Migrating Conditional Rules

Overview link

FileBrowser Quantum v0.8.9 introduces a new, simplified conditional rules format. The old exclude/include configuration has been replaced with a unified conditionals structure that is more flexible and easier to maintain.

Quick Comparison link

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the old and new formats:

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sources:
  - path: "/data"
    config:
      exclude:
        folderPaths:
          - "excluded"
          - "backup"
        fileNames:
          - ".DS_Store"

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sources:
  - path: "/data"
    config:
      conditionals:
        rules:
          - folderPath: "excluded"
          - folderPath: "backup"
          - fileNames: ".DS_Store"

Key Difference: Instead of arrays of strings grouped by type, each rule is now an individual object with specific properties.

What Changed? link

Old Structure (Pre v0.8.9) link

The old format used separate arrays for different exclusion/inclusion types:

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server:
  sources:
    - path: "/data"
      config:
        exclude:
          hidden: true
          ignoreZeroSizeFolders: false
          filePaths:
            - "folder1/file.txt"
          folderPaths:
            - "excluded"
            - "backup"
          fileNames:
            - ".DS_Store"
          folderNames:
            - "@eadir"
          fileEndsWith:
            - ".tmp"

New Structure (v0.8.9+) link

The new format uses a single rules array where each rule is an object:

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server:
  sources:
    - path: "/data"
      config:
        conditionals:
          hidden: true
          ignoreZeroSizeFolders: false
          rules:
            - filePath: "folder1/file.txt"
            - folderPath: "excluded"
            - folderPath: "backup"
            - fileNames: ".DS_Store"
            - folderNames: "@eadir"
            - fileEndsWith: ".tmp"

Migration Examples link

Example 1: Basic Folder Exclusion link

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sources:
  - path: "/data"
    name: "storage"
    config:
      defaultEnabled: true
      exclude:
        folderPaths:
          - "excluded"
          - "temp"
          - "cache"

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sources:
  - path: "/data"
    name: "storage"
    config:
      defaultEnabled: true
      conditionals:
        rules:
          - folderPath: "excluded"
          - folderPath: "temp"
          - folderPath: "cache"

Example 2: Hidden Files and Global Exclusions link

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sources:
  - path: "/media"
    config:
      exclude:
        hidden: true
        fileNames:
          - ".DS_Store"
          - "Thumbs.db"
        folderNames:
          - "@eadir"
          - ".thumbnails"

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sources:
  - path: "/media"
    config:
      conditionals:
        hidden: true
        rules:
          - fileNames: ".DS_Store"
          - fileNames: "Thumbs.db"
          - folderNames: "@eadir"
          - folderNames: ".thumbnails"

Example 3: Pattern-Based Exclusions link

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sources:
  - path: "/documents"
    config:
      exclude:
        fileStartsWith:
          - "archive-"
          - "backup-"
        fileEndsWith:
          - ".tmp"
          - ".bak"
        folderEndsWith:
          - ".git"
          - ".cache"

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sources:
  - path: "/documents"
    config:
      conditionals:
        rules:
          - fileStartsWith: "archive-"
          - fileStartsWith: "backup-"
          - fileEndsWith: ".tmp"
          - fileEndsWith: ".bak"
          - folderEndsWith: ".git"
          - folderEndsWith: ".cache"

Example 4: Include Rules (Root Items Only) link

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sources:
  - path: "/shared"
    config:
      include:
        rootFolders:
          - "public"
          - "downloads"
        rootFiles:
          - "README.md"

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sources:
  - path: "/shared"
    config:
      conditionals:
        rules:
          - includeRootItem: "public"
          - includeRootItem: "downloads"
          - includeRootItem: "README.md"

Example 5: Advanced Configuration link

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sources:
  - path: "/projects"
    config:
      neverWatchPaths:
        - "large-archive"
        - "readonly-data"
      exclude:
        hidden: true
        ignoreZeroSizeFolders: true
        folderPaths:
          - "node_modules"
          - "build"
        fileEndsWith:
          - ".log"

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sources:
  - path: "/projects"
    config:
      conditionals:
        hidden: true
        ignoreZeroSizeFolders: true
        rules:
          - neverWatchPath: "large-archive"
          - neverWatchPath: "readonly-data"
          - folderPath: "node_modules"
          - folderPath: "build"
          - fileEndsWith: ".log"

Example 6: Viewable but Not Indexed link

The new format introduces the viewable property, which allows items to be visible in the UI but excluded from search indexing:

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sources:
  - path: "/data"
    config:
      conditionals:
        rules:
          - folderPath: "excludedButVisible"
            viewable: true
          - folderPath: "/subfolders/archived"
            viewable: true

Complete Migration Reference link

Old Format Properties → New Format Equivalents link

Migration Steps link

Follow these steps to migrate your configuration:

1. Backup your config file

   BASH Copy

   1	cp config.yaml config.yaml.backup

2. Locate your sources in the config file

3. For each source with exclude or include:

   • Replace exclude: or include: with conditionals:
   • Move hidden and ignoreZeroSizeFolders up one level (if present)
   • Create a rules: array
   • Convert each array entry into an individual rule object

4. Convert neverWatchPaths:

   • Move from source-level to inside rules array
   • Create one neverWatchPath rule per entry

5. Convert include.rootFolders and include.rootFiles:

   • Combine into single includeRootItem rules

Next Steps link

• Full Configuration Reference
• Source Configuration Guide
• Understanding Indexing