■ Search for JPG without location information

Having GPS longitude and latitude in your photo metadata comes handy, especially if you have the means to search for photos by location using Deskrule. Most modern phones and cameras add location metadata in JPG photos and videos you shoot. There are certain circumstances wiping out location metadata when you share photos. So how do you tell which of your photos are lacking GPS info?

Usually a file search consists of finding existing attributes like a name. How do you track the absense of an attribute? Using "advanced" boolean logic (NOT keyword). In case of text attributes like file Comments or Author it is easy to use Deskrule's search toolbars with the special search keyword -? . The leading minus means "not" and the question mark ? is a wildcard that matches anything, thus -? means NOT ANYTHING (=nothing, as in not too bad :)

Tracking missing numeric properties like Latitude and Longitude on the other hand isn't as simple as missing Authors. It isn't rocket science either, you just need Deskrule's advanced search panel. Extend and dock the advanced search panel as in the pic below. Then use Add new rule button twice, to add a name property (we need .JPG photos), and another for location e.g. LatitudeDecimal. Note we don't need longitude, if a pic doesn't have latitude it won't have longitude either.

Valid values for latidute are from -90 to 90 degrees, covering the entire earth from north to south. So a rule like LatitudeDecimal >= -90 in essense matches all photos with valid GPS information, it is the equivalent of a * wildcard. We then turn this property upside down using NOT boolean context (see the property details above) and start the search. Any photo with valid GPS will not be matched, only those that have no latitude, job done!

TIP: an easy way to prefill the advanced search rules is to first do a mock search using the easy to access Deskrule toolbar search boxes (you can show the latitude box using the location button gps

). Then immediately stop the search and browse the advanced search panel; you only need to convert the latidude rule to boolean NOT!

ps. If you have xplorer² ultimate edition, you can also search for the missing latitude photo property. xplorer² isn't very good searching for negative number properties but it can be done. First add the property System.GPS.LatitudeDecimal using Tools > Advanced options menu (under System property list), then add a programmable column that replicates the detection rule as such:

	${File extension}=".jpg" & !(${GPS.LatitudeDecimal}>-90)

Then start search using just this rule on the programmable column (will be equal to 1 for matching photos). Now that I think about it, it will be easier to put the JPG extension in the Named field of the search dialog and remove it from the programmable rule above. Lots of ways to skin a cat!

■ Search for JPG without location information

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