# Tropy Basics
Tropy is free open-source software that allows you to organize and describe photographs of research material.
## What is Tropy?
Tropy is free, open-source software that allows you to organize and describe photographs of research material. Once you have imported your photos into Tropy, you can combine photos into items (e.g., photos of the three pages of a letter into a single item), and group photos into lists. You can also describe the content of a photograph. Tropy uses customizable metadata templates with multiple fields for different properties of the content of your photo, for example, title, date, author, box, folder, collection, archive. You can enter information in the template for an individual photo or select multiple photos and add or edit information to them in bulk. Tropy also lets you tag photos. You can also add one or more notes to a photo; a note could be a transcription of a document. A search function lets you find material in your photos, using metadata, tags, and notes.
* Tropy is not photo editing software (e.g., Photoshop). It offers only basic editing functions (rotate, crop, zoom, and a few others) sufficient to allow you to make the content of a photo legible.
* Tropy is not a citation manager (e.g., Zotero). It does not capture metadata from online catalogs or finding aids. It does not generate citations for use in word-processing software.
* Tropy is not a platform for writing up your research (e.g., DEVONthink). While it does allow you to take notes attached to photos, you cannot use it to create any other kind of document.
* Tropy is not a platform for presenting your research online (e.g., Omeka). It operates on your personal computer, not on a server. You can export your projects to JSON-LD and to [Omeka S](https://omeka.org/s/), where you can create online exhibits.
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## Preparing to use Tropy
### Where are your photos?
To organize and describe your photos, you need to import them into Tropy. The first step in using Tropy is to identify where on your computer those photos are stored---identify the folder and how to get to it from your desktop.
### Are your photos in the format required by Tropy?
Tropy currently works with these file formats:
* JPG/JPEG
* PNG
* SVG
* TIFF
* GIF
* PDF
* JP2000
* WEBP
* HEIC
* AVIF
### Download Tropy.
To use Tropy, you need to download a copy of the software from the Download page at [tropy.org](https://tropy.org/). Tropy is free software; there is no cost to download or use it. Tropy is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Choose the version for your operating system; once Tropy has downloaded, open it and follow the prompts to install it on your computer.
\
Tropy documentation is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
# What's New
This page describes the new features from our current release.
### New in Tropy 1.10
* **New way of linking your photos!** In the past, if you've wanted to be able to move your photos around, you had to follow a somewhat hackneyed process to create what we were calling a portable project. We've gotten rid of portable projects in favor of a much easier solution--you can now [select whether you want your photos to be linked to Tropy](/other-features/preferencesmd#project) using relative paths or absolute paths.
### New in Tropy 1.7
* **Copy and paste items with metadata:** Tropy now allows you to [copy and paste](/in-the-project-view/copy-and-paste-items.) items using JSON-LD.
* **JSON-LD import:** You can now [import JSON-LD](/using-tropy/add_files#importing-json-ld-files) files as Tropy items.
* **Archive plugin:** You can now [bundle Tropy items](/other-features/export-with-archive-plugin) (photos, metadata, and notes) into a zip archive that you can transfer to another device or user.
### New in Tropy 1.6
* **New thumbnail ratios:** Tropy now renders your thumbnails with proper aspect ratio (not squares). When you first update, your thumbnails may look weird or stretched because the aspect ratio has changed. They should correct themselves automatically.
* **New import options:**
* PDF support! Hooray! Be sure to read the user guide about how and when to [use PDFs](/using-tropy/add_files#importing-large-files-from-pdf-svg).
* You can now import JPEG2000 and HEIC images.
* You can now drag certain images [straight from your web browser](/using-tropy/add_files#dragging-images-directly-from-a-web-browser) into Tropy.
* You can now move your metadata to a different field without copying and pasting. See how at [Add metadata to items.](/in-the-project-view/add_metadata)
* You can explore our new print options, including printing without metadata, without notes, or without photos. See how at [Print items](/other-features/print-items).
* You can now use Tropy in Spanish!
### New in Tropy 1.5.3
* You can now print items to a real printer (or to PDF). See how at [Print items.](/other-features/print-items)
* You can now export your notes as either HTML (how it was before) or Markdown. See how at [Export to JSON-LD.](/other-features/export)
### New in Tropy 1.5.2
* If you move your photos to a new location, Tropy can now find them with only a little input from you: see how at [Moving Photos.](https://docs.tropy.org/troubleshooting/moving-photos)
### New in Tropy 1.5.1
* You can now open multiple projects at one time: see how at [Open multiple projects.](/using-tropy/create_project#open-multiple-projects-at-the-same-time)
# Tropy Basics
Tropy is free open-source software that allows you to organize and describe photographs of research material.
## What is Tropy?
Tropy is free, open-source desktop software that allows you to organize and describe photographs of research material. Once you have imported your photos into Tropy, you can combine photos into items (e.g., photos of the three pages of a letter into a single item), and group photos into lists. You can also describe the content of a photograph. Tropy uses customizable metadata templates with multiple fields for different properties of the content of your photo, for example, title, date, author, box, folder, collection, archive. You can enter information in the template for an individual photo or select multiple photos and add or edit information to them in bulk. Tropy also lets you tag photos. You can also add one or more notes to a photo; a note could be a transcription of a document. A search function lets you find material in your photos, using metadata, tags, and notes. You can export to JSON-LD, CSV, or PDF.
* Tropy is not photo editing software (e.g., Photoshop). It offers only basic editing functions (rotate, crop, zoom, and a few others) sufficient to allow you to make the content of a photo legible. It will not make any changes to your original photos. You can save a copy of photos that you make changes to.
* Tropy is not a citation manager (e.g., Zotero). It does not capture metadata from online catalogs or finding aids. It does not generate citations for use in word-processing software.
* Tropy is not a web application. It exists on your desktop. Development is underway to allow collaboration on the web.
* Tropy is not a platform for writing up your research (e.g., DEVONthink). While it does allow you to take notes attached to photos, you cannot use it to create any other kind of word-processor document.
* Tropy is not a platform for presenting your research online (e.g., Omeka). It operates on your personal computer, not on a server. You can export your projects to JSON-LD, CSV, PDF, and [Omeka S](https://omeka.org/s/), where you can create online exhibits.
## Preparing to use Tropy
### Where are your photos?
The first step in using Tropy is to identify where on your computer your archival photos are stored---identify the folder and its location in your file system.
### Are your photos in the format required by Tropy?
Tropy currently works with these file formats:
* JPG/JPEG
* PNG
* SVG
* TIFF
* GIF
* PDF
* JP2000
* WEBP
* HEIC
* AVIF
### Download Tropy.
To use Tropy, you need to download a copy of the software from the Download page at [tropy.org](https://tropy.org/). Tropy is free software; there is no cost to download or use it. Tropy is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Choose the version for your operating system; once Tropy has downloaded, open it and follow the prompts to install it on your computer.
### Watch this [quick overview](https://vimeo.com/239557418) of Tropy's functions.
# Who owns the rights to the archival materials I use?
As you work with archival materials, remember that the owner of the materials may have legal rights to restrict your use or publication of them. Finding copyrighted materials in an archive doesn’t mean you can’t read those materials and cite them in your work. Copyright law allows archives and libraries to provide copies for use in private study, scholarship or research. However, you may need to get the permission of the copyright owner before publishing your digital photos of that material. **Putting material on a publicly accessible website constitutes publication.**
Many archives have rights statements that you have to read, acknowledge, and sign before you see any materials. Rights statements can also commonly be found in finding aids and in online catalogs. Make sure you include and record rights information as part of the metadata for items in Tropy. The default templates in Tropy include rights as a mandatory field, so that an alert appears until you complete that material. We recommend that you include a URL to the relevant information in your rights metadata, if one is available (see, for instance, [this page](https://www.masshist.org/library/permissions/citations) from the Massachusetts Historical Society).
There is considerable variation in the form and contents of the rights information provided by archives and libraries, and it is not always clear who owns the rights to material. Archives do not automatically own the copyright of material in their holdings. Donors or sellers can retain the rights for material, or they may not own the copyright of all the items they transfer to an archive. For example, a donor may not own the copyright to letters written to them, or they may have transferred the rights to someone else, such as a publisher (see [SAA, FAQs](https://www2.archivists.org/publications/brochures/copyright-and-unpublished-material)).
Material in archives may also not be under copyright. Instead, it may be in the public domain, which means the material can be used freely without permission or attribution. Copyright cannot be claimed over digital images of public domain material; you need to alter the work to be able to claim copyright. However, your use of digitized public domain material can be restricted by terms of use, such as those you agree to in order to use subscription-based databases such as ProQuest products or Ancestry.com.
## Material not protected by U.S. copyright law and always in the public domain
**Please note:** These lists apply only to U.S. copyright status. If you live or work in another country or are using material published in another country, you should check that country's copyright policies.
