- Apr 23, 2014
- 537
- 1
- 11,015
Here's my issue in detail:
I've been procrastinating organizing my huge collection of computer files for a while now, mostly because the current hierarchical system of organizing files does not fit my particular needs, for example, I have files that belong in more than one location/folder.
Theoretically I could simply create a shortcut for these files, but obviously this is not ideal as it does not act like the original file, for example, say I've downloaded several pictures from an anime, and I have them sorted into folders with the character's names, obviously if a picture contains more than one character than it belongs in more than one folder, and thus where the problem begins, as I don't want to create duplicates and take up extra space. If one were to simply create a shortcut to that file in another folder, the shortcut would not act like the original file, and would not appear in photo-viewing software if you were viewing that particular directory with the shortcut. This is a problem.
I am aware that you can tag files within Windows, HOWEVER, you cannot tag PNGs, GIFs, SWFs, among many other files, which of course is a huge issue for me, and thus tagging is essentially useless. This is a sad reality. I've looked into tagging software, but they still aren't exactly ideal, and some aren't supported well, nor are they supported cross-platform. I also looked into hard links a bit, but I can still find issues with that system, I'll elaborate if requested.
And finally, here's my question. I have no experience with databases or SQLs, but it has been suggested to me that a relational database for all of my files may be the answer to my organization woes, however, I don't know where to start to create one, and I have a few questions about it, such as will the database work offline? Can it be transferred to other computers? Can it separate files and have essentially sub-tags? Could it potentially work on mobile devices as well? If I receive a response I may have additional questions.
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this post, and I sincerely hope you can assist me in this endeavor. Any help will most certainly be appreciated.
P.S. Users have the luxury to tag all their pictures, videos, and flash games, and essentiall ANY files online on image-hosting sites and such, why shouldn't we have the same ability in our OSes for our local files? It's not quite fair is it?
I've been procrastinating organizing my huge collection of computer files for a while now, mostly because the current hierarchical system of organizing files does not fit my particular needs, for example, I have files that belong in more than one location/folder.
Theoretically I could simply create a shortcut for these files, but obviously this is not ideal as it does not act like the original file, for example, say I've downloaded several pictures from an anime, and I have them sorted into folders with the character's names, obviously if a picture contains more than one character than it belongs in more than one folder, and thus where the problem begins, as I don't want to create duplicates and take up extra space. If one were to simply create a shortcut to that file in another folder, the shortcut would not act like the original file, and would not appear in photo-viewing software if you were viewing that particular directory with the shortcut. This is a problem.
I am aware that you can tag files within Windows, HOWEVER, you cannot tag PNGs, GIFs, SWFs, among many other files, which of course is a huge issue for me, and thus tagging is essentially useless. This is a sad reality. I've looked into tagging software, but they still aren't exactly ideal, and some aren't supported well, nor are they supported cross-platform. I also looked into hard links a bit, but I can still find issues with that system, I'll elaborate if requested.
And finally, here's my question. I have no experience with databases or SQLs, but it has been suggested to me that a relational database for all of my files may be the answer to my organization woes, however, I don't know where to start to create one, and I have a few questions about it, such as will the database work offline? Can it be transferred to other computers? Can it separate files and have essentially sub-tags? Could it potentially work on mobile devices as well? If I receive a response I may have additional questions.
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this post, and I sincerely hope you can assist me in this endeavor. Any help will most certainly be appreciated.
P.S. Users have the luxury to tag all their pictures, videos, and flash games, and essentiall ANY files online on image-hosting sites and such, why shouldn't we have the same ability in our OSes for our local files? It's not quite fair is it?
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