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Controlled Vocabulary Keyword Catalog
Hello,
I started working for a non-profit that is in the initial stages of integrating CATDV. They have a lot of footage in all different kinds of formats (P2, DVCAM, etc.) from locations all around the world.
We are looking at the daunting task of trying to create a consistent metadata scheme for all these videos files. I cringe at the thought of just letting editors go at it… I am afraid they will create a hodgepodge of misspelled non-intuitive tags that will do more harm than good and have no logical, hierarchical structure.
I was wondering if it is possible to download a controlled vocabulary list like this one:
https://www.controlledvocabulary.com/products/bridge.html
and use it in CATDV. Furthermore, after having done so to lock out anyone creating additional keywords without proper permission. The example above works with Adobe Bridge and I wondered if it would work with CATDV…
Any other related insights would be welcomed.
Thanks,
Jeff Schaap -
8 Replies
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In CatDV you can create a list called a “multi” in the user defined fields that would allow you to select multiple keywords and avoid the misspellings common in generic text boxes!
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Also, when they do mess up, you can find by the misspelled words and then “bulk edit” them all to clear up mistakes.
It’s a nice way to “groom” your data from time to time.
bryson
bryson “at” hidefcowboy.com
hidefcowboy.com
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Well, the “controlled vocabulary” list I am talking about is 70,000 words and is hierarchical… I don’t think it is plausible to manually enter all those words into a multi-list. I am surprised that CatDV can’t use a pre-defined list like this the way Adobe Bridge and other asset management programs can.
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There are so many features missing from Bridge compared to CatDV that it strikes me as a little unfair to focus on that. CatDV comes from a production and media management background, less from the database side. That’s why it has so many media management features that others don’t, and also it’s likely why the db side might be a bit thinner than some, if that’s even true when you dig deeper.
As far as “manually adding” data. You can add items to pull downs in CatDV by cutting and pasting. So while 70,000 hierarchical items is a stretch, by using user fields to create the hierarchy, a good programmer could easily drop thousands of options into the database relatively quickly, making for literally millions of ways to chop your data. Several sites have fields that have “pull down lists” that go into the hundreds of options. (KD may have seen larger sets) They start typing and it fills in until you are there. It’s pretty easy to manage and again, “manual” entry can be quick if you have the existing dataset to bring in since hundreds of items can be brought in at a time.
(we see this a lot when importing tape library databases where the “TAPE ID” field might have thousands of entries that become options when adding a clip to the catalog.)
The even bigger thing is that the bulk edit feature in CatDV makes it less critical because if someone does make a mistake, you can go in and bulk edit every misspelled item in one quick swoop. Search, find, edit, done. Instead of having to do one record at a time like “most” traditional asset managers. That tends to make the “pre-entered” lists less critical.
Different apps for different things. If there was a perfect one it’d be too expensive for any of us. lol
bryson
bryson “at” hidefcowboy.com
hidefcowboy.com
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As Bryson says, you can easily paste a list of keywords into a picklist, and there’s no problem having 70,000 or more values in it. What’s currently missing is a way to select these hierarchically in the user inteface (that’s an outstanding feature request we may look at in a future version). You can select them by starting to type a few characters and having it autocomplete however.
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Thanks for all of your responses. First, let me say that I my comments about CatDV’s lack of a hierarchical keyword structure wasn’t intended as an indictment against it. Clearly, it has extensive features and versatility. I have virtually no experience with any other products like it. Adobe Bridge is my closest reference point and that is why I drew the comparison. I realize it is a different tool for a different purpose than Bridge. I think you can see though, how a hierarchical structure might be a good thing.
If I can copy / paste a large list like the one I linked into a picklist then it may be a good answer. It is not exactly what I pictured but still good. Definitely, my aim is to limit “free form” entry fields. Can you prevent someone from entering additional terms into the picklist and force a choice from something in the list?
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Yes in the Enterprise server you can make a pick list locked based on a user name, password and permissions. You can also make a field required so it must be filled out prior to publishing to the database!
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Yes, you can configure a pick list to be “extensible” (allow user to type in new values) or not.
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