Xmp PowerBuilder Reference Documentation

Xmp

Current Version: 11.6.0

Chilkat.Xmp

Read, modify, add, remove, and save XMP metadata in JPG and TIFF files.

Chilkat.Xmp is a legacy class for working with embedded XMP metadata in JPG and TIFF image files. It can load image files or image data from memory, locate embedded XMP documents, return XMP metadata as Chilkat.Xml, create new XMP documents, add or update simple string and integer properties, manage arrays and structured properties, add namespace mappings, remove selected XMP properties or entire embedded XMP documents, and save the updated image back to a file or byte buffer.

Legacy class: Chilkat.Xmp is maintained for existing JPG/TIFF XMP workflows, but it is not planned to be extended to support additional file types.

Load JPG or TIFF metadata

Load a JPG or TIFF file from disk or memory and inspect how many embedded XMP documents were found.

Access XMP as XML

Retrieve embedded XMP documents as Chilkat.Xml objects for inspection, editing, or direct XML-level processing.

Add simple properties

Add or update namespace-qualified string and integer properties such as dc:subject, photoshop:Credit, or tiff:XResolution.

Arrays and structures

Work with XMP arrays such as bag, seq, and alt, and manage structured property values.

Namespaces

Use built-in namespace mappings or add custom namespace-to-URI mappings for application-specific XMP properties.

Remove and save

Remove properties, arrays, structures, or embedded XMP documents, then persist changes to a file or return the updated image as a byte buffer.

Common pattern: Load a JPG or TIFF with LoadAppFile or LoadFromBuffer, retrieve an embedded XMP document with GetEmbedded or create one with NewXmp, modify it using the add/remove property methods, then call SaveAppFile or SaveToBuffer to persist the updated image metadata.
Persistence note: Changes made to the XMP XML object are not written back to the image file until SaveAppFile is called. For memory workflows, use SaveToBuffer to obtain the updated JPG or TIFF bytes.

Object Creation

oleobject loo_Xmp
integer li_rc

loo_Xmp = create oleobject
li_rc = loo_Xmp.ConnectToNewObject("Chilkat.Xmp")
if li_rc < 0 then
    destroy loo_Xmp
    MessageBox("Error","Connecting to COM object failed")
    return
end if

// ... use loo_Xmp ...

destroy loo_Xmp

PowerBuilder uses the Chilkat ActiveX through an oleobject: declare the variable, create it, connect it to the Chilkat class with ConnectToNewObject, and destroy it when finished. A negative return code from ConnectToNewObject means the ActiveX is not registered, or the registered ActiveX does not match the bitness (32-bit or 64-bit) of the PowerBuilder target.

Objects returned by methods (such as an HttpResponse or JsonObject) are also oleobject variables and must likewise be destroyed. A method that fails to return an object returns null; test with IsNull(). In the signatures on this page, the Chilkat class name identifies which object is expected or returned; the PowerBuilder variable type is always oleobject.

To bind to a specific major version of Chilkat, append the major version number to the ProgID, such as ConnectToNewObject("Chilkat.Xmp.11") for Chilkat v11.*.*.

Members typed blob exchange binary data as a Variant byte array. The PowerBuilder examples instead use the BinData-based alternatives (methods ending in Bd), which keep binary data inside Chilkat objects.

Properties

DebugLogFilePath
string DebugLogFilePath

If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. This logging helps identify the context and history of Chilkat calls leading up to any crash or hang, aiding in debugging.

Enabling the VerboseLogging property provides more detailed information. This property is mainly used for debugging rare instances where a Chilkat method call causes a hang or crash, which should generally not happen.

Possible causes of hangs include:

  • A timeout property set to 0, indicating an infinite timeout.
  • A hang occurring within an event callback in the application code.
  • An internal bug in the Chilkat code causing the hang.

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LastBinaryResult
blob LastBinaryResult (read-only)

This property is mainly used in SQL Server stored procedures to retrieve binary data from the last method call that returned binary data. It is only accessible if Chilkat.Global.KeepBinaryResult is set to 1. This feature allows for the retrieval of large varbinary results in an SQL Server environment, which has restrictions on returning large data via method calls, though temp tables can handle binary properties.

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LastErrorHtml
string LastErrorHtml (read-only)

Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorText
string LastErrorText (read-only)

Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorXml
string LastErrorXml (read-only)

Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastMethodSuccess
long LastMethodSuccess

Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: 1 means success, 0 means failure. This property remains unchanged by property setters or getters. This method is present to address challenges in checking for null or Nothing returns in certain programming languages. Note: This property does not apply to methods that return integer values or to boolean-returning methods where the boolean does not indicate success or failure.

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LastStringResult
string LastStringResult (read-only)

In SQL Server stored procedures, this property holds the string return value of the most recent method call that returns a string. It is accessible only when Chilkat.Global.KeepStringResult is set to TRUE. SQL Server has limitations on string lengths returned from methods and properties, but temp tables can be used to access large strings.

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LastStringResultLen
long LastStringResultLen (read-only)

The length, in characters, of the string contained in the LastStringResult property.

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NumEmbedded
long NumEmbedded (read-only)

The number of XMP metadata documents found within the JPG or TIFF file loaded by LoadAppFile.

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StructInnerDescrip
long StructInnerDescrip

Determines whether structures are stored with rdf:parseType=Resource, or within an rdf:Description sub-node.

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UncommonOptions
string UncommonOptions
Introduced in version 9.5.0.80

A property to be used for future uncommon needs. The default value is the empty string.

