What I really want at the moment is an option in iPhoto for it to read back data from the XML file it generates. This file’s name is AlbumData.xml and its found in your iPhoto Library.

At the moment if you take this file, change some info in it, ie search and replace for certain strings in all the comments and then re-open iPhoto it just writes over the XML with the old data that it gets from its Binary .db file ignoring any changes you made to the file.

This is rather annoying if you ask me, however i will explain a few good reasons why you might want it to read data from the file back in in a moment.

You may find that a friend that you had a few hundred photo’s of in your library with there name in every photo’s comment decided to change there name. You try changing all of the individual comments from within iPhoto, it would take you forever and a day! What you could do on the other hand is load up the xml file in TextWrangler / an xml parser and use search and replace to change all of the names in only a few seconds. Much easier than doing it manually.

Now if your wondering why there is this XML file in the Library that is updated but never read in the first place, well there is a good reason for it, Legacy Support.

Older versions of iPhoto used to use it to store all there info about each photo in it, however over time people started to complain about large libraries having slow load/access speeds so around versions 4 or 5 Apple decided to move to a proprietary binary format for all the data storage which allows for faster reading and writing, which in turn speeds up the application.

Now when they did make the change they originally just removed the XML file, however people all over the place complained like crazy because they had scripts and that sort of thing that read the old xml file to get comments and dates and things like that for there Online Web Galleries, so it appears that Apple’s developers resurrected the XML file for these people, whereby it is written out to, however never read back into iPhoto.

What i really want is the ability to load the xml data back into iPhoto so that it can be once again used to update comments and the like within iPhoto.

SO I Say Please Please Please……. Give us this functionality back. Either by allowing us to load it in via the repair database menu, or alternatively have a cmd line option or a tick box in the Preferences, under advanced options that says something like:

BTW: to get to the Repair Database menu that I mentioned before you need to hold down Cmd(Apple) + Option(Alt) keys while launching iPhoto. (Version 4 instead uses the Shift + Option Keys)

-End Rant! - Richie.

(PS: Yes i have started to use iPhoto. Version 5 is really quite snappy and responsive, plus I was getting sick of trying to keep a folder full of images organised manually.)

Well guys, as you may have seen i havn’t posted much at all in the last few weeks, until now that is.

Stuff that’s happened or i have done since the last post.

My grandfather Peter Hirschel died on Tuesday the 8th November 2005. A sad day for all. The Funeral is over in the UK, mum flew over on Sunday (13th Nov). He will be missed by all.

I have finished all my exams for the semester, and believe that all went well! even the maths which is great.

Jan has been over a fair bit, we’ve seen a few films (Saw 2, Flight Plan) and we pulled the door off his a-class to see if we could fit new speakers. We also fitted new Blue/white headlight bulbs to the car, which took some doing as the A-Class engine bay is not all that spacious.

I would like to also say Happy Birthday to a few people, Namely Laura (12th Nov), Pant (15th Nov), and Stu C (18th Nov).

Laura has also come back from her time away in the UK / Europe, and we need to catch up sometime soon.

I have been going to most Sunday breakfast’s at Finz, and they are still quite good fun. Still havn’t managed to drag Aim to one yet, however it may happen this weekend! Also One mammoth 21st this weekend, so that shall be good fun!

In Work / Dev news i have been working on my Usage widgets, and have added a few new features as well as being in the middle of rewriting the JS Code to separate functions from ISP specific data.

I am atm, and have been for a while now been working Tuesdays with dad, helping with the new Computer System ( Oasis ), and it looks like i will be down there most Wednesdays for the near future.

I have also been for a Job interview at a Lighting Tech company ( ENTTEC ) where i would be working on a few Web systems that they have going. They make some rather cool gear, namely Ethernet / Wireless DMX Transmitters, and USB DMX Interface hardware and software. Plus solid state DMX recorders for light shows at places like casino’s and Theme Parks. If i get the Job it will be rather cool!

I have also bought myself a new Amp and set of Hi-Fi Speakers, a Sony STR-DE497, and a Pair of AAD C-100i ’s which pack quite a punch.

Till next time

-Richie.