It's HTML, and you can use jAlbum variables in this format ${variableName}. Here you are the variables: http://jalbum.net/help/en/Variables

You can tell jAlbum to get its comment variable from several sources - see Album > Settings > Advanced > Metadata > Comment sources.

However, you have a comment in a metadata field called Windows XP Comment, and that's not one of the options. jAlbum cannot use that field as the comment. What you need is this:

<h5>${fileLabel}</h5><div class="comment"><%=meta.get("Windows XP Comment")%></div>

In the main jAlbum Explore window, right-click on a thumbnail and choose List metadata. That will show you what metadata fields jAlbum can read, and what the contents of each one is.

jAlbum does not copy the metadata to the output images unless you tell it to. See Album > Settings > Advanced > Metadata > Include photographic data in generated images (the second check box).

jAlbum uses a third-party metadata extractor library: https://github.com/drewnoakes/metadata-extractor. It concentrates on cross-platform metadata, rather than things that are specific to Windows. If that library can extract the metadata, jAlbum can use it. Otherwise, not.


You'd have to ask Microsoft about that.

But in typically perverse Microsoft fashion, the Windows XP Title gets written out to xmp.dc:description[1] and xmp.dc:title[1], but the Windows XP Subject and Windows XP Comment don't get written out to xmp at all.

See screenshot.

They manage to get it wrong every time. It's uncanny.

ETA: But now, a new puzzle. Look at that screenshot - you will not see "XP Comment" listed in any of the xmp metadata fields. But if I tell jAlbum to get its comments only from xmp, it is picking up that text! I'm thinking that there's something wrong with the List metadata extension.

Yes, it's amazing how silly a leading IT company could be.

If you have entered EXIF Comment, you can tell jAlbum to use that field as the source of its comment variable - see exif.png screenshot (it's called EXIF User on this panel). In the Tiger caption template, just use ${comment}.

But for the future, the best choice is to put your comments in xmp Description - see xmp1.png screenshot. Then tell jAlbum to use xmp as the source of its comment variable - see xmp2.png screenshot.