Smarter Imports in Starsky: Conditional Rules for Structure and ColorClass

We’re excited to introduce a powerful new feature in Starsky that gives you more control than ever over how your photos are imported, organized, and tagged. With the new ImportTransformation and Structure Rules, you can now define conditional logic that applies different folder structures and metadata depending on image format or origin.

This does mean a breaking change in v0.7.0 or newer to how the folder structure is defined, so let’s walk you through what’s new and how you can use it.

🎯 What’s New?

Instead of using a single flat string for your import structure like:

"Structure": "/yyyy/MM/yyyy_MM_dd/yyyyMMdd_HHmmss_{filenamebase}.ext" // legacy

Note: This example works for v0.6.8 or older

We now support rule-based configuration using JSON objects. This lets you specify:

• Different folder structures for different image formats (e.g. PNGs)
• Special paths for test imports
• Automatically assigning a ColorClass during import
• All while keeping a default fallback in place

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🧠 Example Configuration

Here’s a full example of what your new config might look like:

"ImportTransformation": {
  "Rules": [
    {
      "Conditions": {
        "Origin": "test"
      },
      "ColorClass": 2
    },
    {
      "Conditions": {
        "ImageFormats": [
          "png"
        ]
      },
      "ColorClass": 2
    }
  ]
},
"Structure": {
  "DefaultPattern": "/yyyy/MM/yyyy_MM_dd*/yyyyMMdd_HHmmss_{filenamebase}.ext",
  "Rules": [
    {
      "Conditions": {
        "ImageFormats": [
          "png"
        ]
      },
      "Pattern": "/yyyy/MM/yyyy_MM_dd*/\\screen\\sho\\t/yyyyMMdd_HHmmss_{filenamebase}.ext"
    },
    {
      "Conditions": {
        "Origin": "test"
      },
      "Pattern": "/yyyy/MM/yyyy_MM_dd_\\t/yyyyMMdd_HHmmss_{filenamebase}.ext"
    }
  ]
}

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🖼️ What This Does

• If a file was imported from a test source ("Origin": "test"), it:

  • Is stored under a path like: /2025/06/2025_06_22_t/20250622_153015_example.jpg
  • Gets assigned ColorClass: 2

• If the imported image is a PNG, it:

  • Is stored under a path like: /2025/06/2025_06_22/screenshot/20250622_153015_example.png
  • Also gets ColorClass: 2

• All other images fall back to the default structure:

  • /2025/06/2025_06_22/20250622_153015_example.jpg

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🚨 Breaking Change Notice

If you were relying on the old flat "Structure" string, you’ll need to update your configuration to the new format. While this adds some complexity, it opens the door for much more intelligent and flexible imports — tailored to your workflow.

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✅ Why This Matters

This new system is ideal for:

• Automatically classifying screenshots vs photos
• Keeping test imports separate and easy to spot
• Organizing by image type without extra manual steps
• Power users who want fine-grained control over folder structure and metadata tagging

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📌 Final Thoughts

We hope this upgrade gives you more control and automation over your photo management. The new Import Rules system is just the beginning — and we’re excited to hear what you build with it.

Got ideas or feedback? Join the discussion on GitHub or reach out via the usual channels.

Happy organizing! — The Starsky Team