Tag Management

This page covers advanced tag management features and workflows. For tag-based search features, see the Search documentation.

Tag Display

Gallery Items (Desktop)

On desktop, tags appear below each gallery item in "X | tag" format:

• The X on the left removes the tag when clicked
• The tag name on the right searches for that tag when clicked
• Up to 3 tags are shown
• Additional tags show as "+N" indicator

Gallery Items (Mobile)

On mobile, tags appear as simple chips overlaid on the thumbnail:

• Tap a tag to search for it
• Tap "+N" to see all tags

Tag Overflow Tooltip

When an item has more than 3 tags:

1. Click the "+N" indicator
2. A tooltip shows all tags
3. Each tag has the same "X | tag" format
4. Click X to remove, click tag name to search
5. Click outside to close

Tag Operations

Adding Tags

Tags can be added from:

• Tag modal (via tag button on item)
• Lightbox (via tag button)
• Selection mode (bulk tagging)

Removing Tags

Tags can be removed from:

• Tag modal (click X on tag chip)
• Gallery item (click X on tag, desktop only)
• Tag overflow tooltip (click X on tag)
• Lightbox tag display (click X on tag)

Tag Manager (Settings)

The Tag Manager in Settings provides centralized management for your entire tag library.

Accessing Tag Manager

1. Click the Settings button (gear icon)
2. Navigate to the Tags tab
3. The Tag Manager shows all tags with statistics

Features

View All Tags

• Sortable table with tag name and usage count
• Color indicators show tag colors (if assigned)
• Real-time sorting by name (alphabetical) or count (usage)
• Click column headers to toggle sort direction

Search Tags

• Type in the search bar to filter tags by name
• Instant filtering as you type
• Case-insensitive matching

Filter Tags

• Show Only Unused: Display only tags with zero file associations
• Show All Tags: Reset to view entire tag library
• Useful for finding orphaned tags to clean up

Rename Tags

Rename tags to fix typos, standardize naming, or merge similar tags:

1. Click Rename button next to any tag
2. Enter the new tag name in the modal
3. View the affected file count
4. Confirm to apply changes

Rename Behavior:

• Updates all files using the old tag name
• If new name exists, tags are automatically merged
• Case-only changes supported (e.g., "animal" → "Animal")
• Transactional operation (all-or-nothing)

Example Use Cases:

• Fix typos: "vacaton" → "vacation"
• Standardize: "Beach" → "beach"
• Merge duplicates: "holidays" → "vacation"

Delete Tags

Remove unwanted tags from your library:

1. Click Delete button next to any tag
2. Modal shows tag name and affected file count
3. Confirm deletion
4. Tag removed from all files and database

Delete Behavior:

• Removes tag from all associated files
• Cascade deletion ensures data consistency
• Shows count of affected files
• Cannot be undone (permanent deletion)

When to Delete:

• Experimental tags no longer needed
• One-off tags created by mistake
• Unused tags cluttering the library

Best Practices

• Regular cleanup: Use "Show Only Unused" to find orphaned tags monthly
• Naming standards: Establish conventions (lowercase, hyphens vs spaces)
• Merge duplicates: Consolidate similar tags using rename
• Bulk operations: Use Tag Manager for library-wide changes
• Backup before major changes: Especially when merging or deleting many tags

Searching by Tag

Click any tag anywhere in the interface to search for all items with that tag.

Tag Exclusion in Search

Search supports excluding tags from results to find items that don't have specific tags:

Exclusion Syntax:

• -tag:tagname - Exclude items with this tag
• NOT tag:tagname - Alternative exclusion syntax

Combining Filters:

• tag:vacation -tag:2023 - Items tagged "vacation" but not "2023"
• beach -tag:private - Text search for "beach" excluding items tagged "private"
• Mix multiple inclusions and exclusions as needed

Quick Exclusion:

• Hover over any tag in search results to see the exclude button (−)
• Click the exclude button to add that tag as an exclusion to your current search
• Right-click or long-press any tag to access "Search for" or "Exclude" options

Autocomplete:

When typing - or -tag:, autocomplete suggestions show available tags to exclude.

Search View Tag Behavior

When viewing search results, tag interactions are search-focused:

• Clicking a tag searches for that tag
• The exclude button (−) adds exclusions to your search
• Tag modal shows search options rather than editing options
• This helps you refine your search without leaving the results view

Bulk Tag Operations

Adding Tags to Multiple Items

1. Enter selection mode
2. Select target items
3. Click Tag in the toolbar
4. Add tags in the modal
5. Tags are added to all selected items

Removing Tags from Multiple Items

1. Enter selection mode
2. Select target items
3. Click Tag in the toolbar
4. In the modal, existing tags show which are common to all items
5. Click X on a tag to remove it from all selected items

Copy and Paste

Copy tags from one item to others:

1. Select source item
2. Copy tags (++ctrl+c++)
3. Select destination items
4. Paste tags (++ctrl+v++)
5. Confirm in modal

Merge

Combine tags from multiple items:

1. Select items to merge
2. Merge tags (++ctrl+m++)
3. All unique tags are collected
4. Confirm which to apply
5. All selected items receive all selected tags

Tag Suggestions

When adding tags, the system suggests existing tags:

• Suggestions appear as you type
• Shows tag name and item count
• Click to add the suggested tag
• Helps maintain consistent tag naming

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

• Use lowercase for consistency
• Use hyphens for multi-word tags: family-reunion
• Consider prefixes for categories: location-beach, event-birthday

Hierarchical Organization

Create logical groupings with prefixes:

location-beach
location-mountain
location-city

event-birthday
event-wedding
event-holiday

year-2024
year-2023

Tag Cleanup

Periodically review your tags:

1. Search for each tag to see its contents
2. Remove tags from misclassified items
3. Merge similar tags by:
   • Searching for the old tag
   • Selecting all results
   • Adding the new tag
   • Removing the old tag

Keyboard Shortcuts