Preserving Buddy File Relative Paths during Move operations

[Tveloso]

This might actually be an unreasonable expectation, so rather than post a feature request for it, I thought I should first ask whether it's at all feasible to add this behavior.

Photos taken with the "Live Photo" feature on Apple Devices generate two separate files once copied to the PC - one still image (jpeg or heic), and one video (mov).  I keep these in separate folders, with the same relative path structure, in both the ingest folder on my PC, and on the NAS, where the files eventually wind up.

So this area of my Ingest Folder looks something like this (the "YearRef" folders actually have that literal name - they're Place Holders for the structure on the NAS):

        IngestFolder
          |-- ParentPath
                |-- LivePhotoClips
                |     |-- YearRef
                |-- Photos
                      |-- YearRef

I have created Version and Buddy Relations for the files in the two YearRef folders, that make the files in Photos\YearRef Masters, and files in LivePhotoClips\YearRef their Buddys/Versions, using this Folder Pattern (it's just awesome that IMatch allows us to do this kind of stuff!):
        {p2}\LivePhotoClips\{d0}

This allows IMatch to locate the Buddy/Version Video Files, for the Master Photo Files...(i.e. Version Stacks are created for them, and when I rename a JPEG file in the Photos\YearRef folder, its corresponding Buddy MOV file is renamed accordingly).

The Directory Structure on my NAS is something like this:

         NAS
          |-- ParentPath
                |-- LivePhotoClips
                |     |-- 2019
                |     |-- 2020
                |     |-- 2021
                |-- Photos
                      |-- 2019
                      |-- 2020
                      |-- 2021

Now, let's say that I drag a JPEG file from Folder IngestFolder\ParentPath\Photos\YearRef on my PC, to Folder NAS\ParentPath\Photos\2020.  What happens is that IMatch places both the JPEG File and the MOV File in that same target folder (i.e. instead of the MOV File being moved into the NAS\ParentPath\LivePhotoClips\2020 Folder, it too is moved into the NAS\ParentPath\Photos\2020 Folder...so if I drag two files, I get four files in the target folder).

Would it be possible for IMatch to maintain the same Relative Paths for both files?...(i.e. could the Folder Pattern in the Buddy definition be resolved for the Target Folder, just as it has been for the Source Folder?)

But now, it's not actually not a "manual move" that I use to get files onto the NAS - it's actually a Renamer Preset, which does both a Rename, and a Move.  And the Move Step also uses Folder Patterns, to determine some of the path components of the Destination Folder...and I would like for the Renamer's Move Step to also use this "relative path" behavior.  So this is getting pretty complex...(probably, more complex than I know).

If this is not feasible, I am perfectly fine with handling the "re-distribution" of the MOV Files "manually" (well, not really manually...IMatch makes it very easy to filter for them in the Photos subfolder, and then move them into the corresponding LivePhotoClips subfolder).

But I thought I would just ask about this...in case it's actually doable, and might be helpful for someone besides me...

[Mario]

IMatch can handle folders when the master and buddy are in the same hierarchy (buddy file in the same folder as the master or in a sub-folder).
But most likely not in your particular setup, and mixed with folder patterns, relative up-level/down-level folder mask results in the Renamer etc.

There are complexity limits, even for IMatch. The buddy/version management is complex enough as it is.
Maybe use two Renamer presets to rename masters and buddy files?

I left your post sit for a couple of months and not one other user replied or commented.
I think it's safe to assume this is a situation where no other user has to deal with.

[Tveloso]

Thank you Mario.

I actually just recently decided that I need to re-structure my folder hierarchy to do away with some of that up-level / down-level stuff I'm doing.  In part based on a recent post of yours:

I keep masters in the base folder and permanent derivative files (PSD, TIFF, JPG) in sub-folders of the base folder.
This keeps things neat and tidy, and the structure works in IMatch, Windows Explorer and all applications I use now and will use in the future.

I thought, "if this is how Mario does it, that has to be the way to go", and that it might even address my "relative paths issue" in the specific case of my "Live Photos".

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it is just a much cleaner organization.  I haven't had a chance to make this change yet, but I hope to do it soon.

I've learned so much by reading the posts in this community, and have made a number of changes to the way I do things in IMatch, based on recommendations I've seen here.  Thanks to everyone, and of course most especially to Mario, for the incredible software!  Looking forward to IMatch 2021!!

[Mario]

I have been successful by following the KISS rule.
I prefer a simple file system organization, which works across Windows, Linux and all the applications I use now (and may use in the future).
On top of that I let IMatch work its magic