Setting Metadata on a File

You can set metadata on a file before writing it to the device (when using IWMDMStorageControl3::Insert3) or on an existing storage (by calling IWMDMStorage3::SetMetadata). You can set attributes only on an existing storage (by calling IWMDMStorage::SetAttributes or IWMDMStorage2::SetAttributes2).

Setting metadata is done by creating and filling an IWMDMMetaData interface that is passed into IWMDMStorageControl3::Insert3. However, this method can clear all existing metadata on the file, other than hard-coded metadata stored in the file system itself, such as file name or size. Therefore, you must copy all existing metadata that you wish to retain into the IWMDMMetaData interface you submit. Because Windows Media Device Manager cannot be used to retrieve metadata from local files, you must use the Windows Media Format SDK (or some other tool) to retrieve such metadata.

To use the Windows Media Format SDK to retrieve ASF file properties, follow these steps:

1. Create a metadata editor object by calling WMCreateEditor and requesting an IWMMetadataEditor interface.
2. Open the file for metadata reading by calling IWMMetadataEditor::Open.
3. If the file is a valid ASF file and can be opened, query the editor for the IWMHeaderInfo interface.
4. Retrieve file properties by calling IWMHeaderInfo::GetAttributeByName, passing in the desired Windows Media Format SDK property constant. A list of Format SDK constants with equivalent Windows Media Device Manager SDK constants is given in the following table.

The following C++ example code demonstrates retrieving a number of metadata properties from an ASF file using the Windows Media Format SDK and converting them to the equivalent Windows Media Device Manager values.

// Structure and array to hold equivalent Windows Media Format SDK 
// and Windows Media Device Manager SDK metadata property names.
struct EquivalentProperty
{
    LPCWSTR FormatSDKConst;
    LPCWSTR WMDMSDKConst;
};
EquivalentProperty EquivalentProperties []= 
{
    {g_wszWMTitle,        g_wszWMDMTitle},
    {g_wszWMAuthor,      g_wszWMDMAuthor},
    {g_wszWMAlbumTitle,  g_wszWMDMAlbumTitle},
    {g_wszWMGenre,       g_wszWMDMGenre},
    {g_wszWMYear,        g_wszWMDMYear},
    {g_wszWMTrackNumber, g_wszWMDMTrack},
    {g_wszWMTrack,       g_wszWMDMTrack},
    {g_wszWMComposer,    g_wszWMDMComposer},
    {g_wszWMBitrate,     g_wszWMDMBitrate},
    {g_wszWMDuration,    g_wszWMDMDuration},
    {g_wszWMCopyright,   g_wszWMDMProviderCopyright},
    {g_wszWMDescription, g_wszWMDMDescription},
    {g_wszWMRating,      g_wszWMDMUserRating},
    {g_wszWMAlbumArtist, g_wszWMDMAlbumArtist},
    {g_wszWMParentalRating,    g_wszWMDMParentalRating},
    {g_wszWMRadioStationName,  g_wszWMDMMediaStationName},
    {g_wszWMSubTitle,    g_wszWMDMSubTitle},
    {g_wszWMVideoWidth,  g_wszWMDMWidth},
    {g_wszWMVideoHeight, g_wszWMDMHeight},
    {g_wszWMMood,        g_wszWMDMTrackMood},
    {g_wszWMCodec,       g_wszAudioWAVECodec},
    {g_wszWMCodec,       g_wszVideoFourCCCodec}
};
// Function that tries to get metadata by using the Format SDK. 
// If it cannot open the file, it returns E_FAIL.
HRESULT GetFileMetadataFromFormatSDK(IWMDMMetaData* pMetadata, LPCWSTR file)
{
    if ((pMetaData == NULL) || (file == NULL)) return E_INVALIDPARAM;
    HRESULT hr = S_OK;
    CComPtr<IWMMetadataEditor> pEditor;

    // Do loop to allow easy error trapping. Even if there are no errors, 
    // the loop executes only once.
    do {
        hr = WMCreateEditor(&pEditor);
        if (FAILED(hr)) 
            break;

        // Open the file.
        hr = pEditor->Open(file);
        if (FAILED(hr)) 
            break;

        CComPtr<IWMHeaderInfo>pHeaderInfo;
        hr = pEditor->QueryInterface(__uuidof(IWMHeaderInfo), (void**)&pHeaderInfo);
        if (FAILED(hr))
            break;

        // Copy values from Format SDK to equivalent WMDM SDK metadata values.

        // Loop through all known values
        WORD stream = 0;
        WMT_ATTR_DATATYPE wmfType;
        WORD len = 0;
        BYTE* value = NULL;
        WMDM_TAG_DATATYPE wmdmType;
        for (int i = 0; i < sizeof(EquivalentProperties) / sizeof(EquivalentProperties[0]); i++)
        {
            // Request each value from our equivalency list by name.
            // The function is called twice: once to get the buffer size,
            // and once to get the value in the allocated buffer.
            if (FAILED(pHeaderInfo->GetAttributeByName(
                &stream, EquivalentProperties[i].FormatSDKConst, &wmfType, NULL, &len)))
            {
                continue;
            }

            value = new BYTE[len];
            if (value == NULL) continue;

            if (FAILED(pHeaderInfo->GetAttributeByName(&stream, EquivalentProperties[i].FormatSDKConst, &wmfType, value, &len)))
            {
                delete[] value;
                continue;
            }