* U.S. federal government documents (produced by or for government agencies); note that only some state government documents are in the public domain
* Laws and legal codes
* Works whose owners waive their copyright by using the [Creative Commons 0](https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/) dedication
## Material likely in the public domain
* Works published before 1923
* Note: In copyright law, publication is defined as “distribution to the public,” which can include posters, brochures and pamphlets, as well as books
* In copyright law, unpublished material can include correspondence and photographs
* Works published between 1923 and 1977 without a copyright notice
* Works published between 1923 and 1963 if the owner did not renew the copyright
* Unpublished works older than the year of the author’s death + 70 years (in 2020, authors who died before 1950)
* Unpublished works older than 120 years from the date of creation, if the author’s death is not known, or if the author is anonymous or created the work for hire (in 2020, works created before 1900)
For more information, see ALA’s [Copyright Slider](http://librarycopyright.net/resources/digitalslider/index.html).
Copyright info courtesy of the [Public Library Partnerships Project](http://dp.la/info/about/projects/public-library-partnerships/)
# What is metadata and how do I use it?
## Using Metadata
When you take photos of archival materials, you can collect a large amount of information about your sources that will aid you in using them for your projects. It’s important to record that information as soon as possible, as it’s very easy to forget key pieces. Tropy gives you the chance to attach information to your research photos rather than keeping that information somewhere separate from your photos. But it’s still important to record the right information, in the right format.
### What is metadata and why is it important?
Metadata is descriptive information; in other words, it’s information that describes sources such as documents, images and objects.
It’s crucial that you record metadata about your sources for several reasons.
* First, metadata such as the location in the archives will allow you to craft citations that allow others to find your sources.
* Second, metadata will allow you to find specific sources and sources with particular attributes when you come to analyze and write about your research.
Structured metadata is categories or fields, such as title, date, or creator, that you fill in for every item. Tropy templates are forms created to describe particular kinds of material or material from specific collections or archives. Templates control the information you create by limiting it to a set of categories. The categories you include in a template should be the characteristics that are important to you as you use the material.
In addition, Tropy also offers tags, which provide a means of creating unstructured metadata: you can use any word or set of words, no matter how idiosyncratic, as a tag, rather than following a set of fields. You can also add as many or as few tags as you want to an item, rather than the specified set of information in a template.
### Where does metadata come from?
If you’ve been able to find sources to photograph in an archive or library, then you’ve already used metadata. Library catalogs and finding aids are full of metadata that is useful for you. Librarians and archivists craft descriptions of their collections to help researchers who use their collections, and you should absolutely take advantage of their work. Some of the metadata you’ll want to record in Tropy comes straight from the catalog or finding aid, such as archive name, collection name, and organizational elements such as identifier, box and folder.
Additional metadata comes from each individual source itself, and is known as item-level metadata. Few archival finding aids or catalogs include item-level metadata; it is more common to describe a collection only to the level of each folder in a box, or each box. For example, the [finding aid](http://rs5.loc.gov/service/mss/eadxmlmss/eadpdfmss/2003/ms003007.pdf) for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency Records at the Library of Congress records that Box 79 contains 3 folders of reports of the investigation of the Bonner Manufacturing Co. jewel theft from 1924. Item-level metadata describing those reports could include the name of the agent who wrote the report, the date of the report, the location referred to in the report, whether the report was handwritten or edited and typed, the type of investigative methods used (shadowing, undercover surveillance, informants, interviews), and the subject of the report. Features of a source included in a Tropy template are characteristics of every report; features that appear in only some sources could be tags or simply recorded in the notes.
### Using Standards and Vocabularies
Metadata can be as free-form as you want. But it’s generally best to try to record metadata using a standard that already exists. Why? Metadata standards provide consistency both within your own projects and also in the larger community of scholarship about your sources. Each category in a Tropy metadata template must be linked to a category (property) from an existing metadata standard.At present you can only use each property once in a template. Several standards, or vocabularies, are included in Tropy; you can also [add more vocabularies](/in-the-template-editor/vocabularies). Metadata specialists in almost every field of study have created many vocabularies, so there’s a good chance that whatever property you need already appears in an existing vocabulary. To search for a metadata vocabulary that meets your needs, start with [Linked Open Vocabularies](https://lov.linkeddata.es/dataset/lov).
This document provides best practices to create good metadata for the content you upload to Tropy. A template in Tropy provides a means of creating structured metadata about your sources. Each item in a Tropy project can have [its own unique template](/in-the-template-editor/create-template), though you’ll probably find that only one or two templates, or a template for each collection from which you have sources, will meet your needs. Three templates ship with Tropy; we’ve designed these basic templates to capture the information most commonly useful to researchers. In most cases, you can create a template for your research by [editing one of those templates](/in-the-template-editor/edit-templates) to add additional categories of information (fields) or deleting categories that are not important to you.
Descriptive metadata will allow you to quickly and easily locate your sources at the item level. Therefore, each item should have its own unique metadata entry, but images from the same source will often share information like collection name and location, which in Tropy are easy to add in bulk or as default values in a template. There are three main things to remember when writing good metadata:
1. Be as descriptive as possible.
2. Be consistent.
3. Pay attention to the purpose of each category/field.
## Metadata & Tropy Templates
What follows is a brief explanation of the fields used in two of the default templates that are included with Tropy. Tropy also ships with a neutral Dublin Core template, which retains the Dublin Core labels. In the template list, you'll see Tropy Photo and Tropy Photo Selection as well. While you can create additional templates for the photo and selection level, we recommend leaving the default photo and selection templates as default and doing your heavy metadata work on the item level.
### Tropy Generic
Incorporating widely used forms of archival organization (box, folder, identifier) and basic features of research material (author, date, type of source), this template is intended to provide a framework that applies to many kinds of research. Additional fields can be added to customize the template to include characteristics of specific collections. At present you can only use each property once in a template.
#### Title
*Title* is the name of the source. Documents such as books, pamphlets, and even memos have obvious titles that can be recorded in this field. Best practice for metadata suggests that you consider including more than just such a title, and use this field for a short description of the document that provides the essential information about it.
A descriptive title might repeat some of the information that you include in other categories in the template (like author, type of document, subject of the document) but including it here gives you a brief picture of the source in one place. Such a summary description would be useful in Tropy in allowing you to quickly identify the nature of a source when scrolling through your material in project view.
*Property used*: `purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/title`
#### Author
*Author* is the individual or organization responsible for creating a source.
In order to effectively organize and find sources based on names, best practice suggests the following format: Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial.
*Property used:* `purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/creator`
*Label*: The Dublin Core metadata standard was designed to be core categories applicable to a wide range of resources, so it uses *creator* rather than more specific forms such as author, filmmaker, sculptor, etc. This template replaces “creator” with “author” to reflect the specific form of the documents to which it will be applied. You could also re-label the field to “artist,” “architect,” or whatever type of creator you are working with.
#### Date
*Date* is the date a source was created. If you are unsure of the exact date, it is always better to include a date range than no date at all.
In order to effectively organize and find sources based on date, use a consistent date format like YYYY-MM-DD (known as ISO format).
*Property used*: `purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/date`
If you use ISO format, your date will automatically reformat to be more easily readable.
To indicate an uncertain date, use \~ before or the date (e.g., \~1802, or \~1802-01-01; 1802\~ or 1802-01-01\~ to indicate uncertainty about the day). Your date will reformat to include "c." This feature is still evolving and more complex date format support is planned.
*Note*: You may want to describe a source in terms of dates in addition to when it was created, such as the date or dates referred to in the source, or dates when a source was modified or edited. In these cases, there are additional metadata properties that you can use to add additional date fields to your template, such as `purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/coverage`, `purl.org/dc/terms/created`, or `purl.org/dc/terms/modified`.
#### Type
*Type* is the type or genre of source. This could be a type of document (e.g., correspondence, book, pamphlet, memo, form) or genre of document (e.g., autobiography, psychiatric report, trial transcript). It could also be a type or genre of image or object (e.g., painting, map, diagram, cartoon).
In order to effectively organize and finds sources based on type, use consistent terms or a controlled vocabulary. [The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative Type Vocabulary](http://dublincore.org/documents/2003/02/12/dcmi-type-vocabulary/) and [Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus](http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabularies/aat/) are good resources.
*Property used*: `purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/type`
#### Archive
*Archive* is the location at which the source can be found, e.g., the Library of Congress.
*Property used*: `purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/source`
You could copy and modify this template to create a template for a specific archive. If you added a default value in this field, you would not have to enter the information for each item or group of items.
#### Collection
*Collection* is the name of the collection of which the source is a part, e.g., the Pinkerton National Detective Agency Records. You should consult a catalog or finding aid to ensure that you use the correct title for a collection.
*Property used*: tropy.org/v1/tropy#collection
Existing metadata vocabularies do not offer elements that fit the way that archival material is typically organized. For that reason, Tropy includes a limited number of custom metadata elements.
You could copy and modify this template to create a template for a specific archive. If you added a default value in this field, you would not have to enter the information for each item or group of items.
