I formerly had my tags as a plain list, but eventually I have structured them deeper and deeper. Occasionally however some of the tags seem to duplicate in their former places, while no images are shown to be attached to them. It's possible to delete them without problem, but occasionally they seem to return and complicate tagging as tags are shown several times. I use separate xmp-files to store this data along with digikam db-file. I have noticed that when I move files between different albums, emptied album directory still often has (lots of) orphan xmp-files. Could this be the reason for tag duplicates returning? This still occurs in 7.7.0 and was similar earlier in 6.x.
Bug 457682 or Bug 454676 fixes the tags disappearing or possibly reappearing due to a scanning process when moving images. Maik
This still happened. I'm now using 8.4.0. appimage but it started possibly already with 8.3.0.
If tags reappear, they are still present in the image metadata, this is not a digiKam bug, but normal behavior. Deleted tags cannot simply reappear, they must be present in images or sidecars. Maik
So it's normal behavior if I've several times removed those tags from all images they were attached, and according to UI they disappeared from all those images, still time after time they keep coming back from those images they were removed.
The tags were probably not completely removed from the images. There are some tag metadata that digiKam cannot change or delete with Exiv2. These are the Exif XP* entries. These are only changed if writing with ExifTool is activated. Maik
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=492163 for possible cause.
This is not fixed as in some cases there's inconsistent data written to two sidecars in different locations. See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=492163
Sidecars in 2 different locations have nothing to do with the bug, as long as there is no image with the same base name the sidecar is ignored. If you want to reopen the bug, then only if you provide an image and sidecars with which the problem can be reproduced. Maik
Files attached to https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=492163 as I haven't tested but only suspecting they cause this bug too.
I tested this. Your previous answer is simply wrong and this bug is related and explained at least in some cases with https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=492163 If database data is ovewritten with data from faulty sidecars which contain tags which are deleted later, those tags will return. See also Comment 6 at bug https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=492163#c6 1. First add tags to image and apply them. 2. Unselect those tags (and optionally add some other tags), don't apply changes, keep selection 3. Move files to different folder. (Now by UI those unselected tags are removed from file and optional new tags are added.) 4. Delete those tags added at 1. and removed from file at 2. altogether from system. Nothing visible in regard to file itself should happen as they were already removed from there, but they disappear from tag list. 5. Select "Reread metadata from file". Result: Phase 2. is cancelled: By UI original tags from 1. are returned to file and optional new tags at 2. are removed from file. Also: TAGS REMOVED FROM SYSTEM at 4. RE-APPEAR TO TAG LIST which is this bug.
It is clear that if you do not complete the action on the right sidebar and move the images, then a sidecar will be created in the "old" location. We already have an older Bug 204487 for this, it continues there. This is closed. Maik
This bug could be duplicate but it's not fixed. You corrupt peoples minds with this kind of behavior.