Freeware to cycle through text files

I intend to archive my digital photos along with a text file describing the
story behind each photo. I'm not confident that all the output produced by
all these HTML photo album software programs will be easily readable even
10 years from now. I figure keeping the raw image and a text file will give
me the most flexibility in the face of changing web standards, changes in
OS, etc.

Is there a freeware program right now that will cycle through the text files
in a directory. I know Irfanview has this capability, but if the text file
is very large, it reduces the text size to the point of illegibily.

M

"Michael Laplante" <mike004@telus.net> wrote in
news:yBQFf.180393$6K2.167064@edtnps90:

> I intend to archive my digital photos along with a text file
> describing the story behind each photo. I'm not confident that all the
> output produced by all these HTML photo album software programs will
> be easily readable even 10 years from now. I figure keeping the raw
> image and a text file will give me the most flexibility in the face of
> changing web standards, changes in OS, etc.
>
> Is there a freeware program right now that will cycle through the text
> files in a directory. I know Irfanview has this capability, but if the
> text file is very large, it reduces the text size to the point of
> illegibily.
>
> M
>
>
>

In similar circumstance, I use Speed Reader or TextView.
These are file browsers for text files. Speed Reader, for example, will
let you browse a folder of text files just by tapping the down-arrow key.
TextView is also excellent, just pay attention to the instructions.

Speed Reader
http://www.cybia.co.uk/reader.htm
TextView
http://www.flos-freeware.ch/textview.html

By the way, I think you're wise to keep it basic with text files.

--
Regards,
Tom McD

Embed the comments in the jpg file (if using jpg) under either a IPTC or
EXIF tag. You can do this by using faststone image viewer (in full
screen mode move the mouse left of the screen and then put the cursor in
the exif or iptc comment) XNview might also allow the editing of
comments as does irfanview for jpg comments I think.

Then, you can use copernicus desktop search to index the iptc or exif
data, then you can do image searches on the tags extremely quickly.

Now you don't have to worry about losing the information as it is
embedded in the jpg.



Michael Laplante wrote:
> I intend to archive my digital photos along with a text file describing the
> story behind each photo. I'm not confident that all the output produced by
> all these HTML photo album software programs will be easily readable even
> 10 years from now. I figure keeping the raw image and a text file will give
> me the most flexibility in the face of changing web standards, changes in
> OS, etc.
>
> Is there a freeware program right now that will cycle through the text files
> in a directory. I know Irfanview has this capability, but if the text file
> is very large, it reduces the text size to the point of illegibily.
>
> M
>
>

"Jast" <jastx@jastx.com> wrote in message
news:43e8536f$0$30954$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
> Embed the comments in the jpg file (if using jpg) under either a IPTC or
> EXIF tag. You can do this by using faststone image viewer (in full

Yeah, I'm doing that as well. However, in the future, I want to be able to
read the text as I go through the files to know what the history and story
of the photo is.

Yes, I also know that Irfanview and other programs will let you view the
embedded text but I'm thinking LONG term here. I don't expect these programs
to be around in two decades. The JPG format with its embedded text might not
even be here in two decades so I may end up converting to new formats in the
future. The new formats might not import the text data. I figure the safest,
most flexible solution is straight text files combined with image files.

So my original request still stands. Right now I'm putting all my comments
in a Treepad file -- it's a straight text file, and Treepad is a standalone
program that will read the file and still allow me some degree of
"searchability."

M

"Tom McDonald" <invalid@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:Xns97631B8B8EA6Bmac4reaoptdnet@204.186.200.105...
> "Michael Laplante" <mike004@telus.net> wrote in
> news:yBQFf.180393$6K2.167064@edtnps90:
> In similar circumstance, I use Speed Reader or TextView.

Thanks for that! SpeedReader looks interesting with its ability to read both
images and text. I'll try em out.

M

Michael Laplante wrote:
> "Jast" <jastx@jastx.com> wrote in message
> news:43e8536f$0$30954$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
>>Embed the comments in the jpg file (if using jpg) under either a IPTC or
>>EXIF tag. You can do this by using faststone image viewer (in full

> Yeah, I'm doing that as well. However, in the future, I want to be able to
> read the text as I go through the files to know what the history and story
> of the photo is.
>
> Yes, I also know that Irfanview and other programs will let you view the
> embedded text but I'm thinking LONG term here. I don't expect these programs
> to be around in two decades. The JPG format with its embedded text might not
> even be here in two decades so I may end up converting to new formats in the
> future. The new formats might not import the text data. I figure the safest,
> most flexible solution is straight text files combined with image files.
>
> So my original request still stands. Right now I'm putting all my comments
> in a Treepad file -- it's a straight text file, and Treepad is a standalone
> program that will read the file and still allow me some degree of
> "searchability."

