[Gramps-users] handle= in gramps xml

[Gerald B. <ger...@gm...>]

Hi -- I'm trying to figure out if I have a problem or not.  I have two
versions of a gramps database, one with a few more updates than the
other.  If I export them to gramps xml, then compare the xml, I see
that, in some instances, the handle= string is the same for two
different objects.  For example, using diff, I see:

    <source id="S0355" handle="_LUZFEPB35FNBZY2KAS">          |
<source id="S0282" handle="_LUZFEPB35FNBZY2KAS">

So here we have two different sources using the same handle in the two
databases.  Database "A" says that _LUZFEPB35FNBZY2KAS belongs to
S0355.  Database "B" says that S0282 has that handle.

Making matters more curious, A:S0355 and B:S0282 are the *same* source
(in this case, a census) and have the same references!!!

It's like the source ids somehow were renamed at some point but the
handle ids were kept the same.  I see the same thing with family ids
and event ids.

I have a few questions:

1. When I save or open a gramps xml file, does it resequence source
ids, family ids etc?
2. If I open a gramps xml file then save it as a grdb and later export
it to a gramps xml file again, would the source ids get resequenced?
3. Are handle ids immutable?
4. Should I be worried that some corruption has crept in somewhere?