[Feature] Generalized Hiding Functionality #26907
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A generalized "hide x from y" would become massively complex very quickly, so I don't think that's feasible. If anything, that ask makes this even more strongly suited to workflows than the original album hiding request. |
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now i dont know how the code works but my main uneducated assumption was that there is a some sort of csv file that functions use to check before they show something (like when search funtion is checking for what to show , it checks the csv file and then brings the related media files) and the csv file does not include the directory of the locked folder and what this request would add is having more then one csv (having 1 for each target?) (like memories.csv = whole timeline - locked folder - archive - xxx ...) in case this assumption regarding the search or call function? is wrong (i have a feeling its wrong) , id like to get informed better(how it works and what would be the problematic parts) so that i can say or think about what if? ... and try to find a solution for it |
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I advise you to put your effort into a different feature because what you are asking is basically what we're working on but poorly made. |
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The feature
Currently, Immich's primary method for hiding media is the "Archive" function. While useful for removing photos from the main timeline, relying solely on this is too much of a blunt instrument for large, diverse libraries.
When users manage and migrate massive libraries (especially at the scale of 200GB+ and hundreds of thousands of files), the import inevitably includes items that aren't traditional "photos"—such as memes, anime screenshots, WhatsApp dumps, lecture slides, and receipts.
So I'd like to propose a "Hide X from Y" functionality
Instead of building individual toggles and complex, hardcoded rules for every single edge case requested in the discussions above, I propose a generalized, granular visibility matrix. Users should be able to define a Source (X) and hide it from a specific Target (Y) (including the default options).
Sources (What to hide):
Specific Albums (e.g., "Memes", "Work Receipts")
Storage Template Paths / Folders (e.g., /WhatsApp Images/)
Selected Photos (Batch selection)
Shared Photos
Specific Tags
Specific Recognized Faces / People
Locked folder ,Trash , Archive
Targets (Where to hide it from):
Jobs (Machine Learning inference, Facial Recognition, etc.)
Search Results: Prevent the items from appearing in text or metadata searches.
Main Timeline: Keep out of the primary photo feed (similar to Archive, but without moving the file's primary status). (which is often requested but denied since archive exists afaik)
Memories: Avoid surfacing memes, screenshots, or receipts in auto-generated highlights.
Manage Locations (there isnt much reason showing screenshots in there mostly , although there may be exceptions users can just not hide anything if they want so
Failsafes and Management (Crucial UI/UX)
To prevent users from hiding assets and then submitting bug reports thinking their data was deleted, there must be a centralized Visibility Management Dashboard in the settings.
This dashboard would list all active "Hide X from Y" rules.
It would provide a simple way to review hidden items and a "Reset All" or "Remove Rule" button to prevent accidental permanent disappearance.
Why Workflows / Archiving is Not a Complete Solution:
Against the argument that some of these needs can be fulfilled by the current Workflow features combined with Archiving: they are not the same. Currently, you cannot hide an item from Machine Learning without archiving it. Conversely, you cannot hide an item from the timeline while keeping it in Machine Learning for example.
Use Cases:
The Media Hoarder: A user has an album of 5,000 memes and anime screenshots. They want to keep this album intact and searchable by tag, but they absolutely do not want the faces from these images cluttering their "People" tab or showing up on the main timeline. They would set: Hide [Album: Memes] from [Machine Learning] and [Memories].
The Student/Professional: A user takes photos of whiteboard lectures, textbook pages, and receipts. They need these to show up when they search "Communication II notes" or "tax receipt," but they do not want them appearing in their "Memories" widget or the main timeline.
The WhatsApp Dump: A user has a designated folder for WhatsApp media which is 90% junk. They want to exclude this specific Storage Template path from Machine Learning to save server processing power and avoid analyzing random internet images sent in group chats.
Privacy: A user has photos of ID cards or sensitive documents in a specific album. They want to hide this album from global Search Results so it doesn't accidentally pop up when searching for something else while someone is looking over their shoulder.
Or while you can search the Archive via a toggle button, it’s a global switch. You can't exclude specific junk folders from search while keeping important archived receipts searchable by default.
Currently, there are over a many separate feature requests and discussions asking for variations of the same core functionality: the ability to hide specific content from specific views or backend processes.
Some related/similar discussions
and if we give access to default settings (like hiding trash from jobs by default?) it may solve some other partially niche problems as well
also in case it helps , it might be useful to consider hiding as restricting access of that thing from these photos sort of approach
Platform
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