From 4096f3ee02d5c3cb3e78acaf5c86683f9702af60 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Luther Tychonievich Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2026 13:23:50 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 1/3] Draft note about metadata in FILEs Resolve #779 I'm not sure that this is the right text; edits welcome. I chose to make most of this addition normative because I think we want to make recommendations, not just alert readers to a topic of possible interest. --- specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md | 10 ++++++++++ 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+) diff --git a/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md b/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md index aebee46e..021278d4 100644 --- a/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md +++ b/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md @@ -656,6 +656,16 @@ See also `INDIVIDUAL_EVENT_STRUCTURE`. A reference to an external file. See the [File Path datatype](#file-path) for more details. +External files may contain embedded metadata, +which may be of value to family history work. +Applications should not to remove or edit metadata except as requested by the user. +Applications are encouraged to show the metadata in referenced external files to the user +and provide ways of integrating that metadata into appropriate structures with user guidance. + +:::note +Information about embedded metadata of interest to family history can be found at . +::: + #### `FORM` (Format) `g7:FORM` The [media type](#media-type) of the file referenced by the superstructure. From a055756b8a973e44fef2c08aefc95445c11e3b36 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Luther Tychonievich Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2026 11:19:58 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 2/3] Update specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md Co-authored-by: Dave Thaler --- specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md b/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md index 021278d4..c971c94b 100644 --- a/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md +++ b/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md @@ -658,7 +658,7 @@ See the [File Path datatype](#file-path) for more details. External files may contain embedded metadata, which may be of value to family history work. -Applications should not to remove or edit metadata except as requested by the user. +Applications should not remove or edit metadata except as requested by the user. Applications are encouraged to show the metadata in referenced external files to the user and provide ways of integrating that metadata into appropriate structures with user guidance. From fdad3c8c3c797d302eae103b2f53f0c2ed1672ef Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Luther Tychonievich Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:30:41 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 3/3] Add example of why user input is needed --- specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md | 16 ++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 16 insertions(+) diff --git a/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md b/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md index c971c94b..03e40334 100644 --- a/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md +++ b/specification/gedcom-3-structures-3-meaning.md @@ -662,6 +662,22 @@ Applications should not remove or edit metadata except as requested by the user. Applications are encouraged to show the metadata in referenced external files to the user and provide ways of integrating that metadata into appropriate structures with user guidance. +:::note +Conversion between file metadata and GEDCOM structures generally requires user input, as the mapping is often content-dependent. +For example, the if `image.jpg` has a `dc:title` field and is used in the following way + +```gedcom +0 @I1@ INDI +1 SOUR @S1@ +0 @S1@ SOUR +1 OBJE @O1@ +0 @O1@ OBJE +1 FILE image.jpg +``` + +that field might belong in a `NAME` of `@I1@`, or a `TITL` in `@S1@`, or a `NOTE` in `@O1@`, or possible other locations depending on what the field contains. +::: + :::note Information about embedded metadata of interest to family history can be found at . :::