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File Metadata Management

File Metadata Management displays files in a folder as table records. Add fields such as Status, Rating, or Tags to organize them.

The configuration lives in files.eidos. Custom values live in the physical files’ attributes. These are different storage locations: copying the configuration file alone does not copy your tags.

1. Quick Start

Section titled “1. Quick Start”

Start in the folder you want to manage:

  1. Create a file: In the Eidos Lite sidebar, click New File (shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl + N), and choose Eidos as the file type.
  2. Enable management: Check the File Metadata Management toggle. The filename is fixed to files.eidos, then click Create. Each folder gets one configuration; an existing file is never overwritten.
  3. Start tagging: Open the created table and click the + (Add Column) button on the right side of the header. Enter a property name (such as “Status”, “Rating”, or “Tags”) and start recording metadata directly on your files as you would in a spreadsheet.

Folder browsing and metadata configuration

Section titled “Folder browsing and metadata configuration”

Right-click a folder and choose Show this folder to browse it as the sidebar root. The path above the tree lets you return to an ancestor. Sort files beside Search offers name, modification time, and file type in ascending or descending order. Folders stay first, and your sort preference applies throughout the tree and is remembered across sessions.

A new subfolder files.eidos inherits custom fields, types, options, display settings, attribute namespace, and storage keys from the nearest parent configuration. This copies configuration at creation time: later parent changes do not overwrite existing child configurations. It does not copy files or property values. Configurations sharing a namespace and storage keys read the same attributes on a physical file.

Existing metadata files with other names remain directly usable.

2. Daily Workflow & File Safety

Section titled “2. Daily Workflow & File Safety”
  • Original files stay in place: Editing custom fields changes file attributes, not the file’s content bytes.
  • Automatic disk change detection: When you add, rename, or delete files in your operating system, the table detects the changes and updates in real time without requiring manual refreshes.
  • Open physical files: The read-only file cell offers Open without attachment removal or reordering. Local files, including large videos, open in the system application without loading their bytes into the editor. Image thumbnails retain their preview size limit.

CSV import can create an ordinary table alongside files in the same .eidos file. Ordinary tables support Relations to other ordinary tables; the filesystem-backed files table cannot be a Relation source or target. URL fields are supported.

3. Scope of Management

Section titled “3. Scope of Management”

An .eidos file with File Metadata Management enabled scans its containing folder and its descendants.

It does not walk up the parent hierarchy or follow symbolic links. Ignored entries are excluded. A table created in a subfolder scans that subfolder and its descendants.

  • DirectoryMovies/
    • files.eidos Manages this folder and its descendants
    • Interstellar.mkv
    • Dune.mp4
    • Poster.jpg
    • Notes.pdf

4. Nested Folders & Shared Attribute Mechanics

Section titled “4. Nested Folders & Shared Attribute Mechanics”

Complex project structures often contain nested subfolders (for example, a project folder containing dedicated asset subfolders). When both a parent folder and a subfolder create their own files.eidos:

  • DirectoryCreative-Project/
    • files.eidos Includes files in nested folders
    • Project-Plan.pdf
    • Budget.xlsx
    • DirectoryVisual-Assets/
      • files.eidos Manages subfolder files independently
      • Hero-Poster.png
      • Brand-Logo.svg
      • Illustration.jpg
    • DirectoryReferences/
      • Competitive-Review.md
      • Moodboard.png

Independent layouts and configurations

Section titled “Independent layouts and configurations”

The .eidos file in the parent folder and the one in the subfolder are completely separate documents: Layouts, view styles, filter criteria, and sort rules are independent. The parent table can include files in a subfolder whether or not that subfolder has its own .eidos file.

Shared underlying metadata on physical files

Section titled “Shared underlying metadata on physical files”

Because custom attributes are recorded directly in physical file extended attributes:

  • Field names are attribute keys: New fields use their exact names as storage keys, just like tags and rating. Tools and tables using the same namespace and key share values.
  • Field names cannot be changed: Metadata fields do not support renaming. Existing fields with generated field_… keys retain their original mapping and values; opening a file does not migrate or overwrite external attributes.

Important precautions

Section titled “Important precautions”
  1. Edits affect physical file attributes: Tables sharing a storage key can observe each other’s edits. Older fields with generated keys remain independent even if their names match.
  2. Moving files: An ordinary rename on the same filesystem preserves file attributes. Copying or transferring files depends on the filesystem and tool. The destination table needs the same namespace and storage key to read existing values.
  3. Difference between “Deleting a column” and “Clearing a cell value”:
    • Deleting a column (field) removes the column and clears its stored attribute from files included in the table. This also affects other tables sharing that attribute.
    • Clearing the content of a cell explicitly removes that attribute value from the physical file’s system metadata.
  4. Attribute portability:
    • Values use extended attributes on macOS/Linux and alternate data streams on Windows. The filesystem must support them. Do not assume that Graft history, Sync, backups, or copying an .eidos file preserves these external attributes; verify your backup tool separately.
    • If files are transferred using third-party tools that strip extended attributes (such as sending individual files over instant messaging apps) or copied onto basic FAT32 media, the extended attributes may be ignored by the operating system.
  5. Transaction limits: Ordinary transaction and savepoint rollback restores metadata while the process is running. The journal is in memory; it does not provide crash atomicity or isolation from other programs changing the same attributes.

5. Built-in System Fields

Section titled “5. Built-in System Fields”

The system automatically extracts physical file properties (read-only):

Field Type Description
name Text Physical filename (e.g. Photo.jpg)
path Text Relative path from the folder root, serving as the record title and primary key
extension Text / Select Lowercase file extension (e.g. jpg, mp4, pdf)
size Text / Integer File size (formatted automatically as KB, MB, or GB)
mimetype Text Media type (e.g. image/jpeg, video/mp4), useful for filtering media types
file Attachment Local file handle providing instant thumbnails and full-screen previews