support custom directory structures for mass storage import dialog

[Martin Pitt]

Binary package hint: f-spot

I keep all my photos sorted in a flat hierarchy, with lovingly named directories that describe the event (e. g. "Wedding Annet and Martin, Aug 2007"), with all the photos for this event prefixed with a number, and an optional name (if I was eager enough to name them).

F-Spot does not understand this structure when importing photos, though, but imposes the weird and deeply nested date-based structure on them, so that it destroys the layout. F-Spot should not try to own my photos, it should merely manage them! Thus the preferences dialog should allow me to select a layout, and the import dialog should have an unintrusive link to the preferences dialog to change the layout before I import photos.

The linked upstream bug has the beginnings of a patch for this.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package f-spot - 0.4.1-4ubuntu3

---------------
f-spot (0.4.1-4ubuntu3) hardy; urgency=low

  * Add debian/patches/importer_targetdir_selector.dpatch:
    - Add a target directory selector to the camera import dialog, so that
      people can continue to use their customized directory layout.
    - Forwarded to upstream in Gnome #511569
    - LP: #182858

 -- Martin Pitt <email address hidden> Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:51:34 +0000

[Duncan Lithgow (duncan-lithgow)]

Is this bug about importing (reading) files on an existing system, which is where the files are to stay? No file movement?

Has this been marked as fix-released because f-stop does not require me to use their directory structure? Because the problem is still there if I want to copy and import from a camera, that's perhaps what's behind bug #195773 (upstream http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=329040)

Please let me know if I've understood this. Otherwise I need to make a new bug report.

[Wenzhuo Zhang (wenzhuo)]

In Hardy or Jaunty, f-spot still does not allow importing pictures to a custom directory. It's really a bad idea to store photos in a deeply nested date-based directory structure. Martin Pitt, can you please port your patch to the current version and submit it to upstream? Thanks!

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

This patch was applied in hardy, and still works fine in jaunty. Thus no need to send upstream an updated patch.

What doesn't work for you in particular?

[Wenzhuo Zhang (wenzhuo)]

The import dialog (see attachment) does not provide an option to choose the target directory. I have also read Help -> Contents and f-spot Documentation web pages, but failed to find a solution. Can you please tell me how to choose the target directory when importing photos?

[Duncan Lithgow (duncan-lithgow)]

@Wenzhuo: please open a question at https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/f-spot and post the link here. I will answer you there. Bugs are not the place for getting help.

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

Gosh, I see. F-Spot has not one, but two different import dialogs. I never see the one you posted, since my camera uses PTP, not mass-storage. Seems the other dialog needs to be modified, too.