Navigation
Getting StartedRenaming Images
Text File Support
Managing Files
PicnamView - a free viewer program
Text File Support: Adding Information to Images - Templates
Adding Information to Images
Picnam allows you to record information about your images in text files. The files are created in the same folder with the same name as the image, with the file extension changed to ".txt". When you use Picnam to rename, move, copy or delete an image, any associated text file is also processed. This keeps the text file together with the image.
The text files can be very large if necessary. Under Windows 2000 and Windows XP the size is limited only by the amount of memory on your computer. Under Windows 98 the text files are limited to about 32KB in size. That is equivalent to 5 - 10 printed pages of text.
There are a number of advantages to using text files to store the information instead of other methods that keep it in a database or embed it in the image file.
- The data is in a format where it is easily found and easily readable on any platform. People don't need to know where to look for it - they can see the text file. You don't need any special software to create or update the files - you can use any text editor, eg. Notepad. Picnam just makes it easier.
- If you send the images via email or disk it is easy to select both files to send the information with the image. The recipient will be able to see that the information is there because they see the 2 files. Just as importantly, it is easy to not send the extra information if it is not appropriate. You don't need to create a new copy of the image without the data.
- Text files are easy to use from other programs. It is relatively easy to create a program to use the text files to generate web pages with captions etc.
- Text files can be easily searched using standard search facilities.
Entering Text
Enter any information you like in the box under the image. The box where you enter the text shrinks to 1 line when there is no text to maximise the space for the image. When you start editing text the box is enlarged to give you more space. The actual size of the box when it contains text can be adjusted by dragging the border up or down. The contents are limited to plain text for maximum compatibility with other programs.
Deleting Text
If you delete all the text in the text box, the text file itself will be deleted.
Other Files with the Same Name
Sometimes there may be additional files with the same name. For example there might be both a JPG and a TIFF version of the same image. Since the text files are created by changing the extension to ".txt" they would both point to the same text file. This is not recommended, as it can become confusing, but Picnam tries to be intelligent in how the text files are processed.
When you edit text, the text for both images is changed as they both share the same text file.
When moving an image from one directory to another, if there is another file with the same name (less extension) in the source directory, the text file will be copied rather than moved. The assumption is that the text file is probably related to all the files in the group, so it is still relevant to the files left behind.
When moving or copying, if there is already a text file in the target directory with the same name, Picnam compares the files. If the files are identical the operation proceeds. If the files are different, you will be asked if you want to replace the target file. If you say no, the operation is cancelled. You then need to manually determine which version you want to keep.