dt 3.8.0 win: unable to import from mapped network drive

Software darktable
1

In dt 3.8.0, under Windows, I am unable to ‘copy & import’ from a mapped network drive. I receive the warning “requested session path not available; device not mounted?”, followed by “imported 0 images”. I am able to import the intended images when using dt 3.6.0 under Windows. Also I do not get an error when I use the ‘add to library’ import option. I have no problem accessing the intended images from any other relevant windows application.

Attached images show the successful import from 3.6.0, then show that in 3.8.0 dt can ‘see’ the images but will not import them.

DT_360_NAS-1.PNG
DT_360_NAS-1.PNG1378×589 146 KB

DT_380_NAS-2
DT_380_NAS-21577×848 335 KB

Is this a known problem or a user-error?

Edit:
OK, I now understand what is happening here.

When using 3.6.0 in Windows, ‘copy and import’ worked fine when the base directory naming pattern was set to ‘$(PICTURES_FOLDER)/my folder’.

In dt 3.8.0 this method of import works, for me, only when I set the base directory name (not ‘pattern’) by clicking on the ‘select directory’ button which is located at the end of the input field named ‘base directory naming pattern’. In my case this then sets the name to 'D:\Pictures\my folder

This seems so different to a name pattern that I would never have guessed it, especially the use of double back-slashes (which are not shown in this forum, for some reason).

28 December 2021
Edit 2:

I haven’t expressed this clearly. Perhaps this is the question I should have asked:

“Does the base directory part of the naming pattern (which defaults to dollar-symbol(PICTURES_FOLDER)/Darktable), give the desired result when $(PICTURES_FOLDER) does not match the ‘standard’ location on a Windows install – e.g. to C:\Pictures ?”

In my Windows install my user data is on another drive, not on C:. Under all versions of dt, up to 3.6.0, all imports were correctly mapped when using the construct $(PICTURES_FOLDER). This does not work, in windows, in version 3.8.0; I have to choose a directory manually by clicking on the icon at the right hand end of the input field.

Is this a user error?

2

This looks like a bug, can you file a bug report in github?
I will have a look in the meantime

3

Have submitted my first ever attempt at raising an issue on git-hub. See issue no. 10731.| I trust this is satisfactory

4

I proposed a fix in #10735, can you possibly test it ?

5

I looked at the ussues listed in darktable on github: I don’t see no. 10735 listed. That is probably my error since I have little idea of how to use github

Ah, found it - but I have no idea where the modified code is or how I would install it. Sorry. Anyway, this seems to be a discussion of capitalization effects - which do not apply to the scenario that i was experiencing: I made no change in Capitalization of path names between 3.6 and 3.6

6

Your issue comes from the variable $(PICTURES_FOLDER) being incorrectly transformed into lowercase $(pictures_folder) and then it is not recognized as a variable anymore.

EDIT: nevermind, the fix has been merged in master, so you can try it in the next weekly Windows build

1 Like
7

Ah, a glimmer of understanding! I had no idea this sort of transformation was happening, so thanks for your patience. Could I also ask you about ‘weekly Windows build’? I had no idea such a thing existed, so I had expected to wait until June next year to see the fix. Is it possible for me to find such weekly builds in github - and if so, how?

8

@MarcoNex is probably referring to the “Windows Insider builds” by @wpferguson here in the forum.

Those are created every week from the master branch (that now includes the fix).
I’ve never tried them myself, but by now they should report as version 3.9.0, which means you should treat them as a secondary installation with a separate config directory, as otherwise you can’t go back to 3.8.

That should be sufficient to confirm that the fix actually works for you and by experience from previous years/releases, the will probably be a 3.8.1 release within the next 2-8 weeks.

1 Like
9

OK; thanks for the clarification.

10

AFAIK this was never fixed. There is a question about this on the DarkRoom forum (unanswered): in Windows, copy & import produces this error message for anything outside of the DarkRoom partition (local disk, external sd’s, etc.).