[Digikam-devel] [Bug 125474] wish: possibility to merge digikam databases

[Jasper]

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http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=125474         




------- Additional Comments From jasper.mackenzie gmail com  2008-04-10 00:22 -------
When using my laptop to save images to I run out of space very often and would like to export images to dvd or other drive.
 It would be very convinient if digikam could
i) Automate the DVD ISO creation process by extracting images and database entries, and creating an ISO with images and database in iso root. Also with the option of the DVD being a backup (i.e images left in original album location) Or export (i.e images reomevd from original album location)
ii) Similar for copying to other locations such as nfs, samba share, removable drive etc. Extract images from current albums and add database entries to root of removable media, or wherever they ought to be on the removable media... this is a little less trivial I understand
iii) Digikam be aware that it has done these things and continue to store the database entries, file list etc. and thumbnails fo exported images such that they can be browsed without the media present. AND that these external collections are added to the list of albums such that they can be removed/merged etc.
iv) If database and images are on external media, that they can be imported into the local database as external media with thumbnails being generated and stored locally, and database entries stored locally, but as above referenced as an external collection

A more wordy description of how the ignorant non coder imageines this process to work: For a usb drive  mounted at /media/mybigusbdrive with the images in /media/mybigusbdrive/Media/Images/ with some unique id, I can add an external collection for the removeable disk, with either the unique id or mount point 
(i.e ID or /med/mybigusbdrive), and then the image root directory (i.e Media/Images). This is possibly nothing new with the new album framework allowing multiple roots... except that if digikam is aware of the mount point or uniqu id that it could be aware what external collections were connected such that images coulb e exported. 
 Later on when I remove the disk from the usb enclousure and put it in the file server so its mount nfs, samba .. whagtever, I can modify the album information to reflect this change. i.e new mount point ID prob. not relevant, not a usbdrive but a network mount, new images root etc. 

DVD's are obviousley a special case as read-only media with no changes nexcesarry or really possible. 
 In all cases I imagine being able to browse the thumbnails and if I want to edit/use etc. an image in an external collection that Digikam tell me to insert such and such a disk or drive, or try (if set to) to mount the nfs, samba etc...

As I invisage image collections being long term entities i.e 10years+ (and having just been burned by 400G drive dying with ALL my images unbacked up being lost until I fork out for recovery 8~) I see this functionality as highly important for any image management programme.