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VerboseLogging
long VerboseLogging

If set to 1, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is 0. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.

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Version
string Version (read-only)

Version of the component/library, such as "10.1.0"

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Methods

AddArray
long AddArray(ChilkatXml xml, string arrType, string propName, CkStringArray values)

Adds or replaces an XMP property array. The XMP metadata to be updated is contained in the XML object passed in the 1st argument. The 2nd argument specifies the array type, which can be bag, seq, or alt. The property name should be prefixed with the namespace, such as dc:subject.

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AddNsMapping
AddNsMapping(string ns, string uri)

Adds a namespace to URI mapping. When a property is added via AddSimpleString or any of the other methods, the property name is namespace qualified. When adding the first property in a namespace, the rdf:Description is automatically added and the URI is obtained from the namespace-to-URI mappings. The standard (and commonly used) namespace mappings are defined by default. This is only used if the namespace is custom or not already handled.

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AddSimpleInt
long AddSimpleInt(ChilkatXml iXml, string propName, long propVal)

Adds or updates an XMP integer property. The XMP metadata to be updated is contained in the XML object passed in the 1st argument. The property name should be prefixed with the namespace, such as tiff:XResolution.

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AddSimpleStr
long AddSimpleStr(ChilkatXml iXml, string propName, string propVal)

Adds or updates a simple XMP string property. The XMP metadata to be updated is contained in the XML object passed in the 1st argument. The property name should be prefixed with the namespace, such as photoshop:Credit.

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AddStructProp
long AddStructProp(ChilkatXml iChilkatXml, string structName, string propName, string propValue)

Adds or updates an XMP structured property value. The XMP metadata to be updated is contained in the XML object passed in the 1st argument. The structure name should be prefixed with the namespace, such as Iptc4xmpCore:CreatorContactInfo. The property name within the structure should also be prefixed with the namespace, such as Iptc4xmpCore:CiAdrCity.

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Append
long Append(ChilkatXml iXml)

Appends a new XMP metadata file to the XMP object. Any XMPs appended via this method will be present in the file when SaveAppFile is called. Files containing XMP metadata typically only include a single XMP document, so this method is usually only called when adding XMP metadata to a file for the first time.

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GetArray
CkStringArray GetArray(ChilkatXml iXml, string propName)

Finds and returns an XMP array property. The property name should be prefixed with the namespace, such as dc:subject.

Returns null on failure

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GetEmbedded
ChilkatXml GetEmbedded(long index)

Returns the Nth embedded XMP document as a Chilkat XML object.

Returns null on failure

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GetProperty
ChilkatXml GetProperty(ChilkatXml iXml, string propName)

To be documented soon...

Returns null on failure

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GetSimpleInt
long GetSimpleInt(ChilkatXml iXml, string propName)

Finds and returns an XMP integer property. The property name should be prefixed with the namespace, such as tiff:ResolutionUnit.

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GetSimpleStr
string GetSimpleStr(ChilkatXml iXml, string propName)

Finds and returns an XMP simple string property. The property name should be prefixed with the namespace, such as photoshop:Source.

Returns null on failure

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GetStructPropNames
CkStringArray GetStructPropNames(ChilkatXml iXml, string structName)

Returns the property names used by an exsting structure within an XMP document. The contents of the structure can be retrieved by calling GetStructValue for each property name returned by GetStructPropNames.

Returns null on failure

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GetStructValue
string GetStructValue(ChilkatXml iXml, string structName, string propName)

Returns the value of a single item within an XMP structure property. Property names should always be prefixed with the namespace.

Returns null on failure

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LoadAppFile
long LoadAppFile(string filename)

Loads a TIFF or JPG file into the XMP object.

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LoadFromBuffer
long LoadFromBuffer(blob fileData, string ext)

Loads a JPG or TIFF from an byte buffer containing the image file data.

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NewXmp
ChilkatXml NewXmp()

Creates and returns a new/empty XMP metadata document as a Chilkat XML object.

Returns null on failure

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RemoveAllEmbedded
long RemoveAllEmbedded()

Removes all XMP metadata documents from an XMP object. After calling this method, call SaveAppFile to rewrite the JPG or TIFF file with the XMP metadata removed.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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RemoveArray
long RemoveArray(ChilkatXml iXml, string propName)

Removes an XMP array property from the XMP document.

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RemoveEmbedded
long RemoveEmbedded(long index)

Removes a single XMP metadata document from the JPG or TIFF file. Call SaveAppFile to persist the changes to disk.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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RemoveNsMapping
RemoveNsMapping(string ns)

Removes a namespace-to-URI mapping.

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RemoveSimple
long RemoveSimple(ChilkatXml iXml, string propName)

Removes a simple XMP property from the XMP document.

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RemoveStruct
long RemoveStruct(ChilkatXml iXml, string structName)

Removes an XMP structure property from the XMP document.

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RemoveStructProp
long RemoveStructProp(ChilkatXml iXml, string structName, string propName)

Removes a single member from an XMP structured property.

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SaveAppFile
long SaveAppFile(string filename)

Persists all changes made to the XMP document(s) by saving the XMP object to a file. Changes made by adding, updating, or removing properties are not persisted to the filesystem until this is called.

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SaveToBuffer
blob SaveToBuffer()

Saves a JPG or TIFF image with updated XMP to a byte buffer.

Returns a zero-length byte array (as a Variant) on failure.

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