GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 718721
Multiple Library Support is Broken due to global GSettings values
Last modified: 2019-10-14 16:28:11 UTC
---- Reported by lucas@yorba.org 2012-12-14 16:33:00 -0800 ---- Original Redmine bug id: 6136 Original URL: http://redmine.yorba.org/issues/6136 Searchable id: yorba-bug-6136 Original author: Lucas Beeler Original description: Shotwell versions 0.12.x and later use the system-wide XDG data and cache directories, so the -d option is effectively broken. The issue with thumbnail caching is ticketed as #5986, but this ticket embraces a larger problem. For instance, the library directory used by the file monitoring and auto-import subsystem is set in GSettings, so it's the same for a particular user regardless of whether the -d option is used at startup. A lot of this comes down to the fact that since we no longer have a dedicated QA person in-house, Shotwell pre-release testing has become much less comprehensive. For example, I never test with the -d option even though it's clearly necessary. I've filed a separate ticket regarding this problem as #6135. Related issues: related to shotwell - Task #6135: Develop Pre-Release Test Plan (Fixed) related to shotwell - 5986: Thumbnail cache system doesn't support multiple libraries (Fixed) related to shotwell - 6040: Shotwell has problems after deleting thumbnails on Disk (Fixed) ---- Additional Comments From shotwell-maint@gnome.bugs 2013-05-16 14:44:00 -0700 ---- ### History #### #1 Updated by Jim Nelson 11 months ago * **Category** set to _library-mode_ #### #2 Updated by Jim Nelson 9 months ago * **Subject** changed from _Multiple Library Support is Broken_ to _Multiple Library Support is Broken due to global GSettings values_ * **Target version** changed from _0.14.0_ to _0.15.0_ We've done a lot of work with thumbnails and such that addresses these issues, but one aspect remains: many of the GSettings values should be per-library and not global. #### #3 Updated by Jim Nelson 8 months ago * **Target version** changed from _0.15.0_ to _0.16.0_ #### #4 Updated by Jim Nelson 6 months ago * **Target version** deleted (<strike>_0.16.0_</strike>) --- Bug imported by chaz@yorba.org 2013-11-25 21:58 UTC --- This bug was previously known as _bug_ 6136 at http://redmine.yorba.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6136 Unknown version " in product shotwell. Setting version to "!unspecified". Unknown milestone "unknown in product shotwell. Setting to default milestone for this product, "---". Setting qa contact to the default for this product. This bug either had no qa contact or an invalid one. Resolution set on an open status. Dropping resolution
First-time contributor here. I'd just like to point out that as a seemingly functional work-around on Debian Wheezy (Shotwell 0.12.3) I've made myself two wrapper scripts to manage my two libraries and which leave shotwell in a consistent state. For my main library in Dropbox: #!/bin/sh gsettings set org.yorba.shotwell.preferences.files import-dir $HOME/Dropbox/Photos exec shotwell For my "everything from the cameras not yet processed" one: #!/bin/sh gsettings set org.yorba.shotwell.preferences.files import-dir $HOME/img shotwell -d $HOME/img gsettings set org.yorba.shotwell.preferences.files import-dir $HOME/Dropbox/Photos This adapted from a hint I found at https://mail.gnome.org/archives/shotwell-list/2012-August/004150.html Perhaps in the short term the wiki (and built-in help) page about multiple libraries should be updated to suggest this? Otherwise having multiple ~/.shotwell/ directories isn't very useful if they all point to the same files...
Argh, typo! (In reply to comment #1) > shotwell -d $HOME/img Of course I meant "$HOME/.shotwell-img". I caused an interesting infinite loop using my incorrect example, as Shotwell kept discovering its own thumbnails. Oops. :-)
Feel free to add this to the Shotwell wiki yourself, either in the FAQ or as a new page. The main Shotwell page is at https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Shotwell
Thanks for the nudge; I didn't know I'd actually have write access if I created an account there. Unfortunately creating an account is all I could do; clicking on documentation links takes me away from wiki.gnome.org so I still can't edit http://yorba.org/shotwell/help/other-multiple.html myself.
That documentation is generated from Shotwell's F1 help files which have been converted to HTML. That's not where I was suggesting you should put it. Here's a better place: https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Shotwell/FAQ
This is fixed with the introduction of profiles in master.