Unable to add target album

[Ronald HUGHES]

Hello, I'm new here ..

Kubuntu 16.04
digiKam 5.5.0

I had previously installed digiKam version 4 something via the Software Center.
Had difficulty using it as the installed and online versions of documentation didn't seem to correspond with the software version.
So, I removed digiKam via the Software Center.

Installed digiKam 5.5.0 package for Kubuntu via:
apt-get install digikam
from the Installing a package page of https://www.digikam.org/
Then did:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports
sudo apt-get update

digiKam was working ok, imported photos from my dslr and added them to my pictures folder.
That was fine, until I tried to add a 2nd camera.

I had difficulty getting digiKam to recognise the 2nd camera, so I re-started digiKam.
I noticed my Pictures folders had disappeared from the Albums column.
Each time I tried to add them, I kept getting:
No default target album have been selected to process download from camera device. Please select one.

So, I removed digiKam and reinstalled it.
When I now get when I stated digiKam isConfigure - digiKam window is displayed.
Local Collections - Add Collections
I click on Add Collections
I browse to my pictures folder called Pictures
Pictures    /home/rdh/Pictures
When I click on OK

No default target album have been selected to process download from camera device. Please select one.

When I click on OK, digiKam displays with Welcome to digiKam 5.5.0

The Albums column is empty, my picture folders are missing.

When I click on Albums in the top menu, all options are greyed out.

When I click on Setting > Configure digiKam > Collections > Local Collections > Add Collection > Pictures    /home/rdh/Pictures

When I click on OK

No default target album have been selected to process download from camera device. Please select one.

When I click on Import in the top menu, Add Folders is greyed out

I have tried dragging dropping /home/rdh/Pictures into the Albums column, but that doesn't work either.

Why did my folders disappear when I re-started digiKam?

What am I doing wrong?

What do I need to do to get digiKam working again.

Please and thank you.

[Gilles Caulier-4]

Hi,

Sound like your have set the option to use a default album to process
downloading from camera. It's optional. The album is not set with your
collection.

The settings is in Setup dialog, Cameras page, Behavior section : "Use
a default target album to download from camera"

Just disable the option or set a correct default target album.

Best

Gilles Caulier

2017-06-20 9:43 GMT+02:00 Ronald HUGHES <[hidden email]>:

> Hello, I'm new here ..
>
> Kubuntu 16.04
> digiKam 5.5.0
>
> I had previously installed digiKam version 4 something via the Software
> Center.
> Had difficulty using it as the installed and online versions of
> documentation didn't seem to correspond with the software version.
> So, I removed digiKam via the Software Center.
>
> Installed digiKam 5.5.0 package for Kubuntu via:
> apt-get install digikam
> from the Installing a package page of https://www.digikam.org/
> Then did:
> sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports
> sudo apt-get update
>
> digiKam was working ok, imported photos from my dslr and added them to my
> pictures folder.
> That was fine, until I tried to add a 2nd camera.
>
> I had difficulty getting digiKam to recognise the 2nd camera, so I
> re-started digiKam.
> I noticed my Pictures folders had disappeared from the Albums column.
> Each time I tried to add them, I kept getting:
> No default target album have been selected to process download from camera
> device. Please select one.
>
> So, I removed digiKam and reinstalled it.
> When I now get when I stated digiKam isConfigure - digiKam window is
> displayed.
> Local Collections - Add Collections
> I click on Add Collections
> I browse to my pictures folder called Pictures
> Pictures    /home/rdh/Pictures
> When I click on OK
>
> No default target album have been selected to process download from camera
> device. Please select one.
>
> When I click on OK, digiKam displays with Welcome to digiKam 5.5.0
>
> The Albums column is empty, my picture folders are missing.
>
> When I click on Albums in the top menu, all options are greyed out.
>
> When I click on Setting > Configure digiKam > Collections > Local
> Collections > Add Collection > Pictures    /home/rdh/Pictures
>
> When I click on OK
>
> No default target album have been selected to process download from camera
> device. Please select one.
>
> When I click on Import in the top menu, Add Folders is greyed out
>
> I have tried dragging dropping /home/rdh/Pictures into the Albums column,
> but that doesn't work either.
>
> Why did my folders disappear when I re-started digiKam?
>
> What am I doing wrong?
>
> What do I need to do to get digiKam working again.
>
> Please and thank you.
>
>

[Remco Viëtor]

On mardi 20 juin 2017 09:43:29 CEST Ronald HUGHES wrote:
> Hello, I'm new here ..
>
> Kubuntu 16.04
> digiKam 5.5.0
>
(problems with getting albums and collections working, with several uninstall
and reinstall cycles)
>
> No default target album have been selected to process download from
> camera device. Please select one.

Quick fix: in Digikam settings, go to "Cameras" -> "Behaviour" and make sure
that 'Use a default target albu...' is *unchecked*. That might be enough to
remove the message you keep seeing.

More in depth (long!):

For this kind of problems, uninstalling and reinstalling the program rarely
helps, it looks like a configuration problem. And uninstalling the program
often leaves the local configuration files intact, which will then be used by
the next install... So, first thing I'd suggest is that you start fresh;
backup and then /remove/ the local files created by Digikam. For me those are
stored in ~/.local/share/digikam.
In addition, (if you haven't spent too much time adding tags and such) backup
and remove the databases Digikam created (digikam4db.db, recognition.bd and
thumbnails-digikam.db).
That should give you a clean slate

OK, now let's take things in order (bear with me if I'm going slower than
needed).

