[Digikam-users] about "synchronizing XMP sidecars and the digiKam database"

[M. Fioretti]

On Thu, Feb 21, 2013 19:36:16 PM +0100, Jean-François Rabasse wrote:

> Hem, if you idea, as far as I understand, is to start synchronization
> job after Digikam session, the above seems very complicated.
> Why not have a two lines script, let's call it "startdk", with :
> 
> #!/bin/bash
> digikam && start-my-sync-script
> 
> To work with DK, you run startdk. And when you leave DK correctly (i.e.
> no crash or so) your script starts. Immediately, not 10 mnn later.

yes, of course!

> So, you should first dump the database schema, study it, and
> organise your extracting logic.

yes, this is what I had in mind. And I am also aware that this needs
to be partially redone at every major release of digiKam, but
personally I'd still go for the "less boring" route.

Taking a look at the database schema can lead to automate other parts
of the digiKam flow, copying data semi-manually from db to (sidecar)
files and vice-versa only lead to more copying data semi-manually etc...

> I really doubt you do process one image that way in less than 0.5 or
> 1 second. It's peanuts, yes, when run once. When you will have to
> process a database of 10000 images, it will last hours.

true! I had not thought to this, honestly. I don't have a complete
(or final...) answer.

One solution may be to go back to the "cron-job" approach instead of
"digikam && start-my-sync-script". If it works well, I don't really
care if it takes two hours in the background when the computer would
be on anyway, as long as it doesn't block _me_. This is what the nice
command is for, after all. But I'll have to try.

Other comments are still very welcome, of course.

Thanks,
Marco