#### Box
*Box* is the unit in the collection which the source can be found. This category may not be needed for all sources, as not all collections use boxes as a form of organization, or label or number boxes. If that is the case, you could copy and modify this template to create one for such a collection by deleting this field. You could also simply leave this field blank.
*Property used*: tropy.org/v1/tropy#box
Existing metadata vocabularies do not offer elements that fit the way that archival material is typically organized. For that reason, Tropy includes a limited number of custom metadata elements.
If the archive in which you are working has different terms for how its material is organized (e.g., folio, or container, rather than box), you could modify the template and change the label for this field to one appropriate to the collection from which your sources come.
#### Folder
*Folder* is the folder (within a box) in which a source can found. This category may not be needed for all sources, as not all collections use folders as a form of organization, or label or number folders. If that is the case, you could copy and modify this template to create one for such a collection by deleting this field.
*Property used*: tropy.org/v1/tropy#folder
Existing metadata vocabularies do not offer elements that fit the way that archival material is typically organized. For that reason, Tropy includes a limited number of custom metadata elements.
#### Identifier
*Identifier* is a call number or URL at which a source can be found. This category may not be needed for all sources, as not all collections use identifiers as a form of organization. This field could also be used to include a link to an online finding aid for a collection.
*Property used*: purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/identifier
#### Rights
*Rights* is information about how you, a researcher, can use each item. This can include copyright information, as well as specific information from the archive where the image came from. Where possible, best practice is to include a link/URL to the information on rights provided by the archive or library where the source is located.
See Tropy’s [rights documentation](https://docs.tropy.org/before-you-begin/rights) for more information on how to assess and describe rights for your sources.
*Mandatory field*: Given how easy it is to share digital images and publish them online, Rights is a required field in all the templates shipped with Tropy in order to emphasize how important it is that researcher know and acknowledge the rights they have to publish their photos.
*Property used*: dc/elements/1.1/rights
### Tropy Correspondence
Incorporating elements from the Tropy Generic template, this template is intended specifically for correspondence, a widely used type of source. Additional fields can be added to customize the template to include characteristics of specific collections.At present you can only use each property once in a template. Most of the Tropy Correspondence fields appear in the Tropy Generic template as well. We’ve highlighted here the fields that have been added to or modified in Tropy Correspondence.
#### Type
*Type* is the type or genre of source. Although this template is designed for one specific type of source, this information needs to be included so that you can identify the correspondence within your larger collection of material
*Property used*: purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/type
Since this template is designed for one specific type of source, this template includes that type, “correspondence,” as a default value in this field, which means you do not have to enter the information for each item or group of items. You can edit this field to have a more specific value, such as "circular" or "letter excerpt."
#### Recipient
*Recipient* is the individual to whom a letter is addressed.
In order to effectively organize and finds sources based on names, best practice suggests the following format: Last Name, First Name, Middle initial.
*Property used*: purl.org/dc/terms/audience
*Label*: This template replaces “audience” with the more specific term “recipient” to reflect the specific form of the documents to which it will be applied.
#### Location
*Location* is the location from which a letter was sent.
To effectively organize sources, use a controlled vocabulary. The [Library of Congress Name Authorities](http://authorities.loc.gov/help/name-auth.htm), [Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names](http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabularies/tgn/), and [GeoNames](http://www.geonames.org/) are good resources.\
\&#xNAN;*Property used*: purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/coverage\
\&#xNAN;*Label*: This template replaces *coverage* with the more specific term *location* to reflect the specific form of the documents to which it will be applied. (The Dublin Core element coverage can refer to spatial or temporal features of a source.)
## **Tags**
A tag is a freely chosen keyword or phrase; it can be as idiosyncratic as you want. It can refer to any feature of a source, rather than a specific category, as in the structured metadata of a Tropy template. You can [add as many tags](/in-the-project-view/tags) as you want to an item.
Essentially, there is no such thing as a bad tag; if it’s useful to you, it’s a good tag. However, when you create tags, you need to take care not to use homonyms(the same tags used with different meanings) and synonyms (multiple tags for the same concept), which can lead to ineffective organization of your material (e.g., the tag “orange” could refer to the color or the fruit). Likewise, being careful to use only singular or plural will help produce useful tags.
In Tropy, one distinction between template fields and tags is in how you access the items described. All the items with a tag can be found simply by clicking on the tag in the project view. To find all the items described with a particular term in the metadata template, you need to search for that term in the project view.
## **Photo metadata**
Digital cameras store information about images in the header of the digital file, using the Exif standard. That information usually includes the camera make and models, the camera settings and the date the photograph was taken.
Tropy imports some of that photo metadata, and displays it under the item metadata:
* the file name;
* the date the image was taken;
* the image size in pixels;
* the file size.
# Intro to the interface
Tropy's interface is designed to be as user-friendly and straightforward as possible. There are two main views: the project view and the item view.
{% embed url="" %}
### Project view
To collapse or expand any of the panes on the right, double-click in their headers. For more information about how to use the tools in this view, see [View photos in project view](/in-the-project-view/view_photos) and the following pages.
### Item view
In item view, you can also collapse or expand the metadata, photos, or notes pane by double-clicking in their headers. To collapse or expand the advanced photo editing tools, click on the icon in the top right. For more about how to use the item view, see [Getting started in the item view](/in-the-item-view/item-view-basics).
# Create a new project.
A project is a collection of photographs. Because Tropy allows for a lot of flexibility in each project, it usually makes sense to conceive of a project in broad terms: a project as a book or thesis, not a chapter. You can use lists, tags, and/or notes to organize material within a Tropy project.
**From the menu bar**: Click on *File* > *New* > *Project*.
**To change where your project is saved**:\
By default, your project saves to your documents folder on your hard drive (My Documents in Windows, Documents in macOS, etc.).
To change where your project is saved, click on *Change file name and location* in the “Create new project” dialog box. Then select a new location. You can also rename the file so that the name of the project is different from the name of the file. Then click *Save* to return to the "Create new project" dialog box. When you have named your project, click *Create project*.
**To find out where your project is saved**:\
Once you are in Tropy, if you need to find out where your project is saved, right-click on its name in the sidebar and select *Show project file.*
### Open multiple projects at the same time*.*
To open multiple projects at the same time, navigate to *File > Open in New Window* and select the project you wish to open in addition to the project you currently have open. You can [copy and paste items](/in-the-project-view/copy-and-paste-items.) between projects (though there is diminishing utility in this the more you do it; if you find you're copying large quantities of items, you should consider combining your two projects into one).
# Add photos to Tropy.
When you import a photo, Tropy makes a thumbnail copy of the photo. The original photo remains in its original location on your hard drive. You have several options for adding photos to your project.
* Navigate to *File* > *Import photos*. You can select one photo from your files, or using Shift+click or Ctrl/Command+click, you can select multiple photos. To select all photos in a folder, type Ctrl/Command+A. Then click *Open* in the dialog box.
* Click the + in the menu bar above the item table in project view.
* From your computer’s file system, navigate to the folder where your photos are, and select one or more photos. Then drag those photos into the middle pane of Tropy in order to add them.
Depending on the number of photos you are importing, you should expect import to take some time.
**Note:** At this time, Tropy does not support drag-and-drop directly from Apple’s photo software, including iPhoto and Photos.app. To get photos from Photos, export your photos to a different location on your computer and then follow the steps above. **We strongly, strongly recommend that you do not store your research photos in Apple Photos long-term, whether you use Tropy or not.**
You may want to add an item that does not yet have any photos attached to it. 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.
**Troubleshooting**: When you import photos into Tropy, make sure the search box is clear; otherwise it will seem like your photos are not importing.
### Importing large files from PDF/SVG
If you are working with very large files, you may need to make some adjustments in order for Tropy to render them.
To render your files at a different density, change the pixels per inch setting in the metadata panel. You can access the ppi setting in the Photo pane. The default is 72ppi. If your image is not high enough quality at 72ppi, you can increase it (you should try 144ppi and then 300ppi). Once you have changed the PPI, the image viewer should refresh your image.
You can change the default ppi setting at which images are imported in *Preferences* > *Default density.*
### Dragging images directly from a web browser
Tropy allows you to drag static images into Tropy directly from a web browser. Click and hold on the image you wish to import and drag it onto the item table. This action creates a link to the web version of the image; it does not download it. To access the original web location of the image, right-click on the photo name in the photos panel and select *Show original photo.*
**Note:** This method does not work with images that are displayed within an interactive image browser (such as the New York Public Library's interface). To use images displayed in an interactive browser, you'll need to use the download options and save a local copy of the image.
### Importing JSON-LD files
You can import JSON-LD files into Tropy. JSON-LD files allow both images and metadata to be imported into Tropy. To import JSON-LD files, follow the same procedure as importing an image, but be sure to import the JSON-LD file itself, not the associated images. The JSON-LD file will find the correct images to import along with the metadata.