First, Digikam works with collections of images, stored in one or more
directory trees. Those contain images already imported, and are never a source
for imports.
To configure the base directories for those collections, go to the settings
menu, and select "Collections" in the left sidebar. Then in the main frame,
tell Digikam where you store imported images (after import!).
Then, Digikam uses a database to store a lot of information about the images.
The location for that database is configured in the "Database" tab (left bar,
just above "Collections"). The best place to store the database depends a bit
on your setup, but note that it has to be on a local disk (explained in the
notes within the frame).

Now, to importing photos from /external/ sources (cameras, memory cards, USB
disks...). That is configured in the "Cameras" frame. That frame has 4 tabs,
first one "Devices" to select the devices from which you want to import:
cameras, but also e.g. extrernal USB drives. Use 'add' to add a device... Read
the notes in the frame to see which camera to select in your case (you didn't
mention the cameras to add). Personally, I use a card reader, and the only
"camera" I have configured is 'mounted camera', which is listed just after the
DigitalDream models, (don't ask me why it's there...).

Then, switch to the second frame ("Behaviour", still in the "Cameras" frame)
and decide which options you want to use there (I have all three checkboxes at
the top unchecked, and selected the "Store as a different name"). The other
tabs should be ok for now.

This should give you a working base, with no errors like you were getting.
Once that is indeed the case, explore the options and the documentation
(reworked since version 5) and if needed, ask here. (As long as you haven't
imported and worked with too many images, errors aren't a disaster, starting
from scratch won't take much time. Starting to look into the different options
once you have 10 000 images can make errors more costly...)

Good luck,

Remco

[Peter Mc Donough]

Am 20.06.2017 um 10:44 schrieb Remco Viëtor:
> On mardi 20 juin 2017 09:43:29 CEST Ronald HUGHES wrote:

>> Kubuntu 16.04
>> digiKam 5.5.0
>
> ... So, first thing I'd suggest is that you start fresh;
> backup and then /remove/ the local files created by Digikam. For me those are
> stored in ~/.local/share/digikam. ...

"remove" can be problematic.
In cases like this I prefer renaming the old files, start the program
again and look, what has changed.
This is also very helpful if you ever have to install an new "home" and
want the configuration files of your previous "home"

Your home directory as user, digikam not started

find ~/ -iname '*digikam*'

won't do any damage and you see where digikam left traces, then

mv [whatever] [whatever.old]

and start digikam again.
with an other "find" you get a list of old and new digikam and can
salvage from the old version what you need for the new on.
And if you don't like the result, you can always reverse what you did.

cu
Peter

[Remco Viëtor]

On mardi 20 juin 2017 11:06:18 CEST Peter Mc Donough wrote:

> Am 20.06.2017 um 10:44 schrieb Remco Viëtor:
> > On mardi 20 juin 2017 09:43:29 CEST Ronald HUGHES wrote:
> >> Kubuntu 16.04
> >> digiKam 5.5.0
> >
> > ... So, first thing I'd suggest is that you start fresh;
> > backup and then /remove/ the local files created by Digikam. For me those
> > are stored in ~/.local/share/digikam. ...
>
> "remove" can be problematic.
> In cases like this I prefer renaming the old files, start the program
> again and look, what has changed.
> This is also very helpful if you ever have to install an new "home" and
> want the configuration files of your previous "home"
>
> Your home directory as user, digikam not started
>
> find ~/ -iname '*digikam*'
>
> won't do any damage and you see where digikam left traces, then
>
> mv [whatever] [whatever.old]
>
> and start digikam again.
> with an other "find" you get a list of old and new digikam and can
> salvage from the old version what you need for the new on.
> And if you don't like the result, you can always reverse what you did.
>
> cu
> Peter

I *did* write "backup and remove"...

But yeah, for an experienced user, yours is a better way. For a new user,
unfamiliar with the program, I think it's more likely to confuse him than
anything else. Especially since I got the impression from the original post
that some more things had been messed up over the various re-installs.

And, as a new user, it's not likely he'd lose any work (provided he keeps
back-ups)

Remco

[Peter Mc Donough]

Am 20.06.2017 um 11:33 schrieb Remco Viëtor:
> On mardi 20 juin 2017 11:06:18 CEST Peter Mc Donough wrote:
>> Am 20.06.2017 um 10:44 schrieb Remco Viëtor:
>>> On mardi 20 juin 2017 09:43:29 CEST Ronald HUGHES wrote:
>>>> Kubuntu 16.04
>>>> digiKam 5.5.0
...
> I *did* write "backup and remove"...
>
> But yeah, for an experienced user, yours is a better way. For a new user,
> unfamiliar with the program, I think it's more likely to confuse him than
> anything else.

True, but one becomes "more" or "less" an experienced user by simply
using the pearls hidden in the terminal/console.
"find" is one of those with billions of options which I probably will
never use, but I know they are there.
Of course "Backup is King". Never execute anything on the command line
if you are not sure about the results.

cu
Peter