ACDSee Pro 3

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Compound searches

(9 posts)

  • Philip Weir
    Member

    Has anyone come across a problem with multiple criteria for searches? I've tried to use a search that includes a single keyword and specifies a single directory. The search fails to complete after more than 5 minutes. The search of the entire DB for the single keyword on its own takes less than 5 secs and returns 1117 images. The single folder has 745 files, of which 252 have the keyword, and ACDP3 displays the directory in less than 5 secs - usually about 1-2secs.

    Posted On October 16, 2009 - 10:28 AM (1 month ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • Sam Dring
    Moderator

    Philip

    I would normally do such a search using Selective Browsing 'cos I find it easier.  However, I just tried it and it didn't work.  I then tried Search Pane and after 5 mins it was still showing 0% progress (bottom right).  I then tried Pro 2.5 and neither approach worked either!!

    I'm pretty sure I have used this sort of search on many occasions but obviously not since 2.5 came out.

     

    Posted On October 16, 2009 - 12:33 PM (1 month ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • John Radcliffe
    Member

    I seem to remember this as an old bug. I don't have Pro3 on this computer, but in v2 I tried searching the entire db for a Keyword: the search took no more than a second or two. I then restricted it to a single folder and gave up waiting.

    Unfortunately, I don't find searching these new forums as successful as on the old ones (partly because I don't know of any way to restrict the search to a particular user), so I haven't been able to find an applicable thread.

    Posted On October 16, 2009 - 01:25 PM (1 month ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • Philip Weir
    Member

    Sam Dring said:

    Philip

    I would normally do such a search using Selective Browsing 'cos I find it easier.  However, I just tried it and it didn't work.  I then tried Search Pane and after 5 mins it was still showing 0% progress (bottom right).  I then tried Pro 2.5 and neither approach worked either!!

    I'm pretty sure I have used this sort of search on many occasions but obviously not since 2.5 came out.

     

     It was definitely a bug in 2.5 and I had reported it to tech support and hoped they would have had it fixed in 3.0 but no such luck. I've now reported it again.

    Sam - How do you mean selective browsing? What I really want to do is browse a single folder and then select only those images with a certain keyword. Do you know how I could do that easily?

    Posted On October 16, 2009 - 01:44 PM (1 month ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • Philip Weir
    Member

    Just found that I can use the group>keywords option in the browser. Doesn't give me exactly what I need but it's close enough!

    Posted On October 16, 2009 - 02:12 PM (1 month ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • Sam Dring
    Moderator

    Philip Weir said:

    Sam Dring said:

    Philip

    I would normally do such a search using Selective Browsing 'cos I find it easier.  However, I just tried it and it didn't work.  I then tried Search Pane and after 5 mins it was still showing 0% progress (bottom right).  I then tried Pro 2.5 and neither approach worked either!!

    I'm pretty sure I have used this sort of search on many occasions but obviously not since 2.5 came out.

     

     It was definitely a bug in 2.5 and I had reported it to tech support and hoped they would have had it fixed in 3.0 but no such luck. I've now reported it again.

    Sam - How do you mean selective browsing? What I really want to do is browse a single folder and then select only those images with a certain keyword. Do you know how I could do that easily?

     

    Philip

    The following screenshot shows what I would do (easier than search pane) but it doesn't work!

    Select a folder, select a keyword then Selective Browsing

    Attached Image:

    Attached Files

    1. 2009-10-16_153754.jpg
    Posted On October 16, 2009 - 02:40 PM (1 month ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • Marc Sabatella
    Moderator

    There's usually a bunch of ways to accomplish things like this in ACDSee.  FWIW, I just tried doing a search using "with the text" to match a keyword and choosing a folder in the folder box, and it worked as expected (although it did take maybe a couple of seconds longer than a search of the entire db for the same db), so I'm guesing whatever triggers this bug, it might be dependent on one's database, since I have occasionally seen behavior like this temporarily.  I wonder if optimizing the db would help. Also, usually I find that kill an apparently hung search then immediately repeating it works fine.

    Anyhow, some alternate methods to conisder if neither optimizing nor repeating the search helps::

    - Selective browsing, as Sam mentions.  You enable this from the View menu (or ctrl-shift-L).  Check thehelp for more info, but basically, it's a mdoe that lets you combine the effects of the folders, calendar, and organize windows.  To use it search by keyword, I guess you'd use the Auto Categories facility within the Organize window in conjunction with the Folders window.

    - I do virtually all my search using Quick Search, as I find the regular search window clumsy.  If I want to search for a keyword and folder name, I simply type both into the quick search box (eg, "PROOF Cats" to find all pictures of cats in folders who name starts with PROOF.  This might not work so hot if your folders are really randomly named, but if you've got a syystem to your folder naming - and situations like this are a greta reaosn to have a system - then it works great.

    - The "group by keywords" feature does indeed work well if you're already in the folder, although it's a little indirect because then you have to scroll the toc to find the keyword you want.

    - Lots of searches that might not otherwise possible can be made so by use of the "tag" function (the little checkbox on each picture).  Do a search of the entire db for the keyword, select all, tag; then visit the folder you want, filter on tagged (assuming of course you know nothing was tagged there previously).

    - If your folders are being used to organize by date, then consider just using the date as the criteria instead of Folder.  Similarly for whatever else you might be using folders to indicate.  My general advice is always that folders be used to organize by stuff that matters for basic *file* management purposes (stuff for which the actual *content* of the files is irrelevant - like organizing by date, or according to which DVD these files are being backed up to, etc), but use the database (keywords, categories, notes, captions, calendar events, etc) to organize based on anything more high level than that (eg, to organize "pictures taken during Christmas vacation", etc).

    Posted On October 16, 2009 - 02:41 PM (1 month ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • Philip Weir
    Member

    Marc/Sam, thanks for the advice. I'd already done a DB optomize so I'm now exploring some of the other techniques you mention. Never knew about selective browsing - looks like something worthing having a look at.

    Posted On October 16, 2009 - 02:59 PM (1 month ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • finlays
    Member

    I really like my Pro3 for all that it does so well. However, setting batch IPTC keywords and searching for images by those keywords can be really frustrating. Check out a little free program called iTag if you prefer using IPTC keywords. It does a great job of batch setting keywords and does a much faster and simpler job of searching than ACDsee Pro 3

    Posted On October 16, 2009 - 07:07 PM (1 month ago) (Permalink to this post)

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