### Importing from CSV files
You can use the CSV plugin to bulk import items, photos and metadata into Tropy from a CSV file or spreadsheet. The process for installing the plugin and creating a file in the required format is documented in the [plugin repository README](https://github.com/tropy/tropy-plugin-csv/blob/master/README.md).
## Consolidate your photo library.
If you make changes to the originals of your photos, you will need to tell Tropy that you've made changes. (For instance, perhaps you cropped or changed the contrast on a photo outside Tropy.) This process is called consolidation.
To consolidate, navigate to *File* > *Consolidate Photo Library*. You don't need to do anything else; this command lets Tropy recreate any thumbnails that are missing or have been changed.
You can consolidate individual photos by right-clicking on them in the Photos pane and selecting *Consolidate photo.*
##
# View photos in project view.
Tropy has two views for working with your items. The project view appears by default when you open Tropy. It lists all of your items, allowing you to see your work in broad terms and edit or tag in bulk. The item view allows you to focus on one particular item, giving you a place to add notes or transcription. Both views allow you to edit metadata and tags.
## Project view
In project view, you can view your items in a list or in a photo grid. To switch between these views, use the slider at the top of the item table. Your photos appear as a list when the slider is all the way to the left. The default columns in the list view correspond to commonly used fields in the [Tropy Generic](/before-you-begin/metadata) template.
You can see a full-size preview of any of your items by pressing Space. Press Space again to clear the preview.
### Photo enhancement in project view
To change the orientation of your items' photos, right-click on the item you wish to rotate, then click Rotate Left or Rotate Right. You can also use the keyboard by pressing Ctrl/Cmd + \[ or Ctrl/Cmd + ]. Changing orientation in the item table in project view changes all the photos in an item, or all the photos in all the items you have selected.
To rotate individual photos within an item, select a photo from the photos pane to the right of the item table instead of an item in the item table.
### List view features
If you are viewing your photos as a list, you can make changes to the default setup.
**Sort the list by column.** Click on the name of the column you want to sort by. The arrow (^) indicates which column your items are sorted by and whether they are sorted ascending (^) or descending (ˇ).
**Re-order the columns.** Click on the column header and drag it to the location you want it.
**Select different columns to view.** To change or add columns, right-click on any column header. Select the columns you want to appear in the list view. You can select by scrolling through the list of fields, or you can type the name of your desired field into the search bar that appears at the top of the context menu. Once you've identified your field, click on it to select it.
Once you've selected the columns you want, you can re-order them by clicking and dragging into place.
*Which fields can be column headers?*
Any field that appears in your vocabularies can be a column header, plus a few additional fields. Right-clicking on the column header will show all fields that appear in currently installed templates in your Tropy. If you press Shift or Alt with the right-click, you will be able to see all fields that exist in any vocabulary you have installed.
Tropy also propagates a few fields automatically with every item: "Date added" and "Date modified." These fields can be columns in the list view as well.
### Grid view features
Moving the slider to the right switches the display to a grid. **Note**: The images in this view are simply thumbnails. Your photos have not been cropped to be square; in the item view they will show up full-sized.
## Item view
To move to item view, double-click on one of your items.
# Combine photos into items.
Tropy items can include one or multiple photos, making it easy to group multi-page documents. All photos within an item share the same metadata. Merging is not intended to collect multiple different documents, but rather to combine multiple photos that belong to the same document. **Grouping items into topical or organizational collections is best done with lists or tags.**
* You can combine items within Tropy using several methods.
1. **Drag and drop**: Drag an item on top of another item to combine them into one item.
2. **Right-click**: Hold down the Command/Ctrl key, then click on each item. Right-click, then click *Merge selected items* from the drop-down menu.
* If you want to add photos to an item, and those photos are not already in Tropy, then you have two options.
1. Right-click on the item you want to add photos to. Select *Add photo* and select one or more photos from your file system. Click *Open.* The photo will be added to your item; you can see it in the item pane under Photos.
2. In the item pane under photos, click the +. Select one or more photos, and click *Open*.
## Merging metadata
Metadata conflicts: When you merge two items that have different metadata, Tropy automatically resolves metadata conflicts this way:
1. If you drag and drop, the target metadata is retained.
2. If you Ctrl+click and use the right-click menu, the metadata from the top item is retained.
Additional metadata: If a metadata field is filled out in one item but is not filled out in others, then the filled metadata field is applied to the entire item.
All merge operations can be undone. You can undo from the top menu, under *Edit*, or by right-clicking on an item and selecting *Undo* from the menu.
## Explode an item.
You may realize at some point that you have erroneously merged items that should be separate. If you realize it immediately, you can undo by right-clicking and selecting Undo. If you have performed other tasks in Tropy before you realize your error, you should use the Explode function instead.
Right-click on the item you have erroneously merged and select *Explode Item*. When you do this, each photo in your item becomes a separate item, but each new item retains the metadata that existed in the combined item before explosion. Exploding an item does not restore metadata to an item from before it was merged. From there, you can treat each new item just as a regular item, re-merging or editing the metadata on each item.
## Duplicate a photo.
You may find that you have a photo that should appear in two different items. For instance, in a letterbook, the end of a letter may appear on the same page as the beginning of the next one. Tropy allows you to duplicate a photo so it can appear in multiple items.
To duplicate, right-click on the photo in the Photos pane. Select *Duplicate Photo*. This action creates an exact copy of the photo within its current item, with all the same metadata.
To move the duplicated photo to its own item, right-click on the photo and select *Move Photo to New Item*. When you do that, the duplicated photo will appear in the item table as its own item, which you can then edit to reflect its separate metadata.
To move the duplicated photo to an existing item, drag the photo from the Photos pane onto the item in the item table that you want to add it to.
# Add metadata to items.
To describe the content of an item, Tropy uses customizable metadata templates with multiple fields for different properties of the content of your item, for example, title, date, author, box, folder, collection, archive, and rights. Please check out our[ metadata documentation](/before-you-begin/metadata) to learn about best practices for creating good metadata.
You can add a new template to your Tropy project to ensure that the metadata you want is in your template. You can also edit an existing template to reorder, add, or subtract fields.
To add or edit metadata to describe your item, click on it to select it. In the metadata pane on the righthand side of the project view, select a template from the pull-down menu. Then you have several options for adding information.
1. Enter your metadata information in the metadata pane on the righthand side of the window. Press Enter to save your information, or press Tab to save your information and move on to the next field.
2. When viewing your items as a list, you can directly edit fields that appear in list columns. Select your item in the item table, and click again on the field you wish to edit. Once you’ve completed your entry, press Enter or Tab to save your information and move on. You can also edit fields by pressing Enter while an item is selected.
3. Double-clicking on your item in the item table will bring you to the [item view](/in-the-item-view/item-view-basics), where you can also edit the metadata, now in the lefthand pane.
#### Adding additional fields to individual items
Generally, all your metadata is entered into a template that can be applied to any item. However, you may find metadata for an item that would likely apply to only that one item. For example, if you work with primarily English-language sources, but one of your sources is translated from another language, you may not want to create a whole new template in order to record the original language in your metadata pane. Instead, you can add an additional field to your item that is not part of the template.
To do this, right-click on the name of the template in the metadata pane. Click on *New Field.* A box will pop up where you can select from any metadata vocabulary term to create your additional field. (Note that even for additional fields, mapping to an existing metadata schema is required.) Once you've selected the vocabulary term for your new field, it will appear at the end of your existing metadata template. Notice that the field name is italicized--this is an indication that it is not part of the template.
#### Moving metadata from one field to another
You can move metadata from one field to another by clicking and holding in the metadata field you want to move. Then drag your cursor to the new field and drop.
## Editing metadata in bulk
You can edit the metadata for multiple items at a time.
* Ctrl/Command+click on each item you want to edit; then type your metadata into the metadata pane on the righthand side.
* To select a large group, press Shift, then select the last item of the group you want to select. The metadata you input will be applied to all items you have selected.
* To select everything in the item table, press Ctrl/Command+A. 
## Photo metadata from image
Digital cameras store information about images they capture in the header of the digital file, using the Exif or IPTC standard. That information usually includes the camera make and models, the camera settings and the date the photograph was taken.
Tropy imports some of that photo metadata and displays it in a metadata template specific to individual photos. The list below is the fields that automatically import; if you wish to add more fields, either from the camera data or from [any other vocabulary](/in-the-template-editor/vocabularies), you can [edit or create your own photo template](/in-the-template-editor/edit-templates) in [Preferences](/other-features/preferencesmd). (**Note** that in order to automatically populate your photo template with data from your camera, you'll need to set an appropriate template as the default photo template before you import your photos. Fields do not automatically populate if you switch templates once a photo is in Tropy.)
* file name (which is editable when you select the photo and then click on it to move to editable mode in the photo pane)
* date image was taken
* image size in pixels
* file size
* date added to Tropy
* date last modified in Tropy
This information may also be imported directly into your item template if it fits into the metadata schema in your template (e.g., the file name is imported as Title in most cases). If you wish to adjust where in your template the filename goes, you can do so in [Preferences](/other-features/preferencesmd).
