Last update 02.12.2008. Click on current user's manual online for the latest version of the user's manual.
Before using CatGrab, please read the Introduction in the user's manual. Please read the explanations in the Settings section before making any settings.
Further help you can get on our website in the section support center .
Contents
Settings for “large & professional edition”:
Expert mode settings for the “professional edition” :
CatGrab can be run on the following operating systems:
Microsoft Windows Vista
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows 2000,
Mac OS X/10.3.9 and later
Linux
Mac & Windows:
Min. 20MB available hard disk space
Linux:
Min. 20MB available hard disk space
Python Interpreter Version 2.5
Tkinter
(python-tk)
(Linux
users install Python with the packet manager in the distribution.
If your distribution does not contain Python, find a suitable
packet at http://www.python.org)
Click on the CatGrab.exe file (double or single click) and follow the installation instructions.
CatGrab can now be started using the start button in the start menu.
Help about missing DLL files you can get in our Support Center. → Link
Double click the CatGrab.dmg to open it in the finder. Then drag the CatGrab file (CatGrab.app) from the finder to your program directory.
Click on CatGrab to start.
Installation
of Python (CatGrab requires Python):
Install
Python and Tkinter (python-tk) in the version described under system
requirements using
the packet manager in your distribution.
Installation of CatGrab - Option 1 (gksudo/kdesu)
Unzip the CatGrab zip file and then go to the “installation” directory: “/catgrab-install/Installation/”.
Click on the CatGrab_Install file (double or single click) and choose "execute in Terminal". You will now be asked to enter the sudo password (user password if the user has administration rights). Enter the password and confirm.
Now the installation starts automatically. Afterwards CatGrab can be started using the console (with: catgrab or catgrabconf) or using the start button in the start menu (in the graphic menu item). If this installation procedure not work use option 2.
Installation of CatGrab - Option 2 (Terminal)
Unzip the CatGrab zip file and then go to the “installation” directory: “/catgrab-install/Installation/”. Open a terminal and navigate to the directory with the command: “cd”. E.g.: cd /path to unzipped ZIP file.../catgrab-install/Installation/
Run the INSTALL_LINUX file with root rights by entering the following in your opened terminal: “sudo ./INSTALL_LINUX” (or “root ./INSTALL_LINUX”) and press enter to confirm. You will now be asked to enter the administration password (user password if the user has administration rights). Enter the password and press enter again to confirm.
CatGrab can now be started using the console (with: catgrab or catgrab-conf) or using the start button in the start menu (in the graphic menu item).
Additional information: CatGrab must be installed with root rights. If you do not have root rights, ask your administrator.
Click on the CatGrab unistall link in the startmenu (double or single click) and follow the uninstall instructions.
Mac OSX don't need any uninstall routine. Simply remove the CatGrab.dmg file.
Execute the uninstall script (version 1.3.9 and later).
Or delete following files manually (make sure to have admin rights).
Delete catgrab folder in /usr/local/catgrab/
Delete /usr/bin/catgrab-conf and usr/bin/catgrab
Remove the shortcuts from you startmenu.
First remove all external devices or equipment (e.g. USB bulk memory) from your PC. Then connect your camera or card reader (never connect several cameras or card readers at the same time). Now start CatGrab and switch on your camera (never start CatGrab several times at once). You can now start to import files by clicking the green start button. CatGrab automatically recognises the camera and starts to import the data. It renames the files by date and time, automatically rotates them and sorts them according to date and time. If new files have been downloaded, these will be opened in your system's file manager. CatGrab informs you when all procedures have been completed. You can then close the program by clicking the red exit button.
If CatGrab fails to automatically recognise your camera, you will be given a chance to choose the path to the camera. Note: Proceed with caution when specifying the path. Always test manually entered paths in copy mode. Please read the section below under the “restrictions” heading.
The software responds to all cameras which are recognised by the system as data storage media.
Even if a manual path has been specified, CatGrab will always try to recognise the camera automatically first. If it fails to do so, it resorts to the manually entered path.
