Can't delete some custom fields

I'd "Repair Database" and try again, and if that doesn't work, "Rebuild Database" and try again.

Backup first (though I've never heard of either operation damaging the Library).

Neither is harmful, and may in fact be helpful run once every month or so on well-used Libraries.

"Rebuild" is nervous-making, but I've never had any problem with it. Kudos to the engineers.

Let it run overnight. And, of course, always have a back-up.

I did what you did, removed it from all metadata views. That didn't get rid of the custom fields I want to delete. Worse, I redownloaded Aperture 3.4.5 thinking that the original program was damaged, and THAT didn't work. I created a NEW library on my desktop, away from any other libraries, thinking it would be "clean". It wasn't, it still has the custom fields I don't want. AND, the custom fields I want to delete that show up in the metadate info screen DON'T show up in the Metadata views. Worse, the Custom Fields icon is now greyed out, so I can't even ADD or DELETE any fields. What is going on here? Any ideas?

David Gordon wrote:

If the custom field is contained in any metadata views it will remain in that view even after it has been deleted and no longer exists in the custom metadata list.

Does that make sense? Is it true for everyone else? Is it a bug or a feature?

It kind of makes sense.

When adding some types of feature, especially a delete facility, it can turn out to need an awful lot of code to do it really neatly and in a user friendly way. Ideally it needs to check all the places where it might get used and then inform the user that it's being used in those places, and then give the user an appropriate action to take.

For example if it could be used as criteria in a smart album, what would the appropriate action be:

Delete the smart albums that use it (and then what about anything using those smart albums)?

Remove just that criteria from the smart album (thereby changing the images now selected by the smart album)?

Something else?

And so seemingly simple actions like delete a custom field suddenly require lots of design, UI, code and testing to implement really well, so simetimes shortcuts are taken.

The shortcut here seems to be, don't actually delete it until nothing is using it anymore.

A bit lazy perhaps, but features often have to fight for a place in a product due to priorities, and sometimes rarely used features are only allowed into the product if they can be done quickly (effort vs benefit).

Andy

Thank you. This solved the problem.🙂

Thank you. This solved the problem.🙂

See my reply in your other post. You can remove the custom field without removing it from each individual place it it used

You'll get this warning if it is in use.