# Tag items.
## Use tags
Tags are useful for delineating subjects, organization, content highlights, and many other uses. To maximize your tags' usefulness, you should check the tag list before creating a new tag to make sure you don't already have that tag (with a different capitalization or part of speech, for instance). You may also want to consult [What is metadata and how do I use it?](/before-you-begin/metadata) for further information.
### Create a new tag.
To add tags to an item, click to the tags tab of the metadata pane. Select *Add Tag*, then type your new tag name. Press Enter to save your tag. That tag now appears in the tag list in the sidebar, as well as in the tags tab of the metadata pane.
You can also add a new tag to a group of items. Ctrl/Command+click or Shift+click to select the items, and then click on the tags tab of the metadata pane. Select *Add Tag*, then type your new tag name. Press Enter to save your tag. The tag is now applied to all the items you have selected.
To access all of your items tagged with a particular tag, click on the tag name in the sidebar.
### Add a tag that already exists.
You have two options for adding a tag that already exists. You can either (1) drag and drop your item onto the tag in the sidebar; or (2) right-click on the item, then move to *Tags* and select the tag you wish to apply. You can also add tags in bulk, by selecting multiple items and then either dragging and dropping or selecting a tag from the right-click menu.
In the tags tab of the metadata pane, you can also click *Add Tag to Item*, and then starting typing a tag, and you will see suggestions of existing tags to autocomplete.
### Rename an existing tag.
You have two options for renaming a tag.
1. In the tag list in the left menu, right-click on the tag, and select *Rename tag.* Enter the new tag name and hit return. The tag will be renamed in all the items to which it has been applied.
2. In the Tags tab of the metadata pane, right-click on the tag, and select *Rename tag.* Enter the new tag name and hit return. The tag will be renamed in the tags list in the left menu and in all the items to which it has been applied.
### Remove a tag.
In the tags tab of the metadata pane, click on a tag to select it and then press Backspace to remove a tag from an item.
### Delete a tag completely.
In the sidebar, right-click on a tag and select *Delete tag.*
### Assign your tag a color.
Once you have created a tag, you can assign it a color. In the tag list in the sidebar, right-click on the tag name and navigate to Change Color. If you assign a color to a tag, items with that tag will receive a small colored circle in grid view so that you can easily see which items have colored tags.
You can assign all of your new tags a default color. Right-click on the word Tags in the tags list in project view and select *Default Tag Color*. Once you've selected a default tag color, all new tags will have that color automatically (though you can change the color using the same menu).
## View tagged items
To view tagged items, click on the tag name in the sidebar. The items with that tag will appear in the item table. Note that if you have a list selected, only items within that list will appear in the tagged-items results.
# Organize items into lists.
Lists are a tool for organization. You can use lists to select items that are linked thematically or topically. Items can appear in multiple lists, so you can use lists for both structured organization (such as chapters or sections of your research) or more unstructured thematic organization (such as Imperialism or Politics). Items in lists also remain in the main project view.
## Create a new list.
1. Create a new list by going to *File* > *New* > *List*. The new list appears in the sidebar. Now type a name for your list and press Enter.
2. Create a list by right-clicking on *Lists* or your project name in the left pane and selecting *New List*.
#### Nested lists
You can nest lists within each other, creating a list hierarchy. To create a new nested list, right-click on the name of the parent list and select *New List.* You can then name your new list whatever you want.
To nest an existing list within another list, drag and drop the list name onto the name of the list you want it nested inside.
## Add items to a list.
Drag and drop an item onto the list name in order to add it to that list. (The item will remain in the main project view.) Items can appear in more than one list.
You can add multiple items to a list at once, by selecting multiple items (using Ctrl/Command+click or Shift+click) and then dragging them to a list name.
## Remove items or lists.
To remove an item from a list: Right-click on the item in the list and select *Remove Item From List.*
To delete a list: Right-click on the list name and select *Delete list.*
# Search for items, metadata, notes, or tags.
To search across all metadata and notes, click in the search box at the top of the item table. Type in your search term. Your results will appear in the item table.
To clear your search, delete your search term from the search box.
#### Search tips
* When searching for a term that includes an apostrophe or other punctuation, enclose your search term in quotation marks, e.g., *"O'Brien,"* not *O'Brien*.
* To search for an item that includes multiple search terms, use AND between your search terms, e.g., *Cathcart AND Eaton.*
# Copy and paste items.
You can copy an item from a project and paste it again into either the same project or another project on your computer. (For moving items between projects on different machines, we recommend the [Archive plugin](/other-features/export-with-archive-plugin).)
To copy, select your item and press Ctrl/Cmd + C on your keyboard.
To paste that item, make sure your item table is active and then press Ctrl/Cmd + V on your keyboard.
# Delete items.
You can delete items in two ways.
1. Right-click on any item and select *Delete item*, or
2. drag your item to the *Deleted items* trash can on the left side of the project view in order to delete.
Deleted items are removed from all lists and projects.
To view your deleted items, click on *Deleted items*.
To restore a deleted item, right-click on it in *Deleted items*. Then click *Restore item*. To permanently delete, right-click on the item and then click *Permanently delete*.
To permanently delete all of your deleted items, right-click on *Deleted items* and select *Permanently delete*.
# Getting started in the item view
Item view is where you can focus on the content of your items. You can edit metadata, tag items, and take notes on or transcribe your item.
## Important keyboard shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
| ----------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| Move to next item (in order of project view sort) | Alt+down arrow |
| Move to previous item (in order of project view sort) | Alt+up arrow |
| Move to next photo (within an item) | Alt+right arrow |
| Move to previous photo (within an item) | Alt+left arrow |
| Rotate image | R (rotate right) or L (rotate left) (or Ctrl/Command+] ) |
| Fill image | Ctrl/Command+9 |
| Fit image to width | Ctrl/Command+0 |
| | |
# Edit photos in an item.
Tropy allows you to do basic photo editing. You can do all your photo editing using the toolbar at the top of the photo pane in Item view.
From left to right, the buttons are as follows:
1. Arrow: This is the basic tool for clicking on your photo. Double-clicking on your photo while the arrow is active will zoom your photo 100%.
2. Select: This tool allows you to make selections that stand on their own. More about [selections](/in-the-item-view/selections) here.
3. Rotate: This button rotates your photo counterclockwise by 90 degrees. The keyboard shortcut for this action is Ctrl+space.
4. Mirror: This button flips your photo to its mirror.
5. Pan: Pan allows you to move your photo around while it is zoomed in. You can also activate pan by holding down the space bar.
6. Fit width: This button will fit your photo to the width of the window.
7. Fit window: This button will fit your whole photo into the window.
8. Zoom slider: You can also manually zoom in or out on your photo.
## Advanced photo editing
You can also adjust various settings on your photos to make them more legible. To access the advanced photo editing tools, click on the button on the far right of the photo editing panel. These tools include Brightness, Contrast, Hue, Saturation, and Sharpen.
The *Invert colors* checkbox allows you to reverse the colors in a negative, such as microfilm.
**Caution**: The *Revert to Original* button will reset all your photo-editing settings, including rotation and mirroring, not just the sliders.
## Save photos with edits.
You can save your photos with the edits you've made to it. In the Photos pane, right-click on the photo you wish to save, then click *Export Photo*. Tropy will prompt you to save your photo. It will automatically fill in a .png file extension; if you wish, you may change that extension to .jpg. Select where you want to save your photo, and click *Save*.
# Create selections within an item.
Selections are a tool for capturing specific portions of an item that you wish to highlight or analyze further. They essentially create a cropped copy of your photo that you can then rename and add notes to.
## Create a selection.
To create a selection, click on the [*Select* button](/in-the-item-view/photo-editing) on the photo editing toolbar. Then draw a rectangle on your photo that includes the area you wish to select.
When you have created a selection, it appears nested underneath its origin photo in the Photos pane on the lefthand side of the item view. If you click on its name there, the selection will appear highlighted in the item view.
## Add metadata to your selection.
To change the name of your selection, click on its name in the Photos pane to select it. Then click the name again to enter editable mode. You can then change the name of the selection.
To enter more customized metadata about your selection, you can scroll down in the metadata pane to see and edit the selection metadata. Selection metadata templates are [fully customizable](/in-the-template-editor/create-template), just like item-level and photo-level templates, so you can add a great deal of metadata specific to your selection.
When you have a selection highlighted, whatever notes you type in the notes field attach to that selection.
## Save a selection as its own image.
You can export a selection to its own file, including all changes you've made using the photo editing tools. To do so, right-click on the selection in the Photos pane, and click *Export Selection*. Tropy will prompt you to save your selection. It will fill in a .png file extension; if you wish, you may change that extension to .jpg. Select where you want to save your selection, and click *Save*.
