SUMMARY

This is a request for a non-destructive original date storage when editing the metadata for files that don't have date information in them.

If digikam would store a "first seen" row in the database, it could be used to restore timestamps, even if metadata operations overwrite them in the file.

Example usecase:
https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/uc84fm/all_dates_overwritten_by_todays_date_from_digikam/

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Import an album that has pictures without EXIF date information, only the file modified date as picture original date.
2. Apply metadata transformations to the files without unchecking "Update file modification timestamp when files are modified".
3. Try to apply date manipulations to the files afterwards.

OBSERVED RESULT

4. Notice the original file dates are not stored anywhere to be used as information for date manipulation.

EXPECTED RESULT

5. User could have the option to read the "first seen" file date (eg.: from a new digikam database row?)

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Windows: 
macOS: 
Linux/KDE Plasma: 
(available in About System)
KDE Plasma Version: 
KDE Frameworks Version: 
Qt Version: 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This report includes a suggestion for the resolution, but the impetus is to have a way to restore lost original timestamp information performed by user actions. Note that this is not a request to undo steps in timestamp operations (ie.: store all editing steps), only to store the first original timestamp as seen by digikam when importing an album, assuming that this should be easier to implement and already useful as a safeguard and utility for date manipulation (eg: using the time stored but changing the date for all images could be done with this information).