Changing Database folder - Erroneous text and some questions
Polarbeer
ISSUE-1:
I have tested to move my database folder from it's default location
C:\Users\Your_User_Name\.de.elmar_baumann\ImageMetaDataViewer
to another. For example:
D:\tmp01\JPhotoTagger Database
This can be done in JPhotoTagger's Settings dialog on Miscellaneous--
>Miscellaneous -tab. When I have chosen a new database folder JPT
shows information dialog saying:
"Warning: The existing database files
D:\tmp01\JPhotoTagger Database\database.* [<--- NEW folder
mentioned!]
will not moved to a new folder!
You have to do that before restarting JPhotoTager.
OK"
I think the text should be:
"Warning: The existing database files
C:\Users\Your_User_Name\.de.elmar_baumann\ImageMetaDataViewer
\database.*
will not be moved to a new folder! [BE word
added for this to be grammatically correct]
You have to do that before restarting JPhotoTagGer. [One G omitted in
the original text]
OK
ISSUE-2
Relating to issue above. When you want to move the database to a new
location on your hard drive, what are the exact files, that need to be
MOVED to the new location AFTER you have closed JPT? Are they:
- database.backup
- database.data
- database.properties
- database.script
- thumbnails -subfolder
These files seem to exist only when JPT is up and running and won't be
needed to be backed up?
- database.log
- ImageMetaDataViewer.lck
So by moving above mentioned files/folders to a location on my hard
drive, that I regularly backup onto external hard drive, I should have
all vital metadata and information backed up? (I should probably
export and backup also Keywords tree regularly, so I won't lose
hierarchical relationships of my keywords?)
Of course I should also backup all my media files and their associated
XMP sidecars files, that can be used to re-import all metadata, if my
database gets corrupted/deleted for some reason.
But by regularly backing up all database.* files + thumbnails-
subfolder + keywords tree, I don't have to do whole re-import through
XMP sidecars, that will probably take rather long time, if one has
tens of thousands of files in his catalog. Have I understood this
correctly?
Thanks for you time and help once again, and sorry for my own typos
and bat english! =)
-pb
Elmar Baumann
> [...] (warning message)
Hi Polarbeer,
thanks, I fixed the text, it will appear in the next release.
> - database.backup
> - database.data
> - database.properties
> - database.script
Exactly these 4 files and
> - thumbnails -subfolder
otherwise the thumbnails will be rendered again which can take
some time.
> - database.log
is a temporary file created by HSQLDB.
> - ImageMetaDataViewer.lck
That's JPhotoTagger's lock file and shall avoid running
multiple instances at the same time (you will see a warning
if you are starting JPhotoTagger if the lock file exists).
> So by moving above mentioned files/folders to a location on my hard
> drive, that I regularly backup onto external hard drive, I should have
> all vital metadata and information backed up? (I should probably
> export and backup also Keywords tree regularly, so I won't lose
> hierarchical relationships of my keywords?)
The database only reflects the XMP metadata: If you edit something, it
will be written first into the XMP sidecar file(s) and second into the
database. If the database crashes or gets lost (e.g. hard disk crash)
or you delete it, you can get back all metadata via "File > Scan
Folders" or choosing folder by folder in the folders register.
JPhotoTagger can be executed on different computers with different
file systems, e.g. without drive letters from a Unix system: After
reading e.g. a network attached folder with images plus XMP, it scans
the XMP and stores into it's local machine dependend database all
metadata existing in the XMP (keywords, descriptions etc.). If you
have e.g. a NAS, you can edit metadata onto your laptop and if
JPhotoTagger onto your desktop PC scans the NAS folder, it will
see/find new/updated metadata.
The database is *not* to be intented for sharing, it may work, but
it's not guranteed, if 2 machines accesses the same database at
the same time it *will* be damaged (Windows usually forbids that
through it's internal file locking but under Linux you can do that).
All other data stored in the database should be exported from time to
time via "File > Export > JPhotoTagger Data" so that it can be restored
if the database get's lost, it's not into the XMP. And this is a
way to share keyword trees etc. on different computers or with
different users. See
http://www.jphototagger.org/manual/de/facts_which_metadata_is_in_database.html
for what is stored into the database
(http://www.jphototagger.org/dev/img/database.png).
