Batch upload images
Specify allows the user to upload images en masse (hundreds at a time). This can be useful when used in combination with an imaging station, or when uploading specimen images that have been provided by a researcher.
Navigating to the attachments interface
The first step to batch uploading images is navigating to the Attachments section through the navigation menu
After navigating to the Attachments page, select Import in the top right corner.
A popup will appear for Attachment Data Sets. To upload new images, click the New button. Name the dataset anything that makes sense to you.
Adding files
From the attachment importer, either drop image files into the rectangle in the center of the page, or click Choose files or drag them here.
Matching files to a record
The easiest way to match images to a specimen is to have the catalog number in the filename itself. For example, V000001.tif. Specify will automatically detect the matching Catalog number.
From the top navigation, select Choose Path and then Collection Object / Catalog Number 1. Here, you are telling Specify which field to match against in the database.
When uploading multiple images for the same record
Uploading multiple images attached to the same collection object is possible, however, the catalog numbers must be formatted exactly. For example, V000001a.tif and V000001b.tif would work, V1a.tif and V1b.tif would not.
Validate and upload the data
Next, select Validate. The system will match the filenames with records in the database and show you which ones have been found. If you are happy with the results, click Upload to upload the images to Specify.
-
Note that this will differ by collection. If the collection refers to catalog numbers as accession numbers, then this option will read
Collection Object / Accession Number. ↩