[Shotwell] We want your feedback: user-configurable directory structure

[Lu Timdale]

I would also be fine with 
YYYY/YYYY-MM-DD   
with no event name as a base, if that makes it easier.  I understand that you 
don't have the event name on import.


Just to give some background on what I've been using.... I use virtualbox with 
Windows and use the photo gallery software.

GOOD (OLD)
-------------------------------------------------------------
On Vista, it came with windows and behaved in a 3 step process.  

STEP 1: The importer could be date based, so I set mine to YYYY/YYYY-MM-DD.  So 
after import, I would have this:
2010/2010-01-02/
    DSC0001.jpg
    DSC0002.jpg
2010/2010-01-03/
    ....

STEP 2: Rename the folders only in windows explorer.  Then I would have this:
2010/2010-01-02 My Event/

STEP 3: Reopen windows gallery.  It reindexes automatically based on changed 
folders under the watched folders.


The problems with this approach are:
- events are only separated by date (2 events on same date not separated)
- manual renaming has to occur at fs level
- app needs to be watched folders aware (shotwell is as of 0.8... yeh)
- photo files don't follow the naming structure as the folders
- you don't want to create tags for every event, tags should be used as 
arbitrary hierarchies (not names)
- name is not part of metadata, so not indexed
- filenames are not unique in library




BETTER (NEW)
-------------------------------------------------------------

On Win 7, windows live photo gallery is a separate download, but it works 
better.  The new app makes everything a one-step process.

STEP 1: Import dialog is presented, which already separates the pictures by 
groups based on date or more accurately duration (configurable with a 
slider).... so 9 hours between shots means a separate event.  Those groups are 
(optionally) given an event name on import.  The import occurs, and imports 
based on the structure:
2010/2010-01-02 My Event/
    2010-01-02 My Event 001.jpg
    2010-01-02 My Event 001.jpg
2010/2010-01-03 Another Event/
    ....

all of the above problems are resolved with this approach.  

The problems with this approach are that 
- I still have to change the folder they are imported into yearly (pictures/2010 
to pictures/2011)


So to sum up a very long winded email...
GOOD:      YYYY/YYYY-MM-DD/       
BETTER:   YYYY/YYYY-MM-DD Event Name/





Also, just some food for thought on defaults from other platforms:

Vista Photo Gallery Defaults:
Folders------------
     Date Imported + Tag  
       Date Taken + Tag
       Date Taken Range + Tag
       Tag + Date Imported
       Tag + Date Taken
       Tag + Date Taken Range
       Tag

Filenames-------------
     Tag
     Original Filename


Win7 Live Photo Gallery Defaults:
Folders------------
     Date Imported + Name  
     Date Taken + Name
     Date Taken Range + Name
     Name + Date Imported
     Name + Date Taken
     Name + Date Taken Range
     Name

Filenames-------------
     Name
     Original File Name
     Name + Date Taken
     Date Taken + Name 



PS. Great job thus far.  Eagerly awaiting 0.9 (for renaming + hierachical tags) 
to drop my windows dependence.  


Lu Timdale
lutimdale at yahoo.com



----- Original Message ----
From: Lu Timdale <lutimdale at yahoo.com>
To: Eric Gregory <eric at yorba.org>; shotwell <shotwell at lists.yorba.org>
Sent: Tue, January 25, 2011 12:22:56 PM
Subject: Re: [Shotwell] We want your feedback: user-configurable directory 
structure

I use a combination of year as a higher level folder + full date/event as the 
subfolder
YYYY/YYYY-MM-DD Event Name

so,
2010/
    2010-01-01 Kids in Backyard/
    2010-01-01 Fred's Birthday/
    ...
2011/
    2011-02-22 Another Event/
    ...
...


This makes it easy to find photos (from my perspective) from a file structure at 

a glance (without going through hidden nested structure).  I generally know the 
year, but not the exact date (even month) of the event.  I would recall what the 

event name was and scan for that in a "sorted by date" list of events within 
that particular year's events.


Ideally, the photos themselves would be renamed (and be configurable as well) as 

part of the import.  So, it should be...
2010-01-01 Event 001.jpg
2010-01-01 Event 002.jpg
or date/time based
2010-01-01 1030 01.jpg
Ideally, they would be unique for the entire library.

Thanks.


Lu Timdale
lutimdale at yahoo.com



----- Original Message ----
From: Eric Gregory <eric at yorba.org>
To: shotwell <shotwell at lists.yorba.org>
Sent: Mon, January 24, 2011 4:00:53 PM
Subject: [Shotwell] We want your feedback: user-configurable directory structure

Hi everyone,

We're working on an often-requested new feature, a user configurable
directory structure, and would like community feedback on how this would
best suit your needs.

This feature allows you to set a directory structure for your photos instead
of being forced to use Shotwell's default.

For now, we're wondering if we want to support hard-coded options only, for
example, we might have the following options:
YYYY/MM/DD
YYYY/MM-DD
YYYY/MM
YYYY_MM_DD

Perhaps there's others you'd like to see?

Another option is to support a free-form entry with date formatting
characters to make your own directory structure.  For example, you might
type in something like
%Y%/%M%/%D%
to achieve the current directory structure.

Additionally, we're looking to add a feature where you can assign a name to
your import.  This could also be added to the directory structure.

If you're interested in this feature, let us know what you'd like to see and
which aspects are most important to you.

  - Eric
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