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What’s new in Starsky v0.7.0?

· 3 min read
Dion
Dion
Software developer

Version 0.7.0 is a major update focused on smarter imports, improved performance, and breaking changes to configuration. Here’s what’s changed since v0.6.8:

🚨 Breaking Changes​

  • Import Structure Rules

    • The import folder structure is now defined using a JSON object with conditional rules, rather than a single string.
    • This allows different folder structures and ColorClass assignment based on image format or source (e.g. screenshots, test imports).
    • Action required: Update your config to the new rule-based format. See the detailed blog post for examples and migration guidance.

  • Exiftool Checksum API

    • The checksum API used by Exiftool has changed. This breaks automatic setup of the Exiftool tool in previous versions.

  • Default thumbnail format: webp

    • Thumbnails are now generated in webp format by default for improved size and performance.

🆕 New Features​

  • Conditional Import Rules

    • Define different import folder structures and automatically assign ColorClass based on image metadata (origin or format).
    • Great for workflows that separate e.g. screenshots from camera photos or test data.

  • Thumbnail support for video files

    • Starsky can now view previews for video files. We use ffmpeg to generate thumbnails for video files, which are stored in the thumbnail folder.

  • Camera Body Serial in Database

    • The camera’s serial number is now stored, enabling more detailed cataloguing.

  • Backend Improvements

    • More robust and clearer import transformation and structure logic.
    • New CompareHelper for import config.

  • Native thumbnail generation

    • Starsky now uses the platform’s native QuickLook (on macOS) and the Windows shell image preview when loading an image, if available.

    • This means:

      • On macOS, Starsky can display QuickLook previews, providing faster and more compatible image viewing for supported formats.
      • On Windows, it leverages the native image shell for improved image loading and compatibility.

    • Benefit:

      • Native previews typically offer better performance and support for a wider range of image types/formats, and make Starsky feel more integrated with your operating system.

🛠️ Bug Fixes & Improvements​

  • Replace with default status now truly replaces (fix)
  • Fixed backend handling of timeouts (#2189), quote handling, and various edge cases with thumbnails and notifications.
  • Improved architecture references for trash/metaupdate.
  • Tests failing in menu-archive component (#2216)
  • Upload menu placement was wrong in readonly mode (#2106)
  • Quote handling bug – issues with certain characters not being interpreted correctly (#1510)
  • Move modal status 'ExifWriteNotSupported' shown in red (#1891)

🖥️ Frontend Upgrades​

  • React 19
    • The frontend now runs on React 19 instead of React 18.
  • Refresh Button
    • New refresh button in the main menu.
  • Upload Button and Accessibility
    • Fixed issues with upload button in readonly and improved accessibility.

🗃️ Infrastructure & Tooling​

  • .NET 8 SDK 8.0.411
    • Upgraded to latest LTS SDK/runtime for all backend services.
  • Removed old sync tool, that is no longer in use.
  • Upgraded various npm packages and internal dependencies.

⚠️ Upgrade Notes​

  • Review your import configuration! The new rule-based system is more powerful, but incompatible with the old flat string format.
  • Revisit any automation or tools relying on the Exiftool checksum API.

For more details, see the history.md or the dedicated blogpost on smarter imports.

In short:
Smarter, more flexible imports. Breaking config change for import structure. Backend and frontend upgrades. Required config updates for all users!