[Openicc] Renaming an ICC profile

[Elle Stone]

On 05/14/2014 09:56 AM, Max Derhak wrote:
> I'm a bit concerned about using the concept of "Original Checksum" as a metadata element.
>
> Once established, any change of the profile without modifying this metadata field will become invisible.  In my opinion the checksum should be the checksum.  If you are changing the profile you are changing the profile.  Just like changing a filename you need to modify all references to it in order for things to be consistent.
>
> Additionally, what happens when someone adds the original profile again to the system, you then have two profiles with the same checksum?  Any profile can mascaraed as another profile by adding/adjust a metadata element.  Additionally, you loose the possibility to algorithmically verify that the checksum is correct - you no longer have a checksum.
>


> From: openicc [mailto:openicc-bounces at lists.freedesktop.org] On Behalf Of Richard Hughes
> Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 5:27 AM
> To: OpenICC Liste
> Subject: [Openicc] Renaming an ICC profile

> One frequent request from users seems to be the ability to "rename" an ICC profile in the GUI. What they mean is to change the description value of user-local profiles (rather than system-installed profiles).
> Allowing this does pose a few problems:


Have the users talked about why they want to rename their ICC profiles?

Often profile file names and profile descriptions are completely 
different, and a lot of editing software only displays the description 
when you want to choose a profile.

If the description is long, it can be hard to read in the tiny little 
space the dropdown boxes usually provide, and still doesn't tell you 
which profile on disk it really is.

And if the description is short, like "sRGB", then there easily can be a 
dozen or more profiles on disk to which that description applies.

If the profile vendor makes the file name truly informative and unique, 
and the description at least starts with the actual file name (even if 
it gives more information), that might solve the problem that the users 
are trying solve by wanting to rename their profiles.

These days I make and use my own ICC profiles, with file name and 
matching "start of description" like this:

basename-vendor+version-ICC profile version-TRC.icc, thus:

ClayRGB-elle02-V4-g10.icc (for my second try at a linear gamma version 
of AdobeRGB1998)
LargeRGB-elle03-V2-g18.icc (for my third try at ProPhotoRGB)
sRGB-elle03-V4-srgbtrc.icc (for sRGB with the sRGB TRC)
sRGB-elle03-V4-g10.icc (for sRGB with a linear gamma TRC)

That way whether the editing software shows profile file names or 
profile descriptions, I always know exactly what profile I'm looking at.

Of course all profile vendors would need to follow some common naming 
scheme for this to be completely useful. But still it would help even if 
only a few vendors followed such a scheme.

My apologies if this is completely off-topic!

Elle Stone