[digiKam-users] database pointed at subset of same files in rearranged folders

[Ty Mayn]

Some of my newbie reaction to digikam is in
https://mail.kde.org/pipermail/digikam-users/2019-February/028282.html
 And I would still welcome elaboration on questions posed there
   It is necessary that I use windows and currently 5.9digikam  It took me
awhile to find the lonely digikamrc in  user/appdata/local.  I am testing
without scan for files at startup  and moving the same test files to
different devices but in varied folder arrangements.
      if I rename the root filesystem folder of a collection root to hide
it from the stored  named configuration collection, I discover that digikam
kindly delivers the stored collection of thumbnails complete  with non
embedded digikam tags and captions, but of course no larger preview
images,  Thats nice  and it tells me that the core datarecords work hand in
hand with the thumbnail database up to the point of calling a full image.
     If I repoint the configured collection to the same image files with a
few deleted  (as well as rearranged in folders)  the program efficiently
shows only those files discovered.  When i cycle back to point to the full
collection (rearranged yet again and under a newly named root on a new
device)  then I am pleasantly surprised to find that  coredatabase has
retained the tags and captions of the replaced missing files discovered in
the repointed  collection,  I notice no disc activity to suggest that
thumbnails were rebuilt for those recovered images.
    This tells me that the coredatabase saves records of metadata for
images parsed in previous collection trees that have been removed. The
records are immediately available when the same images (or fingerprint) are
encountered in a rearranged collection .The thumbnails database appears to
be saving those thumbnails also (unless I missed witnessing the brief lag
to rebuild in my test of a few restored images).
    Is my observation correct? ( I like this behavior)
New question:   If I tag a larger collection (1500+) and trouble the
processor to create thumbnails, can I do large rearrangements of folders
and subfolders at a later time with a regular filemanager ....and... have
some reasonable expectation that digikam will find  and matchup its
corresponding records for moved rearranged files in a new collection?
   I have only tiny test observations which need confirmation or caution
from experienced users.
   Here are my partial observations to old questions in my earlier post
 Can digikam seek out matching files in any folder pathes even with files
distributed across differing folder trees? Yes  existing records and
fingerprints are reviewed when loading any new collection. ( Is a duplicate
record is placed if the fingerprint matches but the path is new?)
  Is digikam programmed to find and matchup a partial collection of
filenames wherever and whenever encountered? Yes that's loading a new
collection.
   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?
    It appears that existing data rows in the core database are  matched to
files discovered in an assigned collection only at the time of first
configuring a collection..... unless there is configured scan at startup or
a manual maintenance scan for new images.  A scan should discover new
images that match prior and unloaded database records or entirely new
images with no matching database record.
   Thanks to anyone for more detailed answers to the new or old questions
posed.
Ty
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