[digiKam-users] copy of collection and database onto new device

[Ty Mayn]

I am newbie intending to tag a collection of images that must be used for a project by someone else in read only fashion on windows. Instead of linux I deployed digikam only on windows.

    With a small tagged collection on windows I have tested migration of database to a new thumbdrive location. (the migration tool is misnamed since it creates a copy and I am glad it leaves behind original) My database folder and image folders are separated on 2 devices and both must be copied to a single thumbdrive

    I migrated/copied the database to the new device and it appeared to replicate only the primary digikam4 file so I copied "thumbnails-digikam" manually. On restart of digikam it was obvious that the new configured database copy  retained the "original path" for all images.

  Then configured collection settings  to remove the original collection and point to the new image folders sitting onto the same new device. But This identical copy collection appeared to be devoid of tags and clearly was pointing down a new path.

      I then decided to close digikam and hide away the original folder tree containing the original collection. Digikam then wakes up devoid of a useable collection . I then add the new collection which is recursive folder copy on the same new device location as the copied database folder and digikam seemed to retain all tags and good search features.

      I feel like I had to steal the original images away from the copied database in order to point the database to the newly copied images and retain tags for the identical image names.     It is my intention to not do any writing of metadata or tags into individual images but depend only on database tags.

    Is this the safe and usual way to copy a tagged collection of images?

When digikam wakes up to find its images pathways stolen does the programming provide some loop that searches for bare filenames in any newly added collection?

   Can digikam seek out matching files in any folder pathes even with files distributed across differing folder trees?

  Is digikam programmed to find and matchup a partial collection of filenames wherever and whenever encountered?

   If there is such match making to marry data rows to files, then does that occur only once at the time of parsing out a newly assigned folder collection, or ongoing at every wakeup of  the program?

  Am I just imaging this apparent behavior?

Ty Mayn

[Ty Mayn]

  Using gmail webclient in this mailman listservice my own initial posting  is not delivered to my inbox but remains in sentbox  My purpose is joining one more question to this thread topic and the questions already in the initial post.  Not being clear on how the thread will me managed I am  forwarding with the other questions embedded/forwarded below.

      My added question:

 Where is the configuration file used by digikam program at startup?

'    My other questions relate to some of my schematic guesswork (without being a programmer inspecting code) on how the digikam program responds to matching up filenames and parameters in its database compared to image files encountered on a new device or a new path? Thanks

Ty

    

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Ty Mayn <[hidden email]>
Date: Mon, Feb 11, 2019 at 1:04 AM
Subject: copy of collection and database onto new device
To: <[hidden email]>

I am newbie intending to tag a collection of images that must be used for a project by someone else in read only fashion on windows. Instead of linux I deployed digikam only on windows.

    With a small tagged collection on windows I have tested migration of database to a new thumbdrive location. (the migration tool is misnamed since it creates a copy and I am glad it leaves behind original) My database folder and image folders are separated on 2 devices and both must be copied to a single thumbdrive

    I migrated/copied the database to the new device and it appeared to replicate only the primary digikam4 file so I copied "thumbnails-digikam" manually. On restart of digikam it was obvious that the new configured database copy  retained the "original path" for all images.

  Then configured collection settings  to remove the original collection and point to the new image folders sitting onto the same new device. But This identical copy collection appeared to be devoid of tags and clearly was pointing down a new path.

      I then decided to close digikam and hide away the original folder tree containing the original collection. Digikam then wakes up devoid of a useable collection . I then add the new collection which is recursive folder copy on the same new device location as the copied database folder and digikam seemed to retain all tags and good search features.

      I feel like I had to steal the original images away from the copied database in order to point the database to the newly copied images and retain tags for the identical image names.     It is my intention to not do any writing of metadata or tags into individual images but depend only on database tags.

    Is this the safe and usual way to copy a tagged collection of images?

When digikam wakes up to find its images pathways stolen does the programming provide some loop that searches for bare filenames in any newly added collection?

   Can digikam seek out matching files in any folder pathes even with files distributed across differing folder trees?

  Is digikam programmed to find and matchup a partial collection of filenames wherever and whenever encountered?

   If there is such match making to marry data rows to files, then does that occur only once at the time of parsing out a newly assigned folder collection, or ongoing at every wakeup of  the program?

  Am I just imaging this apparent behavior?

Ty Mayn