> > Darktable maintains a copy of the data in its library from the XMP files > to allow finding pictures from the criteria in the XMP without > re-reading all the XMP. > > Besides, darktable updates XMP files whenever you end an edit (switching > to another image, or switching from dark room back to light table), so > they are up-to-date with respect to the library which can be regarded as > a cache. > > Still, darktable notices when XMP files are newer. > > I've seen darktable ask me a number of times whether to import new > information from the XMP files. On virtually all occurrences, I clicked > on "check all" (or similar) and confirmed because XMP were indeed newer. >
This only happens if the option "look for XMP file changes on startup" is enabled. If not, Darktable will silently overwrite the files. The database is not a cache, is the real information. The XMP is, by default, an external backup of the database. Anyway, since the per-image information in darktable library is actually > useless to me, for about a year I've run darktable with --library > :memory: option. > > This way, per-image information in darktable library is empty at each > start. I can't search per album of whatever but I don't care, I just > open darktable with the directory I'm interested in as argument. Besides the lack of album and search, one important point is that some information is never stored in the XMP file, only in the database. This is the case at least with the time offset from the GPS module, I think there was another one. So you lose that info when you close Darktable. One alternative option: is it possible to sync the entire database? I'd there any drawback on doing that? (with the caveat of "same Darktable version on all computers") Best regards, Guillermo ____________________________________________________________________________ darktable user mailing list to unsubscribe send a mail to [email protected]
