Extract and locate the photographs required by metadata

Checks a selected ZIP before extraction, ignores Mac resource-fork files, resolves extra enclosing folders and requires exactly one path per expected photograph. Existing extraction folders are not used as evidence that this ZIP contains an image. Missing/ambiguous files stop before image analysis.

Usage

prepare_photo_archive(photo_zip, metadata, photo_root)

Arguments

photo_zip

Path to the original ZIP of plate photographs.

metadata

Data frame containing file and optionally relative_file. relative_file helps distinguish duplicate basenames in nested folders.

photo_root

Parent directory for a fresh extraction subfolder.

Value

Character vector of existing absolute image paths, in metadata order.