Import filename data into custom fileds

[tpennel@gmail.com]

Hi
I would like to create custom fields in aperture with information from the image filename.
(I use aperture for sorting histology slides)

i.e.
Sample001-HE-Distal-10.jpeg

Custom fields:
Tile>Sample
Stain>HE
Side>Distal
Magnification>10

Does anyone know of an applescript that would be able to extract this to custom fields within aperture or another way around the problem

Thanks
Tim

[KirbyKrieger]

Here's another way round it.

Use the "File Name" variable in the Filter Rule "Aperture" to filter for text in your file name.  Set these up as Smart Albums, and then use keywords to tag your images.  (And you can nest your keywords, e.g.: "Stains" as a keyword group, and "HE" and others as children of this parent.  You could even do "Magnifications" and "10x", "20x", "100x" etc.  In general, keywords provide much greater administrative utility than custom fields.)

Are the images already in Aperture, or is this something you want to do on import?

[tpennel@gmail.com]

Thanks for the suggestion definitely a slick way around the problem, just going to have to get my head around using the preset fields.

I am busy importing the images at the moment at this stage most of them are in aperture already, the database is not that big at the moment but it's going to explode soon so want to get it right from the beginning

Tim

[KirbyKrieger]

It is (I'm sure you know) important that your file-naming convention be rigorously applied (you are using it to encode information; where it is not rigorously applied it will be difficult and perhaps impossible to correctly decode the information).  You might set up a manual validation system before import.  Name Mangler is a program I use and recommend.  It handles tens and even hundreds of thousands of rewrites with aplomb.

If your images are currently grouped in Finder folders, you should look into importing using "File→Import Folders as Projects".

Keywords are just text tags applied to records in the image database.  Aperture comes with built-in Keywording tools.  Custom metadata fields allow for multi-line text input.  I create a custom "Comments" field in all of my Aperture Libraries.  You may find something like that useful in one way or another.  

Good Luck.