To check that the automatic camera recognition functions correctly on the system concerned, the software user should initially process test files in copy mode.
If CatGrab is run even when several bulk memories are connected, make sure that they contain no directories called “DCIM”.
CatGrab can only rotate photos automatically if this is supported by your camera. (Click here for further information)
File naming by date and time is generated from the storage date. Therefore it is not advisable to run the program on the hard disc, i.e. from one directory to another, since the time when the photo was stored on the hard disk, rather than the creation time of the photo, could potentially be incorporated in the new file name. Later versions will be provided with a hard disk mode if necessary.
The “small edition” is the basic version of CatGrab. Its design is primarily confined to functions which require no pre-settings or decisions, without compromising significantly on performance. For this reason the small edition has no settings menu. The small edition is clear, simple and easy to use.
The “large edition” has all the necessary tools to enable you to customise CatGrab to your own preferences. For example, you can add setting options from the configuration to the quick access menu. The large edition also gives you the option of integrating a themed subdirectory into the archiving structure using the quick access menu.
The “professional edition” allows each camera to be perfectly scaled to your particular requirements and enables optimum customisation of file layout. Perfect for professional digital photography.
CatGrab comparison chart |
small |
large |
professional |
Automatic camera recognition.
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Automatic archiving.
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Automatic renaming of files by date and time, e.g.:“2006.05.12—13.25.11.jpg“. |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Imported files are automatically opened in file manager/viewer program.
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Automatic thumbnail (miniature image) filtering.
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Automatic image rotation (loss-free).
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Automatic quarterly archiving of files on the PC.
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Toggle between biannual, quarterly or monthly archiving.
|
|
✓ |
✓ |
Imported files remain on the camera (copy mode).
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Imported files are deleted from the camera (move mode).
|
|
✓ |
✓ |
Settings menu/configuration.
|
|
✓ |
✓ |
Quick settings toolbar (Quickbar) for the current run.
|
|
✓ |
✓ |
Choice of copy and move mode can be set in the quick settings toolbar.
|
|
✓ |
✓ |
Customisation of paths for storing files on the PC. Separate paths can be specified for photo, film and other. |
|
✓ |
✓ |
Customised sorting according to directory structure:
|
|
✓ |
✓ |
Generation of subdirectories to facilitate topic-based storage within the archiving structure (setting can be added to quick settings toolbar). |
|
✓ |
✓ |
Specification of the file manager/viewer in which the imported files will be opened. |
|
✓ |
✓ |
Changing the program language. |
|
✓ |
✓ |
Changing the appearance of the program interface. |
|
✓ |
✓ |
Import filter: Delete patterns can be defined by search terms and/or size. |
|
|
✓ |
Thumbnail filtering: Choose between process or do not process/delete thumbnails of film files created by the camera. |
|
|
✓ |
Customisation of file names.
|
|
|
✓ |
Customisation of directories.
|
|
|
✓ |
Insertion of dynamic and static signatures in the file names. (Setting can be added to quick settings toolbar). |
|
|
✓ |
The CatGrab trial version has the following limitations:
The download is restricted to 30 files.
The move mode cannot be activated.
The program returns to the default settings after five runs.
The process behaviour of all CatGrab versions except the “small edition” can be influenced using a configuration menu. The CatGrab “professional edition” has an enhanced configuration menu (expert). The configuration menu can be activated as follows:
Windows:
Misc switch > User's manual.
Via the start menu.
Mac:
Misc switch > User's manual.
Linux:
Misc switch > User's manual.
Via the start menu under graphics.
In the console with “catgrab-conf”.
New settings are stored by closing the configuration interface and are then available for immediate use. Elements which have just been added to the quick access toolbar are not updated until after the next processing operation, or after restarting the program.
The quick access toolbar is reached via the “misc” button and is only visible if settings have been added to it. The “small edition” has no quick access toolbar. Some settings options in the configuration can be added to the quick access toolbar by selecting the field “add to quick access toolbar”. The quick access toolbar can be used to change the program behaviour in the subsequent run. Settings effected via the quick access tool are not stored!
Files can be sorted on a monthly, biannual or quarterly basis.
