What is the difference between a metadata editor and a metadata generator?
A metadata editor gives full control to the operator for creating metadata. Most editors provide prompts for the insertion of variable data, and the editor builds any syntax (the metadata coding) around the content to ensure conformance with the standard. A metadata generator on the other hand, is a higher level application that applies logic to the resources that require metadata. The generator automatically populates a range of the metadata elements by a processing method that looks for existing meta tags (for such elements as title, description, date etc) or other predefined components of a resource (first 4 lines of a paragraph, say). An example of this type of application is the Klarity tool used for metatagging of Business Entry Point metadata. In most instances, the user will still need to view the metadata created, assess the generated metadata to ensure accuracy and quality and to fill in any gaps.