> But by regularly backing up all database.* files + thumbnails-
> subfolder + keywords tree, I don't have to do whole re-import through
> XMP sidecars, that will probably take rather long time, if one has
> tens of thousands of files in his catalog. Have I understood this
> correctly?
Keyword trees are only an input helper (appling keword +
it's parents with "one stroke"). Other example: Synonyms having
support functionality (finding the same under different
names, e.g. if your friend is stored as "Patrick Miller"
and you will find him through the keyword "Pat" but
you don't want to store that keyword into XMP).
> Of course I should also backup all my media files and their associated
> XMP sidecars files, that can be used to re-import all metadata, if my
> database gets corrupted/deleted for some reason.
It can't be recommended and repeated enough: Images plus XMP
should backed up regulary, *every day*. Good backup programs
(e.g. Free File Sync under Windows, rsync under Linux)
backing up only new/modified files, so the process is not too
time exhausting. That applies multiple times to best backup
programs storing multiple versions (e.g. for restoring every
day of the last week/month).
And this was an importand reason for JPhotoTagger's
decision not to write XMP into the files: The backup is *much*
faster and saves a lot of space: A huge image, e.g. a
high resolution RAW file or 48 Bit TIFF file takes 1000 times
more space than a small XMP text file and if you have a 3th.
backup "ensurance" like me - high Quality DVDs (4 GB Verbatim
Archival Grade) - time and costs are important.
Regards,
Elmar
Polarbeer
Thanks for your very detailed reply. So to put it short:
1. ALL metadata about media files (photos, videos etc. you have chosen
to catalog with JPT) is always stored inside XMP sidecars. Because XMP
files are usually very small and text-based, metadata can be re-
imported to database relatively fast, if your database gets corrupted,
deleted etc. for some reason. So there is actually NOT MUCH OF USE to
backup the database.
2. If you wan't to save some time in the case your thumbnails folder
gets deleted for some reason, you should backup it from time to time.
But thumbnails can be recreated when needed. The process is however a
bit slower than reimporting all metadata from XMP sidecars.
3. Because NO keyword hierarchies, synonyms and other additional data
is stored inside database, this data SHOULD be exported and backed up
regularly.
4. Media files and their XMP files are the MOST important thing to
backup regularly.
Please correct if I understood something wrong.
Cheers!
-pb
Elmar Baumann
> 1. ALL metadata about media files (photos, videos etc. you have chosen
> to catalog with JPT) is always stored inside XMP sidecars. Because XMP
> files are usually very small and text-based, metadata can be re-
> imported to database relatively fast, if your database gets corrupted,
> deleted etc. for some reason. So there is actually NOT MUCH OF USE to
> backup the database.
Yes regarding the image metadata (keywords etc.) the database will be
fully re-created from the XMP sidecar files.
But also much that makes working easier is stored in the database:
Keywords tree, Favorite Folders, Programs to execute, Automatic Tasks,
... This data can exported and re-imported via "File > Export (Import) >
JPhotoTagger Data". That should be done from time to time, it creates
(small) XML text files. And the text file Settings.properties contains
some other user specific data.
With the current version 0.21.0 I added 2 other export items (User
Defined File Types and Word Collections).
> 2. If you wan't to save some time in the case your thumbnails folder
> gets deleted for some reason, you should backup it from time to time.
> But thumbnails can be recreated when needed. The process is however a
> bit slower than reimporting all metadata from XMP sidecars.
Yes. Creating thumbnails usually is much slower than reading metadata
from the XMP files. But if deleted, the thumbnails will be created
automatically on demand.
> 3. Because NO keyword hierarchies, synonyms and other additional data
> is stored inside database, this data SHOULD be exported and backed up
> regularly.
Yes, see obove.
> 4. Media files and their XMP files are the MOST important thing to
> backup regularly.
Yes. And a backup of these files should be done automatically not e.g.
by dragging them onto a backup drive, but using programs such as Free
File Sync.