This discussion is tied to the “taking notes for whole items instead of separate photos” discussions. So I wondered if there could be a feature when an item could be created without a photo, and then attach notes as well as metadata to the item. Sometimes, for whatever reasons, I forego taking a photo in the archives, but take notes on an item, and it would be very useful to be able to add the notes in Tropy with all the other notes.
1 Like
Hi! you can do that already. To do so, go to File > New > Item. You can then add photos to that item just as you would add photos to an item that already contains photos. (Check out the documentation on this here: https://docs.tropy.org/using_tropy/add_files.html).
Yes, but you cannot add notes unless you add a photo, or so it seems to me. It would be very useful to be able to add an item and add notes to it even if I have no photo attached to the item.
Or is there something I have missed?
1 Like
That is an excellent point–notes attach to photos, so if you don’t have a photo, you can’t have a note. We will address that! Thanks for bringing that up!
2 Likes
Thanks! That would be very useful.
I agree with nicobarr’s suggestion. It would also be useful when you know some documents are missing in a file (e.g. minutes of meetings on specific dates) – it’s a way to show it in your list so that you don’t forget it does exist.
Thanks for your work !
1 Like
One workaround that may be useful is to write the name and archival information for your document on a piece of paper and then photograph that paper and use your photograph of your paper to create the item that you want to attach notes to.
1 Like
This is a great suggestion! Thanks for mentioning it!
1 Like
I was just writing this (see below), before I saw your post. I strongly support nicobarr’s suggestion, thanks a lot for this. I might add that it’s still useful that notes are attached to single photos, which allows indeed to work very precisely with the notes tool. I could imagine having 3 different types of notes: 1) notes attached to an item, 2) attached to a file, 3) independent notes, neither linked to an item nor a file, as for example in Zotero.
“I was wondering if there was a way to edit notes that could be attached to the superior item, instead of single image files.
Since there is no way to import files directly from the camera device, I usually create new ‘empty’ items when in the archives, entering metadata first, and adding the photo files later. In a file that has no photo attached, I cannot edit any note, since notes are linked to individual photos, not to the encompassing item. It would be really useful though to have a notepad when working with the metadata item only.
this is only one possible scenario where a notepad linked to the whole item could be necessary, but I guess there must be other scenarios, so I would be glad to have your feedback on this.”
I also strongly support Nicobar proposition, for the reason that in some of the archives where I work I cannot even bring the camera, so all my notes are in word files… But then I use these notes together with pictures taken in other archives on the same topic… so it would be wonderful to have all in one place.
1 Like
Hi! I was wondering if there is any update on this? It still doesn’t seem possible to work with the note tool in ‘empty’ items? Thank you!