# Take notes on or transcribe the content of an item.
To transcribe or take notes on your item, click in the bottom pane of the item view and begin typing. Your notes autosave as you type. You can come back to the notes pane at any time to continue to edit your notes. Notes attach to individual photos or selections within your item, rather than the item itself, but you can always see a list of your notes in the notes pane on the lefthand side of the item view.
To change from the stacked layout (the photo editor on top of the notes pane) to side-by-side, right-click in the notes pane or photo editor and select *View Layout.* Then select *Side by side.*
## Notes formatting toolbar
You can format your notes using the toolbar at the top of the notes pane. Select the text you want to format and click the button on the toolbar. Functions available for formatting are:
* Boldface \[Ctrl/Cmd + b]
* Italic \[Ctrl/Cmd + i]
* Underline \[Ctrl/Cmd + u]
* Strikethrough \[Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + t]
* Block quote \[Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + > or Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + .]
* Superscript \[Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + p]
* Subscript \[Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + b]
* Bulleted list (the last two buttons allow you to have multiple levels of indent on your lists for both bullet and enumerated lists)
* Enumerated list
* Hyperlink
* Note that to use a hyperlink, you will need to Ctrl/Cmd + click on the hyperlink in the notes field.
Several formatting actions are taken for you automatically, including creating em and en dashes. To remove the automatic formatting, press Backspace (Delete for macOS) immediately after the keystroke that creates the automatic formatting. Your text will then revert to the original keystroke.
## Multiple notes
Tropy items can have as many notes as you want. To add a new note, click the + on the notes pane. This functionality allows you to both transcribe and take notes on your items and keep all your work in one place.
## Multiple modes of writing
Tropy allows you to write both horizontally (left to right) and vertically. To switch to vertical mode, type in the notes field and then right-click in the notes field. From the context menu that appears, navigate to *Writing Mode* >*Vertical.* You can have only one writing mode per note, so you'll need to create multiple notes in order to take notes in multiple modes about the same photo.
## Line numbers and line wrap
You can turn on line numbers in your note by typing in the notes field, then right-clicking. From the context menu that appears, click on *Show Line Numbers.* Line wrap is on by default; to turn it off, click on *Wrap Lines.*
# Getting started with templates
## What are metadata templates?
Metadata templates are forms that you select or create that allow you to record information about your items in ways that are actually useful to you. You can select from the templates that are provided in Tropy, or you can create your own. Before you begin creating your own template, we do recommend that you **browse through the available templates to see if one can be adapted to your needs**; it's easier to add to an existing template than to start from scratch. For an explanation of the templates that ship with Tropy, see [What is metadata and how do I use it?](/before-you-begin/metadata)
## Working with the template editor
Access the template editor by navigating to Tropy > Preferences (in Windows, Tropy > Edit > Preferences). Click on the Templates icon.
In the drop-down box, you'll see "New Template..." The drop-down is where you can access any templates that are currently loaded into your version of Tropy. The icons to the right of that drop-down represent the first steps toward creating or editing a metadata template. The next several sections of the documentation will walk you through how to use each of those buttons.
# Create a new template.
There are several steps to creating a new template. Before you begin, you may want to review our [documentation on metadata](/before-you-begin/metadata).
When you're ready to make your template, navigate to Tropy > Preferences and click to the Templates section. When you first open the Preferences pane, New Template will be the default, but if you click over to one of the other templates, you can get back to New Template by clicking on it in the Template drop-down box or by clicking the first button next to the drop-down.
## Metadata about your template
Your template starts with metadata about the template.
Each template requires a name and a URI at minimum. The creator and description are optional but valuable if you ever intend to share the template you create.
* **Name**: You can name your template anything. We recommend that you name it with as much specificity as possible. For instance, it's likely that you're creating a template to deal with materials from one particular institution, so it makes sense to name your template with the name of the institution. If you're working with one particular collection with unique metadata, name your template after the collection. For example, "National Archives" might be sufficient, or you might want to call your template "National Archives RG 45" if your template would have to be revised in order to fit other record groups at the National Archives.
* **URI**: The URI has to be a unique term within your Tropy installation. Tropy auto-generates a URI for you, but you can change the URI to something more memorable. We recommend that you think of the URI in broad terms: if you ever intend to share it, you should give it a URI that will be unique no matter where it goes. Templates that come with Tropy, for instance, have URIs that look like this: `https://tropy.org/v1/templates/[name of template]`. If you have a domain that belongs to you, it might make sense for you to give your Tropy templates URIs connected to your web domain. But you could also give your template a URI as basic as "national-archives" or "us-NatArch."
* **Type**: This field is where you select either Item, Photo, or Selection level template. Whichever you select here will determine which level your template is visible at in the metadata pane.
* **Creator**: For individuals, the creator should be your name. If you are creating a template on behalf of an institution, we recommend that you assign the institution as creator rather than an individual. For example, if a staff member at the American Antiquarian Society made a template for a collection, the creator should be "American Antiquarian Society."
* **Description**: A short one- or two-sentence statement about the purpose of the template would be useful here; for example, if it is targeted at a particular collection, you could record which collection or collections would work best with the template.
Once you have filled out all the appropriate fields, click *Create*.
## Creating new fields in your template
Now that you have the metadata about your template, you can create fields in your template.
Tropy currently only allows fields that have URIs in an existing metadata schema. This means that if you have no familiarity with metadata schemas, you are much better off working with an existing template rather than trying to create your own from scratch.
* **Property**: The drop-down box here allows you to select from a list of properties that appear in various metadata schemas. The Dublin core fields are the default; you can add other metadata schemas in the [Vocabulary](/in-the-template-editor/vocabularies) section in Preferences.
* You can search for metadata terms by clicking in the Property field and starting to type a term. Click on the term that you want.
* The Property name is what will appear in your template. If you want it to read something different (for example, "Source" renamed to "Archive"), you can fill in the Label field with your desired label.
* **Is mandatory field**: If this box is checked, Tropy will post an alert button next to the field in the metadata pane in the project or item view of Tropy until it is properly filled in.
* **Hint**: The hint will appear in the editable field of the metadata template in the project or item view. The hint is a useful way to remind yourself of what you meant by the property you selected. For example, if you are using a standard format such as ISO for dates, you could put "ISO format" in the hint.
* **Default value**: If this box is filled in, the text in the box will appear automatically in the metadata pane in the project or item view. This feature is especially relevant for institutions creating templates for patrons to use. You can fill in, for example, the name of your institution, as you wish it to appear, the rights information attached to your collections, and other fields that will be the same no matter who uses the template.
* **Is read-only**: This box, only clickable if a default value is set, allows the creator of a template to indicate that the default value cannot be changed within the metadata pane.
To add more fields to your template, click on the + on the right-hand side. To delete fields, click on the -.
You can re-order your fields by dragging their boxes. Click and hold on the left-hand side of the box to place your fields in a different order.
# Edit a template.
Editing templates is a process similar to creating templates. There are two ways to edit a template.
1. For templates you have created yourself, or templates that are not locked, you can add or edit fields as you would do when [creating a template](/in-the-template-editor/create-template) initially. (In a locked template, the fields are all grayed out and not clickable.)
2. If you want to edit a locked template, you will have to duplicate the locked template. To duplicate, click on the second button next to Template in the editor.
Once you have duplicated the template, rename your duplicate and assign it a different URI.Then click *Create*.
After you have created the new template, you can change fields, add fields, or delete fields.
# Export and import templates.
## Export a template
Once you have created a template, you can export it so others can use it as well.
Click on the fifth button in the template header.
This will open a dialog box. From there, you can save your template. The default filename is the name you gave to your template. The file format is .ttp.
## Import a template
You can import templates from others. Any .ttp file can be imported into Tropy. Click on the fourth button in the template header. In the dialog box that opens, navigate to wherever you have the .ttp file saved, then click *Open*.
The imported template now appears in the Template dropdown box in the template header. You don't have to do anything further to be able to use the template. Once you close the Preferences window, the template will be available in your metadata pane.
# Add vocabularies.
You can add vocabularies to Tropy's list of metadata vocabularies in order to use them in your metadata templates. The vocabularies must be in .ttl or .n3 file format. You can see a large list of vocabularies that should import easily into Tropy [here](https://lov.linkeddata.es/dataset/lov/).
Tropy ships with several commonly used vocabularies. Some of these are the vocabularies on which Tropy is based; others are commonly used in archives and libraries.
* Dublin Core metadata (both elements and terms)
* RDF vocabularies
* Europeana Data Model and related vocabularies
To add more vocabularies to Tropy, click the + in the bottom left corner. You can then import a .ttl or .n3 file from your computer. Once you have imported a new vocabulary, the vocabulary's name will appear in the list of vocabularies, and the terms will be available in the [template editor.](/in-the-template-editor/create-template)
# Export from Tropy
Tropy items can be exported as [JSON-LD](https://json-ld.org/), as well as to [Omeka S](http://omeka.org/s/) and to [CSV.](/other-features/export-with-plugins#using-the-csv-export-plugin)
## To JSON-LD
To export from Tropy, right-click on an item in the item table. From the right-click menu, select *Export Item > JSON-LD*. This action will open a dialog box, where you can save your JSON file onto your computer. To export multiple items, Ctrl/Command+click or Shift+click to select multiple items. Then right-click and select *Export Selected Items*.
