[Digikam-users] Difference between collection types

[Paul Waldo]

OK, so I have a plan :-)  Here is what I have done:

 * Mount NAS camera share at /mnt/camera *and* /mnt/camera1
 * Mount NAS developed share at /mnt/developed
 * Local pictures are stored in ~/Pictures

I told Digikam that I have a Local collection at ~/Pictures, a network share at /mnt/camera and a network share at /mnt/developed.  

I told digikam that the database is stored at /mnt/camera1.  Note that this is where I have always stored the DB, on the NAS.  So the database knows about the raw files, the post-processed files, and the local files.  So you are either asking why I have a /mnt/camera and a /mnt/camera1, or you are asking how I handle the disconnected-from-the-network scenario.  The key is that when I am disconnected from the network (no mount on camera1) and only working on the local image store, Digikam will find a database at that directory that will only contain info about the local files.  When camera1 is mounted, that file is hidden by the mount and replaced by the NAS share.

Pretty darn complicated, but it seems to work.  The only problem now is converting my tags.  I still have the same albums, but they have moved around on the filesystem.  In other words, an album was at /a/b/c, and is now at /d/e/f.  Is there anyway to get Digikam to move the tags to the new location?

Paul


----- "Marcel Wiesweg" <marcel.wiesweg at gmx.de> wrote:

> > So, as I understand it, Digikam
> >  * can say with certainty that a Removable Media is attached
> >  * uses some guess work to try and determine whether a Network Share
> is
> > attached 
> > * always assumes that a Local Collection is available
> 
> Yes that's right
> 
> >
> > So what happens if Digikam determines that a non-local resource is
> *not*
> > available?  There must be different behavior based on the answer. 
> In
> > previous versions of Digikam, the images would be removed from the
> database
> > if they were not present.  Does Digikam keep them in the database
> then just
> > work with thumbnails?
> 
> Yes. It just keeps them in the database. In 0.10 it hides them. For
> 1.0 we 
> envision to have thumbnails accessible and be able to work with absent
> photos, 
> without image preview or editing of course.
> 
> >
> > The reason I ask is that I have a complex setup and want to try to
> make it
> > as transparent as possible.  Here is what I have: * images straight
> out of
> > the camera stored on a NAS samba share.  The digikam database is
> stored
> > here. * post-processed images stored on another share of the same
> NAS.
> >  * images being worked on stored on a local drive
> >
> > I do most of my work on a laptop, which connects and disconnects
> from my
> > network frequently.  What I would like to do is have three albums:
> *
> > "Camera" for the digital negatives (raw files)
> >  * "Developed" for the images that have been post-processed
> >  * "Working" for the files local to my laptop that are in active
> > development.
> >
> > I envision the workflow looking something like this:
> >  1. Plug laptop into network
> 
> >  2. KDE knows I'm connected to my network and makes available the
> two NAS
> > samba shares 
> >  6. KDE sees the disconnect and removes the NAS shares from what it
> knows
> > about 
> 
> This is problematic. There is technology like Avahi, UPnp to make this
> 
> possible. I am sure it is possible to detect if a somehow identified
> Samba 
> share is mounted. But there is no common API just like Solid is there
> for 
> hardware. I really miss that. I have heard about some work on network
> 
> awareness using Avahi but I dont think there has been substantial
> progress.
> 
> > 3. Digikam is able to access all three albums
> >  4. Use Digikam to copy an image from either "Camera" or "Developed"
> to
> > "Working". 5. Disconnect from my network
> > 7. Take the laptop to a nice quite place to do some image
> processing.
> > 8. Re-attach to my network and copy the image from "Working" album
> to
> > "Developed" album
> >
> >
> > Do you have any tips for accomplishing this kind of setup?  Can KDE
> mount
> > and umount shares based on the network connection?  How would I
> handle the
> > digikam database?  
> 
> Database is a different issue. If it is stored on the NAS you cannot
> access it 
> with your laptop if unconnected. So store it on the laptop if you want
> to 
> access it. If other people also work on the pictures things get
> complicated 
> with working offline. For now, there is no solution but the social
> solution to 
> this (talking)
> 
> 
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