How to get r to read 'date taken' of a JPG file - r

Question

I could use some help performing a database correction, in regards to date and time of pictures were taken.
Essentially, the research we perform entails taking many pictures and entering the picture information into a database (we automated this with Microsoft Access). However, I performed a random check of our database and found that several dates and times of the photos were incorrect, and I am attempting to correct this via R as I was unable to correct it via Access.
What I need to do is to is write a script that reads these data, and compiles a list of the date taken information for all photos (there are several thousand). So far the best thing that I've found is
file.info(list.files(
"E:/Whatcom Creek Project/Data/Seal photos/Discovery/Catalog/Phoca vitulina",
recursive = T))
However this returns a list of NA NA for all information. Also, if I manually select one image to run file.info on, it doesn't return date taken (see the picture for the data I am attempting to retrieve)
If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears. Thanks in advance!!
-Ian
enter image description here

Answer 1

maybe still of any use?
i saw this message. I solved this a long time ago (2011) with a very basic VB6 code. The job is still working, but it is not applicable to all '.jpg files'. It depends with what camera the picture has been taken, but mostly pictures taken from a smartphone and classic camera's are returning the date the picture has been taken (not usable for whatsapp images or edited images).
The code is here below, and it is very basic code (but i hope it still can help or give idea's, and ... any new idea's are welcome too) :
'Reading of "Date Picture Taken" from .jpg file
'-----------------------------------------------
Debug.Print ">>>>>==== Start Read of .jpg-file ===== "; Date; " ===== "; Time; " ====<<<<<"
X = 0
DatePictureTaken = ""
TimePictureTaken = ""
FOUNDdatum = False
SWdatum = False
TELdatum = 0
Foto = FOLDER & "\" & tabFileName(FotoNr)
Open Foto For Binary Access Read As #1
'get startposition of the field "date picture taken"
Do
X = X + 1
Get #1, X, MyByte ': Debug.Print Chr(MyByte);
DoEvents
If Chr(MyByte) = ":" Then
'Debug.Print
SWdatum = True
Get #1, X + 3, MyByte
'Debug.Print "x+03="; Chr(MyByte)
If Chr(MyByte) <> ":" Then SWdatum = False 'Debug.Print "x+03="; Chr(MyByte)
Get #1, X + 9, MyByte
'Debug.Print "x+09="; Chr(MyByte)
If Chr(MyByte) <> ":" Then SWdatum = False 'Debug.Print "x+09="; Chr(MyByte)
Get #1, X + 12, MyByte
'Debug.Print "x+12="; Chr(MyByte)
If Chr(MyByte) <> ":" Then SWdatum = False 'Debug.Print "x+12="; Chr(MyByte)
'if a ':' is on the 3 locations (found above) then it is a date!
If SWdatum _
Then
TELdatum = TELdatum + 1
End If
'the 3e date is the date the picture has been taken
If TELdatum = 3 _
Then
FOUNDdatum = True
X = X - 4
Exit Do
End If
X = X + 12
End If
Loop Until EOF(1) 'Or X = 32765
If FOUNDdatum = False Then Close 1: End
BPdatum = X
EPdatum = X + 9
BPuur = X + 11
EPuur = X + 15
For X = BPdatum To EPdatum
Get #1, X, MyByte
'Debug.Print Chr(MyByte)
If Chr(MyByte) <> ":" _
Then
' DatePictureTaken = DatePictureTaken & "/"
'Else
DatePictureTaken = DatePictureTaken & Chr(MyByte)
End If
Next X
For X = BPuur To EPuur
Get #1, X, MyByte
'Debug.Print Chr(MyByte)
If Chr(MyByte) <> ":" _
Then
' DatePictureTaken = DatePictureTaken & "/"
'Else
TimePictureTaken = TimePictureTaken & Chr(MyByte)
End If
Next X
'Debug.Print "Date Picture Taken = "; DATUM
tbxDatum.Text = DatePictureTaken
tbxUur.Text = TimePictureTaken
Close 1
End Sub