At present, Tropy only exports metadata and notes to JSON-LD, not associated photos. Your photos still exist outside Tropy as well, since importing in Tropy only links to your photos.
You can export your notes in either HTML or Markdown. To change which format you wish to use, navigate to *Preferences* and scroll down to *Export*. Select either "Notes as HTML" or "Notes as Markdown."
# Export with CSV Export plugin
### Using the CSV Plugin
#### 1. Download and install the plugin.
Download the plugin zip file from the [latest release in GitHub](https://github.com/tropy/tropy-plugin-csv/releases/latest). Then, in Tropy, navigate to *Preferences* > *Plugins* (in Windows, *Edit > Preferences > Plugins*).
Click on *Install Plugin*. In the dialogue box that opens, navigate to wherever you saved the plugin folder from GitHub; select it, then click *Open*. You have now installed the CSV Export plugin.
#### 2. Activate and customize the plugin.
First, click *Enable* next to the plugin's name.
Then click on the name of the plugin to open up a customization panel within the Plugins pane.
You will see there several options for customization. You can change the name of your plugin instance if you wish. Then check the boxes for the options you want.
The fields labeled Item Template and Photo Template tell Tropy exactly which fields you want to include in the CSV export. If you are exporting items that use a custom template for items or photos, you should select that template in the appropriate Template field here. That ensures that all the fields are exported and in the order you expect.
If you're exporting multiple items that use multiple templates for items or photos, you'll want to create a new template in the [template editor](/in-the-template-editor/create-template) that includes all the fields you want in your export. Then select that template in the Item Template or Photo Template field here in Plugins.
You can also set the default file name of the export (though this can be changed when you're using the plugin), or choose to copy the exported data to your clipboard instead.
For more details about the various customization options, see the [plugin README](https://github.com/tropy/tropy-plugin-csv/blob/master/README.md)
#### 3. Use the plugin to export items.
Once you have customized the plugin, close the Preferences window (there's no Save button---your settings autosave).
In your item table, right-click on the item you wish to export, or select multiple items and then right-click. Navigate to *Export Selected Items* and click on the name of the CSV Export plugin (remember that you might have given it a different name in the Plugins customization window).
A dialog box will open. Select where you want to save your exported CSV and change the name of the file if you wish. Then click *Save*.
#### 4. Look at your CSV in another application.
Your CSV should be complete! If you look at the CSV in another application, you'll notice that the header row is the URIs of the fields in your chosen metadata template. Tropy exports using the URIs because it's possible that you have multiple labels for the same property across various templates.
#### Notes
If you anticipate exporting items in specific different categories often (e.g., newspapers and correspondence), you may wish to have two separate instances of the plugin so you don't have to switch back and forth between your Newspaper template and your Correspondence template in the Plugin settings. To add another instance, click on the plus sign next to the first plugin instance to add another instance and customize it as you wish (without deleting the first instance). Be sure you name it something different!
# Export with Archive plugin
The Archive plugin allows you to export items in full--including photos, metadata, and notes--to a ZIP archive. This ZIP archive can then be transferred to another computer or device.
## Getting the Archive plugin
### Download and install the plugin
First, download the latest release [here](https://github.com/tropy/tropy-plugin-archive/releases).
Then navigate to *Preferences > Plugins*. Click on *Install plugin* and navigate to wherever the ZIP folder saved on your computer. Select the ZIP folder (don't unzip it) and click *Open*.
### Activate and customize the plugin
The plugin should now appear in your list of plugins. Click *Enable* to activate the plugin.
You'll then see a number of options. You can give your plugin a name, if you like (or you can leave it blank).
The "Root folder" option tells Tropy what to name the folder inside the ZIP archive which will contain all your exported data. If you want the images to be saved in a folder inside this root folder, separate from the metadata file, you can set the "Image folder" option (though we do not recommend this for general use).
The "Save as" option allows you to customize the location and file name for the ZIP archive that will be created. If you select "Always ask?" you will get a dialog box every time you use the plugin in the main Tropy interface that asks you where you'd like to save the ZIP archive and what you'd like to call it.
Once you've set up your preferences, close the Preferences window (no save necessary).
## Using the Archive plugin
To export using the archive plugin, select the item or items you want to archive. Right-click on the item(s) and navigate to *Export*. Then select the name that you gave the plugin.
If you selected "Always ask?" a dialog box will open and you can select the place you wish to save and the name you wish your folder to have. If you did not, then your ZIP archive will save to the location you set in *Preferences*.
# Export to Omeka S
The Omeka S plugin is currently in the beta stage.
## Installing the Plugin
Installing the Omeka S plugin is a multi-step process.
### **Part 1: Preparation**
1. Navigate to the plugin's [GitHub repository](https://github.com/tropy/tropy-plugin-omeka/releases/latest).
2. Download the named Zip file containing the Omeka S plugin, but don't extract it.
### **Part 2: In Omeka S**
1. Navigate to your Omeka's admin panel and click on *Users*. In the list of users, each name has a pencil next to it. Click on the pencil to open the user profile. Read more about how to add or edit users [here](https://omeka.org/s/docs/user-manual/admin/users/).
2. In the user profile, click on *API keys.*
3. You now need to add a new key. Type a name into the *New key label* field and hit *Enter.*
4. You should get a box that generates a *key\_identity* and a *key\_credential*. **Do not close this browser page until you have finished the process of installing and configuring the Tropy plugin.**
### **Part 3: In the Plugins Pane**
1. Open Tropy and navigate to Preferences in the top menu (in Windows, *Edit* > *Preferences*).
2. In Preferences, click on Plugins. At the bottom of the Plugins pane, click on *Install Plugin*. Navigate to wherever you saved the plugin file from the GitHub repository; select it and click *Open.*
3. Now your Omeka plugin should appear in the Plugins pane. Click on *Enable* to continue setup.
4. In the form that opens when you enable the plugin, you now have to fill in all the fields in order for your plugin to work properly.
* **Name**: You can name your instance of the Omeka plugin anything you like. We recommend that you give it the same name as your Omeka site.
* **API URL**: Copy the URL of your Omeka installation and paste it between the `< >` (removing the angle brackets). You should have only one `http://`. Do not link to your individual site within your Omeka installation, but to the root Omeka S installation.
* **Identity key and credential key**: These two fields come from the page you should still have open in your Omeka installation. Copy and paste them into the appropriate fields.
Once you've filled in these fields, you're all set---you can now close the Preferences window.
## Using the Plugin
Once you have everything set up, using the Omeka plugin is similar to the JSON-LD export.
To export from Tropy, right-click on an item in the item table. From the right-click menu, select *Export Item*.
You should see the name that you gave your plugin instance in the list. Click on the name.
This action will send your item straight to your items list in your Omeka installation. In the beta phase, there is no progress reporting in Tropy, so you'll need to go to your Omeka items list to see whether your items were exported. The lag time should be fairly short.
You can export one or multiple items at a time by selecting multiple items before right-clicking.
### Bringing Customized Templates into Omeka
Your customized templates in Tropy can be replicated in Omeka by following a few steps.
#### Vocabularies
If you imported custom vocabularies into Tropy, you'll need to import them into Omeka as well. You can find instructions on how to do that [in the Omeka documentation](https://omeka.org/s/docs/user-manual/content/vocabularies/).
#### Rebuilding Templates
Items are exported from Tropy along with their custom templates. Provided that you have imported all the proper vocabularies, your item should show up in Omeka with all the expected fields. Custom labels, however, do not transfer. In order to retain your custom labels in Omeka, you'll have to make a [resource template](https://omeka.org/s/docs/user-manual/content/resource-template/) that reflects your custom template labels. You can then apply your resource template to your items individually or in bulk.
* To make a resource template, go to your Omeka site's admin page. In the lefthand menu, click on *Resource templates.* Then click on *Add new resource template* in the top right.
* Just as in Tropy, you'll need to give your template a name. (If it makes sense, you might want to name it the same thing as your Tropy template.)
* Then build your template using the same fields as your Tropy template. You can find your properties quickly by typing them into the *Filter properties* box on the righthand side. Make sure they are identical to the ones you've used in your Tropy template.
* Once you've compiled all your fields, you can edit the labels by clicking on the pencil next to each field. Add your custom label in the *Alternate* title box. Make sure you click *Set changes* once you've added your custom label.
* When you've changed all your custom labels, click *Add* in the top right to add your resource template to your Omeka resources.
* To apply your custom resource template to your items, return to the item list. Then click on the pencil next to an item to edit it. Set your resource template and then click *Save.* You can also do this action in bulk by using the *Batch actions* button at the top.
