Now I am dumbfounded.
Does not the use of including ‘recursive’ imply that one wants to include many more files that are contained in other (reclusive) folders, than in the root folder?
The manual states ‘It is recommended that you not use this option to import a large number of images at the same time’.
Yes, if you want to import a lot of files, darktable is going to slow down for a while as it has to chew though all that metadata. The guidence is there to help the user not lock up the application for long amounts of times.
In the Bing dialogue that you posted above, it’s about importing:
However, the collections module is about displaying already imported images.
Note that you can associate raw files with darktable via standard Windows settings, and then you will never have to deal with importing or collections again: double-click a raw, edit, export, quit. You can even set darktable not to create a persistent library database at all ( --library :memory:, see darktable 4.2 user manual - darktable ).
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[/quote]
Yes, if you want to import a lot of files, darktable is going to slow down for a while as it has to chew though all that metadata. The guidence is there to help the user not lock up the application for long amounts of times.
[/quote]
My need is to import around 800,000 images. They are contained on numerous hard drives.
My line of thinking is to create a ‘place’ eg. e:, f:, h:\ for each hard drive.
Then check the ‘recursive directory’ box.
select e:
click ‘select all’
click ‘add to library’
or is there another way I should be considering?
Break that up into much smaller chunks. Darktable has to generate thumbnails and so some other things on import.
I want to use DT’s powerful culling features
I understand that DT has to generate things on import.
Do you think DT will crash?
I would like to just select my first hard drive e:\ and import everything and leave the computer to do the task over night.
then you have to follow dt way 
- import all the files you want to work on (in small chunks or not…)
- Set collection module to “folder”
- enjoy
… and maybe one day, you’ll want to get images from a specific date. At that point you may remember that you can also set collection module to “creation date” !
… or you may also want to use the power of tags, …
it shouldn’t 
“I have now resorted to using Windows Explorer and clicking on the file and it opens in Darktable. This is how every other app navigates and opens files, why not Darktable?”
There is not a single program on my computer that does this.
My bad, I meant Windows File Explorer
Presently on my PC these are the apps that navigate files in this way…
Access, Acrobat, Adobe DNG Converter, Audacity, Canon Digital Photo Prof, Capture NX2, Capture NX-D, DXO PhotoLab, Excel, FastRawViewer, FX PhotoKey, InkScape, iTunes, LibreCAD, Media Player, NotePad, NX Studio, OBS, OneDrive, Paint, Photos, Publisher, RawTherapee, SilkyPix, Word, WYSIWYG Web Builder
But Adobe Lightroom and darktable dont use a file manager. Both import images into a database so you can run queries around them.
“Intuitive” often just means “what I’m used to”…
You’ve spent a certain amount of time learning the interface of another program, to a point where you know where the controls are. Don’t be surprised when you need some time to learn a new program.
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In this thread I saw tones of discussion that I did not like. @dnlyko, you may be a great photographer, but you should thank the developers of Dartable who offer you a tool of extraordinary quality for free by putting the best of their knowledge into it.
You repeat that you are not a developer. I can understand when Aurelien Pierre gets angry, because he sees the creature from the inside. You don’t.
In the opposite faction I have seen some closures, difficulties in accepting different needs, but I don’t know the Darktable developers so I can’t say if those who answered a bit hastily were a developer or a simple user.
I really like Darktable even when I don’t understand the choices that have been made upstream, and I’m led to think that what I don’t understand is attributable to my ignorance more than else.
I agree with you 100% except for the ‘great photographer’ part.
Yes I should thank them. I am very grateful for all the effort they all put in. I do believe DT to be the hallmark. That is why I am abandoning all the other software.
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I said this in another thread, but I don’t think we need to praise the software nor its developers every time we want to offer criticisms or ideas for improvement. IMO, what would make a difference is two things:
- More thoughtful and emphathetic wording on the part of the person making the critique or request
- An understanding that there is a lot more involved than can be expressed in a sentence or two. And that “make x feature in darktable like x feature in this random other software” is about as demotivating and deflating as it can get.
These threads with a theme of “this thing sucks” and “here is a vague solution” get written very often. TBH it is tiring, and I do is read them. I can’t imagine trying to code something after reading:
or
or
or
Coupled with
And
And
And of course
I’m only 12 of 30 posts in at this point.
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last but not least
“One dev liked it that way as it fills their needs”
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ouch
Just trying to bring some perspective.
What’s so impressive with that Bing bling?
I entered the question
how do I get darktable lighttable to import a folder plus all the sub-folders
into my ordinary search engine duckduckgo. I got perfect replies.
Yes, I even got perfect hits if I used the OP’s misnomer lightroom.
Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden
The way they convince people to sign up to yet another online service so they can be tracked more easily?
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