Getting started with Digikam Development

[Motsu Aboshi]

Hello:

I am interested in working on Digikam. In particular, I would like to contribute effort in the short-term toward:

- PostgreSQL support

- GUI support for multiple network share IDs

- Potentially other misc. improvements that benefit Linux <-> Windows library sharing 

I am attempting to get set up to compile the Digikam master branch on a recent Ubuntu installation ,but am running into various dependency related issues (after apt-get build-dep digikam, manual dependency downloads/installation are needed - for example, the newer version of exiv2, which is only available in the debian experimental repository).

 

I was starting to go through the dependency list and manually install everything, but at this point I'm a bit concerned that I'll end up with a build environment that conflicts with the current working environments of the active maintainers.

Would it be possible for an existing contributor to suggest on the ideal environment to build the current master branch? Is doing a fresh installation of everything from the DEPENDENCIES list on a non-Ubuntu distribution the best way to make sure my environment is consistent? The Linux installation I'm using is to be dedicated to Digikam, so whichever setup is ideal is fine. 

Thanks in advance. 

-MA

[Simon Frei]

Maybe this can help:
I (mainly) build in debian testing, I guess the procedure should be the
same on Ubuntu:
To avoid manually installing all build dependencies, I use a
"meta-pseudo-package" (no guarantees that all dependencies are necessary
:) ):
https://gist.github.com/imsodin/0f5f8a144c33e195dc5d717e9039fa0d
As to exiv2: I just manually remove the >=0.26 requirement in the cmake
file. Due to "security" issues 0.26 doesn't make it into debian, even
though upstream has fixed and backported fixes for most/all of them, but
they don't want to make a dot release and debian maintainers don't seem
to want to make a release from git revision and I was too lazy to build
from source :)

[Gilles Caulier-4]

Personalty, i don' use *Debian*  based distro, but Mageia since a while (currently Magiea 6). All is present as development package to compile digiKam, excepted OpenCV which still stay at 2.x instead 3.x. I recompile myself a minimal version of OpenCV 3 with all extra options disabled.

Gilles Caulier

2018-06-27 9:24 GMT+02:00 Simon Frei <[hidden email]>:

Maybe this can help:
I (mainly) build in debian testing, I guess the procedure should be the
same on Ubuntu:
To avoid manually installing all build dependencies, I use a
"meta-pseudo-package" (no guarantees that all dependencies are necessary
:) ):
https://gist.github.com/imsodin/0f5f8a144c33e195dc5d717e9039fa0d
As to exiv2: I just manually remove the >=0.26 requirement in the cmake
file. Due to "security" issues 0.26 doesn't make it into debian, even
though upstream has fixed and backported fixes for most/all of them, but
they don't want to make a dot release and debian maintainers don't seem
to want to make a release from git revision and I was too lazy to build
from source :)

[Andrew Goodbody]

On 27/06/18 01:59, Motsu Aboshi wrote:
> Hello:
>
> I am interested in working on Digikam. In particular, I would like to
> contribute effort in the short-term toward:
>
> - PostgreSQL support
> - GUI support for multiple network share IDs
> - Potentially other misc. improvements that benefit Linux <-> Windows
> library sharing

That's really good to hear. These are areas that would really benefit
from some attention. I know that others will appreciate your work as well.

> I am attempting to get set up to compile the Digikam master branch on a
> recent Ubuntu installation ,but am running into various dependency
> related issues (after apt-get build-dep digikam, manual dependency
> downloads/installation are needed - for example, the newer version of
> exiv2, which is only available in the debian experimental repository).
> I was starting to go through the dependency list and manually install
> everything, but at this point I'm a bit concerned that I'll end up with
> a build environment that conflicts with the current working environments
> of the active maintainers.

You need to set up your build environment to work with the latest
source. You should not attempt to make an environment that is
compromised by wanting it to work for both. If you want to be able to
run distro shipped version then maybe just load up a clean install in a VM?

> Would it be possible for an existing contributor to suggest on the ideal
> environment to build the current master branch? Is doing a fresh
> installation of everything from the DEPENDENCIES list on a non-Ubuntu
> distribution the best way to make sure my environment is consistent? The
> Linux installation I'm using is to be dedicated to Digikam, so whichever
> setup is ideal is fine.

I build in Debian testing plus additions from experimental and also
built from source. I can't say it is ideal for you, just that it works
for me, but that is because it is the distro I choose to run. If you can
make it work in the distro you know best, then go for it!

Andrew

[Motsu Aboshi]

Thanks for the prompt responses, everyone.

I think I'll proceed with spinning up a Debian testing VM and seeing how
that goes.

I've already taken a look at the code base to narrow down my scope, so
once I can get a decent workflow going, I'll be good to dive in.

Regards,

- MA