Example of directory names with:
Monthly sorting: 2006[8]-[FILM]_AUG
Quarterly sorting: 2006[3]-[PHOTO]_JUL-SEP
Biannual sorting: 2006[2]-[PHOTO]_JUL-DEC
Films, photos and other files are all stored in a single directory according to the time structure specified under “chronological sorting”.
E.g.:
2006[3]-[PHOTO/FILM]_JUL-SEP
An individual directory for films, photos and other files, each stored according to the time structure specified under “chronological sorting”.
E.g.:
2006[3]-[PHOTO]_JUL-SEP,
2006[3]-[FILM]_JUL-SEP,
2006[3]-[OTHER]_JUL-SEP
Films and other files are stored in individual subdirectories of the photo directory according to the time structure specified under “chronological sorting”.
E.g.:
2006[3]-[PHOTO/FILM]_JUL-SEP/2006[3]-[FILM]_JUL-SEP
2006[3]-[PHOTO/FILM]_JUL-SEP/2006[3]-[OTHER]_JUL-SEP
Switch from “copy the files from the camera to the PC” to “move the files from the camera to the PC”. This function can be added to the quick access toolbar.
The camera files are archived in the directory specified in “paths”.
The file manager which is opened when CatGrab has imported the files can be replaced by another of your choice. Because of the range of different command line parameters and environments, we cannot guarantee that all software is suitable for interacting with CatGrab.
Mac: Finder, ViewIt, iView MediaPro, iPhoto, ACDSee, Xee, ImageBrowser, CocoViewX, Footagehead, PhotoReviewer, Phoenix Slides
Windows: Windows Explorer, ACDSee – Showroom (E.g.: C:\Program Files\ACD Systems\ACDSee\9.0\ACDSeeSR.exe), IrfanView (E.g.: C:\Program Files\IrfanView\i_view32.exe), Picasa2 (E.g.: C:\Program Files\Picasa2\Picasa2.exe), Vallen JPegger, XnView, iView MediaPro, dbsThumb, ThumbsPlus
Linux: Nautilus, Konqueror, GQview, digiKam, gThumb, KView
If a program is in the search path (PATH) of the operating system (Linux: E.g. /usr/bin), all you have to do is enter the program name, otherwise you must specify the path to the executable file.
E.g.:
Mac:
finder
viewit or viewit.app
Windows:
explorer
C:\Program Files\IrfanView\i_view32.exe
Linux:
nautilus
gqview or /usr/bin/gqview
This settings option can be added to the quick access toolbar by selecting the field in the configuration. A “topic” input field then appears on the quick settings toolbar. When a term is entered in this field before running the program, the processed files are stored in a directory of the same name within the archiving structure.
To choose a different interface language, click on the arrow symbol. To activate a language change, close the configuration and the main program. The chosen language will be available when you restart the program.
Click on the arrow symbol to change the appearance. To activate the new appearance, close the configuration and the main program. The chosen appearance will take effect when you restart the program.
Installing
a new appearance:
The zipped appearance is unzipped in the
“Theme” directory, under the program user directory and can be
selected from the configuration the next time you restart the
program.
When this option is activated,
an input window opens in which the signature can be entered.
The
manual signature appears on each file name of the imported files. It
can be used for naming a photograph or adding a topic name to a
series of photographs.
The dynamic signature is a name which can be allocated to a specific camera model. When a new camera model is detected, a user input window is opened, which allows you to allocate a specific name to the camera. The dynamic signature can be used to record an abbreviated name of the camera model or the user's name in the file names, for example.
The “amend” field is only active if signatures are stored in the program. It allows you to change or delete previously specified signatures. The equals sign indicates the respective allocation, e.g.: CameraXYZ=my_name, cameraABC=CLux2
Each input field is responsible for one delimiter section, as illustrated in the examples below. Inputting special characters can cause problems with some operating systems.
The
first delimiter refers to the date representation, the second
separates the data block from the time block and the third relates to
the time representation.