            // Send the data to the equivalent WMDM metadata value.
            // First, find the equivalent WMDM type for the WMF type.
            switch(wmfType)
            {
            case WMT_TYPE_BINARY:
                wmdmType = WMDM_TYPE_BINARY;
                break;
            case WMT_TYPE_DWORD:
                wmdmType = WMDM_TYPE_DWORD;
                break;
            case WMT_TYPE_STRING:
                wmdmType = WMDM_TYPE_STRING;
                break;
            case WMT_TYPE_BOOL:
                wmdmType = WMDM_TYPE_BOOL;
                break;
            case WMT_TYPE_QWORD:
                wmdmType = WMDM_TYPE_QWORD;
                break;
            case WMT_TYPE_WORD:
                wmdmType = WMDM_TYPE_WORD;
                break;
            case WMT_TYPE_GUID:
                wmdmType = WMDM_TYPE_GUID;
                break;
            default:
                wmdmType = WMDM_TYPE_BINARY;
                break;
            }

            // Don't worry about trapping errors, because there's nothing 
            // we can do about it.
            pMetadata->AddItem(wmdmType, 
                EquivalentProperties[i].WMDMSDKConst, value, len);
            delete[] value;
        } // Add next value.
    } while (FALSE); // End Do loop error trap.

    // Close the file opened with IWMMetadataEditor.
    pEditor->Close();
    return hr;
}

The following C++ example function shows how to use DirectShow to get some file information and add it to the metadata.

// For IMediaDet, you must link to strmiids.lib. Also include the following:
//#include <Qedit.h>  // for IMediaDet declaration.
//#include <Dshow.h>  // for VIDEOINFOHEADER declaration.
HRESULT GetFileMetadataFromDShow(IWMDMMetaData* pMetadata, LPCWSTR file)
{
    HRESULT hr = S_OK;

    // Add file metadata properties from DirectShow. 
    // This is good for non-ASF files, or to add any information
    // that the Format SDK didn't get.

    // Do loop to allow easy error trapping. Even if there are no errors, 
    // the loop executes only once.
    do
    {
        // Create the Media Detector object.
        CComPtr<IMediaDet> pIMediaDet;
        hr = pIMediaDet.CoCreateInstance(CLSID_MediaDet, NULL);
        if (FAILED(hr)) 
            break;

        // Open the file.
        hr = pIMediaDet->put_Filename(BSTR(file));
        if (FAILED(hr))
            break;

        // Get the media type for the default stream.
        AM_MEDIA_TYPE mediaType;
        hr = pIMediaDet->get_StreamMediaType(&mediaType);
        if (FAILED(hr))
            break;

        // We have the file open, so start requesting information from the 
        // Media Detector and adding it to the metadata. When adding 
        // individual metadata values, ignore the HRESULT, because failure 
        // to add these metadata values is not a breaking issue.

        // Get major and minor types.
        WCHAR strMediaType[64];
        ZeroMemory(strMediaType, 64);

        //Change the major type to a string, then add to IWMDMMetaData.
        StringFromGUID2(reinterpret_cast<GUID&>(mediaType.majortype),
            (LPOLESTR)strMediaType, 64);
        hr = pMetadata->AddItem(WMDM_TYPE_STRING, 
             g_wszWMDMediaClassPrimaryID, 
            (BYTE*) strMediaType, 
             sizeof(strMediaType) / sizeof(strMediaType[0]));

        // Clear local string, then retrieve subtype the same way.
        ZeroMemory(strMediaType, 64);
        StringFromGUID2(reinterpret_cast<GUID&>(mediaType.subtype),
            (LPOLESTR)strMediaType, 64);
        hr = pMetadata->AddItem(WMDM_TYPE_STRING, 
            g_wszWMDMMediaClassSecondaryID, (BYTE*) strMediaType,
            sizeof(strMediaType) / sizeof(strMediaType[0]));

        // Get the duration. Duration is retrieved in seconds, but set 
        // in 100-nanosecond units.
        double duration = 0;
        hr = pIMediaDet->get_StreamLength(&duration);
        if (duration > 0)
        {
            duration *= 10E7;
            hr = pMetadata->AddItem(WMDM_TYPE_DWORD, g_wszWMDMDuration, (BYTE*) &duration, sizeof(duration));
        }

        // Get the frame rate.
        double frameRate = 0;
        hr = pIMediaDet->get_FrameRate(&frameRate);
        if (frameRate > 0)
        {
            hr = pMetadata->AddItem(WMDM_TYPE_DWORD, g_wszWMDMFrameRate, 
                (BYTE*) &frameRate,
                sizeof(frameRate));
        }

        // Get the structure for the default stream's major type and 
        // fill in additional information.

        if (IsEqualGUID(mediaType.formattype, FORMAT_VideoInfo))
        {
            VIDEOINFOHEADER* data = (VIDEOINFOHEADER*) mediaType.pbFormat;
            hr = pMetadata->AddItem(WMDM_TYPE_DWORD, g_wszWMDMVideoBitrate, 
               (BYTE*) &data->dwBitRate, sizeof(DWORD));
            hr = pMetadata->AddItem(WMDM_TYPE_DWORD, g_wszWMDMHeight, 
               (BYTE*) &data->bmiHeader.biHeight, sizeof(LONG));
            hr = pMetadata->AddItem(WMDM_TYPE_DWORD, g_wszWMDMWidth, 
               (BYTE*) &data->bmiHeader.biWidth, sizeof(LONG));
        }

        if (IsEqualGUID(mediaType.formattype, FORMAT_WaveFormatEx))
        {
            WAVEFORMATEX* data = (WAVEFORMATEX*) mediaType.pbFormat;
            hr = pMetadata->AddItem(WMDM_TYPE_WORD, g_wszWMDMBlockAlignment, 
                (BYTE*) &data->nBlockAlign, sizeof(WORD));
            hr = pMetadata->AddItem(WMDM_TYPE_WORD, g_wszWMDMNumChannels, 
               (BYTE*) &data->nChannels, sizeof(WORD));
        }
    } while (FALSE); // End of error loop.
    return hr;
}

See Also

• Writing Files to the Device