# Import IIIF Manifests
You can import images directly from IIIF manifests shared by cultural heritage institutions. Start by downloading the [Tropy IIIF plugin](https://github.com/tropy/tropy-plugin-iiif/releases/latest) from GitHub. After the downloading the latest version of the plugin, open Tropy preferences and navigate to the plugins section to install it.
Download a IIIF manifest or copy the link to the IIIF images you wish to import. Select `File > Import > tropy-plugin-iiif` (or the name you configured in the plugin settings) and select the file, or paste the manifest’s link directly in the File Name bar and click *Open*.
As Tropy imports your images, the plugin tries to map the manifest’s metadata to the template selected for items. You may need to create a custom import template that matches the metadata fields describing the images. See [the plugin documentation](https://github.com/tropy/tropy-plugin-iiif) for more details on using the plugin.
## Sample IIIF manifest for one image
> Grignion, Charles, “Decorated initial "T" to Ode on the death of a favourite cat,” (graphic, 1753), available in Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University
[IIIF Manifest](https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/16193053)
## Sample IIIF manifest for a manuscript containing multiple images
> Marcucci, Giacomo, Grandezze della città di Roma antiche e moderne come al presente si ritrovano, di nuovo ristampato in quattro linguaggi, (Roma: G. Mascardi, 1628), National Gallery of Art (US) Library
[IIIF Manifest](https://libraryimage.nga.gov/manifest/mms/99682033504896.json)
# Print items
Tropy allows you to print out your items and their metadata using a standard print dialog box.
To print, select the item or items you wish to print. (To select multiple items, press Ctrl + click each item you wish to select.) Then navigate to *File* > *Print*. You can also press Ctrl+P to see the print dialog box. The print dialog box gives you many options for formatting and layout. Select the format you want and click *Print*.
Tropy's preferences give you options for what parts of your items you wish to print. To change these preferences, go to *Preferences* and scroll down to *Print*. In that panel you can select whether to print with notes, with metadata, and with photos.
# Keyboard shortcuts in Tropy
Here is a list of global keyboard shortcuts for use in Tropy. More specific shortcuts are identified in the section of the documentation they pertain to.
## Global Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
| ------------- | -------------------- |
| New project | Ctrl/Command+Shift+P |
| New item | Ctrl/Command+Shift+N |
| Open project | Ctrl/Command+Shift+O |
| Import photos | Ctrl/Command+Shift+I |
| Close | Ctrl/Command+W |
| Quit Tropy | Ctrl/Command+Q |
| Undo | Ctrl/Command+Z |
| Redo | Shift+Ctrl/Command+Z |
| Cut | Ctrl/Command+X |
| Copy | Ctrl/Command+C |
| Paste | Ctrl/Command+V |
| Merge items | Ctrl/Command+Shift+M |
# Preferences
Under *Preferences*, you can customize your installation of Tropy in several ways. On macOS, *Preferences* appears under the Tropy menu. On Windows, it appears under *Edit* > *Preferences.*
## Global
**Default Template**: You can set any of your templates to be the default. Whichever template you select will automatically apply to any new items you import (though you can change the templates at any later time).
**Duplicate Items**: You can select a preference for how to deal with duplicate items upon import. Tropy will detect whether a file with your imported photo's name already exists; you can select how you want to manage any file names that are the same.
**Theme**: Select light or dark mode.
**Locale**: Tropy can be used in multiple languages. Select your preferred language. If you do not see the language you prefer to work in, and you would be willing to help us translate Tropy into that language, please join our [translation team](https://explore.transifex.com/cds/tropy/) at Transifex! Tropy currently has locales in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Ukrainian.
**Interface**: The preferences here help you match Tropy's behavior to your typical scrolling behavior.
**Export:** Tropy can export your notes in either [HTML](https://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp) or [Markdown](https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/). Select which one you'd like from the menu here. \_\_
**Print**: Select your print option here. See more at [Print items](/other-features/print-items).
## Project
**Name:** You can change the name of your project here if you wish.
**ID:** You can't change this; it's to help Tropy find your project internally.
**File:** This is \*\*\*\* where you can find your file, if you ever need to access the file.
**Link photos:** Link photos replaces the portable projects hack. Here, you tell Tropy what the relationship is between the project file and the image files.
* Using absolute paths: This option is how Tropy operates by default. If you choose this option, you can move your project file wherever you like, but you will have to consolidate your photos if you move your photos.
* Relative to the project file: Select this option if you may want to move your photos and your project file together, or if you store your photos in the same location as your project file (either in a hard drive or a cloud drive). You can open your Tropy project from multiple devices, but you should not move your photos without also moving your project file.
* Relative to your home directory: This option is the one for you if you store your photos and project file in Dropbox or another cloud drive, and you open your photos on multiple computers where your home directory might have a different name or location. Your photos and project file should be in the same drive, but that drive may be accessed from multiple devices.
You can change this option at any point; however, be sure your photos are fully consolidated (the links are all intact) before making a change. If you make an error in selecting the right option for your situation, you can always [consolidate your photos](/troubleshooting/moving-photos#re-associating-photos) again to restore the links.
**Watch folder:** Watch folders allow you to automatically import items into Tropy when you put them into a designated folder on your computer. If you set a watch folder, all Tropy-compatible files that you place into that designated folder will automatically import into Tropy. They will import into Tropy with whatever template you have set as default, and most metadata embedded in the file will be automatically imported into the template.
## Templates
For more information on the Templates section, visit the [templates section of the documentation](/in-the-template-editor/using-templates).
## Vocabularies
For more information on the Vocabularies section, visit the [vocabularies section of the documentation](/in-the-template-editor/vocabularies).
# Collaboration
Synchronous collaboration with other scholars or across computers is not currently supported, but we are working hard to develop a system for asynchronous collaboration.
You can save a Tropy project anywhere, on your hard drive, on an external drive, on a cloud drive. If you want others to be able to access the project and use it, you may need to set up a portable project (read how to do that [here](https://forums.tropy.org/t/testing-portable-project-files/1003)).
#### Read-only mode
If you are working with a project team, and the research is complete, you may want to make your project read-only so that you or your collaborators don't accidentally change things in your project unexpectedly. Tropy now supports read-only projects.
To make a project read-only in Windows, read [here](https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/windows-server-cookbook/0596006330/ch04s14.html). To make a project read-only on Mac, read [here](https://www.howtogeek.com/669095/how-to-set-file-permissions-on-mac/).
# Moving photos
This page describes how you can help Tropy re-associate images if you move them to a different location.
Generally, we recommend that you put your photos into a permanent home before you put them into Tropy. However, sometimes you have to move your photos once you've put them in.
Tropy does not make a copy of your photos--it only maintains a link to where they are stored on your computer. So if you move your photos, you'll need to tell Tropy their new location. You'll know that Tropy can't find your photos if you click on them in the photo pane and see an exclamation point flag.
#### Re-associating Photos
To re-associate your photos, right-click on one of the photos and click *Consolidate Photo.* A dialog box will pop up asking you to identify the new location of the photo file.
Once you've selected the new location, click *OK.* Another box will pop up asking "Do you want Tropy to automatically check and resolve further missing photos at this location?" If you click *Yes,* Tropy will use the location you've just provided to re-associate all the other photos it can find based on their relationship to your newly identified photo.
For example, let's say you import the photos straight from your Desktop into Tropy and then later move them to a more permanent location, so some photos go from `/Users/ariadne/Desktop` to `/Users/ariadne/Pictures/A` and the rest to `/Users/ariadne/Pictures/B`. To re-associate all the photos, you need to consolidate one photo at each new location, that is, one that went to folder `A` and one that went to folder `B.`Tropy can then consolidate all the other files in both folders.
Or let's say you get a new computer and you move your project and your photos over to the new computer; but on the new computer some paths are different, for example, let's say you have a different home directory and so now your pictures are at `/home/ariadne/Pictures/A` and `/home/ariadne/Pictures/B`. In this case you can consolidate a single photo in either of the two folders: Tropy should still be able to re-associate all the photos, because, relative to each other, they all moved to a single new location.
**Bulk re-association works only if you have not changed file names when you moved your folders. If you change file names, you will have to consolidate each photo individually.**
# Reporting problems
### Detecting problems
If your database has been corrupted in some way, you should see a flag next to your project name.
### Reporting problems
Tropy maintains [support forums](https://forums.tropy.org/) where you can ask questions, suggest additional features, and see what others are saying about Tropy.
If you have questions or suggestions for making this documentation more useful, please [write us a note on the forums](https://forums.tropy.org/)!
# Backup
Tropy files can be backed up just like any other files on your computer. They live in three places: 1. The project file (.tpy), saved wherever you told the file to save when you created your project, likely in My Documents or a similar folder. 2. The 'user data' folder, which contains any custom templates you might have created: `~/Library/Application Support/Tropy` (macOS) `~/.config/tropy` (linux) or `%APPDATA%\Tropy` (Windows), 3. and the photos (which Tropy currently does not modify at all).
You can back up all of these files just as you would back up any other computer file, using an external drive, a cloud drive, or some other method.