From ba7a549f6fbe23000c81accd3b14fe46fa2de6d0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: =?UTF-8?q?Aleksi=20R=C3=A4s=C3=A4nen?= <aleksi.rasanen@runosydan.net>
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:39:13 +0300
Subject: [PATCH] Script launches exiftool and shows Creation Date/Time from
 image files

---
 photoimport.py | 67 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++----------
 1 file changed, 54 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/photoimport.py b/photoimport.py
index 4c9aeea..408d064 100644
--- a/photoimport.py
+++ b/photoimport.py
@@ -1,27 +1,56 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 import os
 import sys
+import subprocess
+
+def get_exif_date(file_path):
+    """
+    Uses exiftool to extract the File Creation Date/Time (CreateDate).
+    Returns the formatted date string or an error message if extraction fails.
+    """
+    # Use exiftool to extract the CreateDate tag.
+    # We use -d to define the desired output format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
+    try:
+        # Command: exiftool -d "Format" -CreateDate "file_path"
+        # The -d option allows specifying the desired output format.
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            ['exiftool', '-d', "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S", '-CreateDate', file_path],
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            check=True
+        )
+        # The result should contain the date string on the first line.
+        date_string = result.stdout.strip()
+        if date_string:
+            # Clean up potential trailing units or extra metadata lines
+            return date_string.split('\n')[0].strip()
+        return "Date not found in metadata."
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
+        # This handles cases where exiftool fails (e.g., corrupted file)
+        return f"ERROR: exiftool failed. Check file integrity or permissions. (Details: {e.stderr.strip()})"
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        # This handles cases where 'exiftool' command is not found
+        return "CRITICAL ERROR: exiftool command not found. Please ensure exiftool is installed and in your system PATH."
 
 def scan_photos(root_dir):
     """
-    Recursively scans the given directory and lists all specified photo file types.
+    Recursively scans the given directory, extracts EXIF date, and prints file details.
     """
     # Define accepted extensions (in lowercase)
     accepted_extensions = (
-        '.jpg', '.jpeg', '.raf', '.dng', '.raw', '.cr2', '.cr3'
+        '.jpg', '.jpeg', '.dng', '.raw', '.cr2', '.cr3', '.raf'
     )
     
-    print(f"--- Starting scan in: {root_dir} ---")
+    print(f"--- Starting photo import scan in: {root_dir} ---")
     found_files = []
 
+    # 1. Find all files
     try:
         for foldername, subfolders, filenames in os.walk(root_dir):
             for filename in filenames:
-                # Get the full path
                 full_path = os.path.join(foldername, filename)
                 
                 # Check the file extension
-                # os.path.splitext splits filename into (root, extension)
                 _, ext = os.path.splitext(filename)
                 
                 # Convert extension to lowercase for case-insensitive matching
@@ -29,17 +58,30 @@ def scan_photos(root_dir):
                     found_files.append(full_path)
     
     except FileNotFoundError:
-        print(f"Error: The path '{root_dir}' was not found. Please check the drive letter.")
+        print(f"\nFATAL ERROR: The path '{root_dir}' was not found. Please check the drive letter.")
         return
     except Exception as e:
-        print(f"An unexpected error occurred: {e}")
+        print(f"\nAN UNEXPECTED ERROR OCCURRED DURING DIRECTORY TRAVERSAL: {e}")
         return
 
     if found_files:
-        print("\n--- Files Found ---")
+        print("\n========================================================")
+        print("--- File Name & Creation Date/Time ---")
+        print("========================================================\n")
+        
+        processed_count = 0
         for file_path in found_files:
-            print(file_path)
-        print(f"\n--- Scan complete. Found {len(found_files)} files. ---")
+            # Extract the date using the external tool
+            date_time = get_exif_date(file_path)
+            
+            # Print the file name and the date/time
+            print(f"File Name: {os.path.basename(file_path)}")
+            print(f"Creation Date/Time: {date_time}")
+            print("-" * 40)
+            processed_count += 1
+        
+        print(f"\n========================================================")
+        print(f"--- Scan complete. Processed {processed_count} files. ---")
     else:
         print("\n--- Scan complete. No specified photo files found in this directory or its subdirectories. ---")
 
@@ -54,9 +96,8 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     # The first argument (index 1) is the path
     target_path = sys.argv[1]
     
-    # Ensure the path ends with a directory separator if it's not empty
-    # This helps when the user types "Q:" instead of "Q:\"
+    # Ensure the path ends with a directory separator
     if not target_path.endswith(os.sep):
         target_path = target_path + os.sep
         
-    scan_photos(target_path)
+    scan_photos(target_path)
\ No newline at end of file