E.g.: “- --:” gives
"2006-07-23--16:42:22.jpg"
Input windows for signatures are only active if a “signature” option has been activated. The first and last delimiter contains the signatures. The delimiter in the middle separates the dynamic signature from the manual signature. E.g.: "( -)" gives "2006-07-23—16.42.22(Canon-Peter).jpg"
The required input fields are activated according to the sorting behaviour. The first two delimiters enclose the sort number after the date. The third and fifth delimiters enclose the directory media type. The fourth delimiter separates the media type and is only active in certain configurations.
This settings option allows you to change the names of the automatically generated directories to a different language or to a name of your choice.
Always use12 strings (sequence of characters) separated by spaces to specify the names of the months. If an incorrect number is given, the software will automatically use the standard.
Always use three strings to specify media types. If an incorrect number is given, the software will automatically use the standard.
Certain camera models produce thumbnails (a miniature image) of the film files created. These thumbnails are stored on the camera between the standard photo files. Since these files tend to be of little use on the PC, CatGrab does not process them in the default setting. If thumbnails are imported to the computer for camera-related reasons, despite the “delete thumbnails” setting, they can be removed if necessary by deleting according to search pattern and/or size.
Thumbnails are not processed
Thumbnails are imported and stored in the film directory.
When an entered search string is located in the name of a file which is to be imported, the file is deleted in move mode and not processed in copy mode. Several strings separated by commas can be specified. The filter distinguishes between upper and lower case.
Note: When a file has been imported by CatGrab, it is converted to lowercase. Therefore no filter can be applied to this file. Instead you must search for the original file name, which in its original spelling (upper/lowercase) serves as a starting point for a filter rule.
Mac Tip: For Mac users, enter “DS_Store“ (without quotes) in the filter. This enables you to exclude these files created by Mac OSX.
All files which fall within a specific size range are deleted in move mode and not processed in copy mode. Size is specified in kilobytes “KB”. Several size ranges can be specified, space- or comma-separated. The size range is written with a hyphen, e.g.: 10–300, 1200-1250
The user settings are stored in a directory called “catgrab”.
Mac:
Library in the user
directory/catgrab/ or path in shell: /Users/username/Library/catgrab/
.
Windows:
C:\Documents and
Settings\username\catgrab\ or C:\Program Files/catgrab/username/
.
Linux:
/home/user/.catgrab/
.
/Conf/:
Contains the configuration files
/Tst/: Directory for internal
test operations
/Std/: Log files – catgrab_stdout.log (for
process instructions), catgrab_stderr.log (error log file)
If no camera is found and the last manually specified path is not available, CatGrab will again provide the opportunity to specify a path to the camera. Each new specification overwrites the previous one.
A manually entered path can also be deleted by resetting to default settings. If your version has no settings menu, you can do this by deleting the configuration file (see: User-based directory) .
If the files to be processed have a rotation tag, CatGrab automatically rotates the photos as the files are imported. Not all cameras support the automatic rotation of images.
If the built-in loss-free autorotation cannot be deployed, CatGrab responds with the following exception routines:
Windows: Exception function searches for jhead.exe and jpegtran.exe in “PATH” or in a directory called C:\ProgramFiles\catrotation. When these two files have been found, they are used for autorotation.
Mac: The exception function searches for jhead and jpegtran in /usr/bin. When these two files have been found, they can be used for the autorotation. If not, exception function looks for the Sips program and uses this if necessary.
Linux: The exception function looks for jhead in /usr/bin and uses this if necessary.
Note: Information about the routines actually used can be found in the configuration or in catgrab/Std/catgrab_stdout.log (see: user-based directory). When the photos are rotated, the thumbnails in the image files are not rotated. This is not a problem, since the poor quality of the thumbnails makes them of little use. Further information is available on the Jhead website.
Python, website: http://www.python.org
Exif Library by Gene Cash in the source code: Copyright 2002 Gene Cash All rights reserved. Further information is available in the source code or on the website: http://home.cfl.rr.com/genecash
Code of the Independent JPEG Group, website: http://www.ijg.org/
Jhead, website: http://www.sentex.net/~mwandel/jhead