Good choice. FWIW - I use a spreadsheet. . .

If you want maximum ease of viewing (and the ability to convert
everything in one swell foop somewhere down the road) you could paste
the text comments into a drawing program and save them as as JPGs. I did
something that with a small selection of photos a while back. IIRC I
created a blank JPG with a colored background, pasted the text comments
in using IrfanView and saved with a new file name (similar to the name
of the image). Makes a nice slideshow presentation - IMO.

Susan
--
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Worrying about the future of jpgs is nearly pointless as you are already
in that format are you not? Any format could become obsolete. So if for
some strange reason the jpg format does becomes obsolete and suddenly
every single computer instantly becomes unable to read or convert the
many many trillions of jpgs world wide then I think not having the text
is the least of your worries. Yes, jpg's may become obsolete one day but
then all you have to do is convert them all to the next format, a simple
batch job that the many image viewers will be able to do by then. IPTC
does specifically what you want to do and also keeps the image text
embedded with the photo so that it cannot be mixed up. Why invent less
efficient ways of doing what you want to do exactly!

Unless you find an application that lets you store the text separately
and somehow links the photo to the text so that both are on screen at
once, I think you are wasting lots of time when technology is already
available to do what you want (EXIF and IPTC). And, even if you do find
software that allows you to read the comments, from a separate file,
while looking at the photo, it could also go obsolete.

Other things to consider (if you really are trying to predict the
future) are if you keep a separate file for the text then again future
technologies could possibly render it obsolete as future file systems
may not allow you to keep them both files together, ie, instead it may
store all your photos somewhere and you might simple ask the computer to
show you all the photos from the party a few years ago where you happen
to meet that rocket scientist). So making decisions based on the future
of jpgs does seem a little pointless unless you have a crystal ball

Not only could jpg files become obsolete, but what about pdf, txt, excel
and many other ones! What is the difference between a jpg and text file,
sure one is more complex then the other, but still they are both just
data files to a computer.

Wow, didn't really mean to go on like this

Anyway good luck with whatever decision you make.





Michael Laplante wrote:
> "Jast" <jastx@jastx.com> wrote in message
> news:43e8536f$0$30954$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
>> Embed the comments in the jpg file (if using jpg) under either a IPTC or
>> EXIF tag. You can do this by using faststone image viewer (in full
>
> Yeah, I'm doing that as well. However, in the future, I want to be able to
> read the text as I go through the files to know what the history and story
> of the photo is.
>
> Yes, I also know that Irfanview and other programs will let you view the
> embedded text but I'm thinking LONG term here. I don't expect these programs
> to be around in two decades. The JPG format with its embedded text might not
> even be here in two decades so I may end up converting to new formats in the
> future. The new formats might not import the text data. I figure the safest,
> most flexible solution is straight text files combined with image files.
>
> So my original request still stands. Right now I'm putting all my comments
> in a Treepad file -- it's a straight text file, and Treepad is a standalone
> program that will read the file and still allow me some degree of
> "searchability."
>
> M
>
>

"Jast" <jastx@jastx.com> wrote in message
news:43e921ec$0$15128$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
> Worrying about the future of jpgs is nearly pointless as you are already
> in that format are you not? Any format could become obsolete.

You answer your own observation later on -- there will likely always be a
"transition" phase between popular formats. There will be programs that will
convert between them, I'm sure. However, I wouldn't bet for certain that any
new format would use EXIF or IPTC info. Text is going to be around forever,
so keeping keeping it in a separate file is a good idea.

(BTW, remember that the popular image format in the early 90s was the PCX
file and the BMP file. When is the last time you saw one of those?)

>Yes, jpg's may become obsolete one day but then all you have to do is
>convert them all to the next format, a simple batch job that the many image
>viewers will be able to do by then. IPTC does specifically what you want to
>do and also keeps the image text embedded with the photo so that it cannot
>be mixed up.

Again though, during the conversion, IPTC / EXIF data may not be a feature
of the new format.

> Unless you find an application that lets you store the text separately and
> somehow links the photo to the text so that both are on screen at once

XnView does this now. HTML is another alternative. (Although it's likely to
disappear too.) Treepad and Irfanview work well together as well.

> I think you are wasting lots of time when technology is already available
> to do what you want (EXIF and IPTC).

See my comments above.

> And, even if you do find software that allows you to read the comments,
> from a separate file, while looking at the photo, it could also go
> obsolete.

I agree. However, simple text offers a better chance of being manipulated so
that it could be used by any programs in the future.

> So making decisions based on the future of jpgs does seem a little
> pointless unless you have a crystal ball

I don't have a crystal ball. That's why I'm looking at the most flexible
options -- separate images and text, I feel, are the best way to achieve
that.

Thanx for some food for thought though. . .

M