;Line Two

[paulmapcreator]

Both (through args file and as command line parameter) options result in the description being line1$/line2... (when using -t -s as parameters to view the tags).

Perhaps it's indeed better to html-encode it, but I'm not sure if those tags are being put in a system that's going to display it as html...

[Phil Harvey]

Both methods work for me (note that I'm on a Mac so I need to use single quotes around the '$', and also note that the newline shows up as a '.' in the -t -s output):

Code Select Expand

> exiftool a.jpg '-description<line1$/line2'
    1 image files updated
> exiftool a.jpg -description -t -s
Description line1.line2
> exiftool a.jpg -E "-description=Line One&#x0a;Line Two"
    1 image files updated
> exiftool a.jpg -description -t -s
Description Line One.Line Two

If you don't get the same results, try updating to the current version of ExifTool.

- Phil

[paulmapcreator]

Thanks, it's working now!

In the end, what I did wrong was using "=" instead of "<"

[Phil Harvey]

Ah yes.  That's been known to happen. 

- Phil

[paulmapcreator]

Too bad that < isn't working for single line tags...

[Phil Harvey]

Too bad that < isn't working for single line tags...

You'll have to be more specific.  I'm sure it works, but I suspect you are doing something wrong.

- Phil

[paulmapcreator]

The command I'm using is:
exiftool -config "exiftool_fotostation.config" test.pdf -@ exifparams.lst
if I have in the exifparams.lst
-description=multi line comment$/and this is the second one
or
-description<single line comment
then no description is present in the pdf.

For singleline I have to have
-description=single line comment
and for multiline I have to have
-description<multi line comment$/and this is the second one
to get a description in the pdf.

Exiftool version 10.6.1.0

[Phil Harvey]

Hi Paul,

For singleline I have to have
-description=single line comment
and for multiline I have to have
-description<multi line comment$/and this is the second one
to get a description in the pdf.

OK, so you are using it correctly.  You need to use "=" if you aren't copying the value of a tag.  In this context, "$/" is a special tag with the value of a newline.  Using an HTML escape sequence is more efficient if this works for you:

Code Select Expand

-E
-description=single line comment
-description=multi line comment
and this is the second one

- Phil

[paulmapcreator]

Ok, thanks