Darktable doesn't see updated xmp files from DigiKam

Software darktable
1

Can someone please help me getting a DigiKam - Darktable workflow debugged?

Basically I import my photos using Digiam. I tag, rate, cull my images in Digikam and raw process them in Darktable. When importing files into Darktable which have been rated and tagged in Digikam I get the ratings etc. correctly in Darktable.

But sometimes I go back to Digikam and change my mind on my tagging, rating, etc. When starting Darktable again changes that I made in Digikam are not seen:

  • the ‘look for updated xmp files on startup’ in Darktable is checked
  • the options ‘read from sidecar files’ and ‘write to sidecar files’ are checked in Digikam (Configure digikam - Metadata - Sidecards)

I have tried manually forced writing to the files in Digikam (Item → Write metadata to file)
I have tried to manually forced reading from the files in Darktable (lighttable → Selected image(s) → metadata → refresh exif)
I have tied reimporting the files, but nothing seems to change
But no matter what I try, Darktable does not read/see the updated rating / label / tags changes I made in Digikam.

Any help?

I’m running DT 3.2.1 with Digikam 7.1.0 on Windows 10 (1909)

2

You need to isolate things down.

When you change the rating in dk, does it write to the xmp file? DT needs to close then reopen to look for changes. Are you dong that?

3

yes, I have DT closed and only open after I’ve done changes in DK

4

This is a feature. The data is stored in a database which is much faster than parsing xml files all the time. If you update the xmp file outside of darktable, then you need to resync the xmp file with the database. The “selected image” module in lighttable has a button “resync local copy”. Select all our images and press it …

5

As I understood things, when the option to check for modified sidecars is checked, those updated sidecars are flagged, and a dialog gives you the choice to sync any or all of the modified data either way on startup (that’s what I observe, in any case).

As said, that’s how it works for me, with the limitation that it only modifies the “base” copy, any duplicates remain untouched. This is normal, as digikam won’t link those duplicates (which only exist as a sidecar file) to the original image file, and thus won’t update the those sidecars…

A useful test might be to copy some of the sidecars concerned, make a change in digikam, and compare the resulting sidecars with the saved copies.

6

That’s how it has been working for me for a while. But this weekend, when I really needed to get some work done, it all of a sudden doesn’t see the changes to the xmps anymore.

I’ll try to check tonight if the xmps get written in DK and if DT is at fault.

7

Hmm. Is it possible that you are working with raw+jpg? If you have those grouped with the jpg as head of the group in digikam, I seem to remember that changes aren’t copied to the raw. And dt in general ignores jpgs (unless set not to)

8

Ah! That might be the reason! I’ve always been shooting in RAW (for the past 18 years) This weekend I decided to go with RAW + JPEG (for once in my life) in order to speed things up.