As a user I want the system to suggest date and sender from the filename so I have less to type when uploading scanned documents #69

New Issue

marcel · 2026-03-25T14:12:14+01:00

marcel commented

2026-03-25 14:12:14 +01:00

Background

Scanners and scanning apps often produce files with structured names like 2024-03-15_Hans_Mueller.pdf or 19650312-Oma.pdf. Parsing these automatically saves several keystrokes per document and reduces the chance of data entry errors.

User Journey

User uploads a file named 1965-03-12_Hans_Mueller.pdf. The system parses the filename and:

pre-fills the date field with 12.03.1965
pre-fills the sender typeahead with Hans Mueller (shown as a suggestion, not yet committed)

The user can accept, correct, or ignore each suggestion. If the filename doesn't match any known pattern, no suggestion is made and the form behaves as normal.

Parsing patterns to support

Filename pattern	Extracted
`2024-03-15_Firstname_Lastname.pdf`	date=2024-03-15, name=Firstname Lastname
`20240315_Firstname_Lastname.pdf`	date=2024-03-15, name=Firstname Lastname
`Firstname_Lastname_2024-03-15.pdf`	date=2024-03-15, name=Firstname Lastname
`2024-03-15.pdf`	date only
`Firstname_Lastname.pdf`	name only

Names are matched loosely — the suggestion is shown in the typeahead but the user must confirm (select from the dropdown or create new person). No automatic person creation from a filename.

E2E Scenarios

Scenario: Date extracted from filename
  Given I am on the new document page
  When I select a file named "1965-03-12_Hans_Mueller.pdf"
  Then the date field shows "12.03.1965"

Scenario: Name extracted as sender suggestion
  Given I am on the new document page
  When I select a file named "1965-03-12_Hans_Mueller.pdf"
  Then the sender typeahead shows "Hans Mueller" as a pre-filled suggestion

Scenario: Unstructured filename produces no suggestion
  Given I am on the new document page
  When I select a file named "scan_001.pdf"
  Then the date field is empty
  And the sender field is empty

Scenario: Manual title not overwritten by parsed name
  Given I have typed a title manually
  When I select a file with a parseable name
  Then the title field is unchanged

Implementation notes

Parsing is purely client-side (no backend changes needed).
A small parseFilename(name: string): { date?: string; personName?: string } utility function in src/lib/utils/ keeps this testable in isolation.
The sender typeahead component already accepts an initialName prop — use that to pass the parsed name.
If both drop zone (issue #X) and this feature are active, filename parsing should also run during bulk upload so documents land with dates/names pre-filled where possible.

## Background Scanners and scanning apps often produce files with structured names like `2024-03-15_Hans_Mueller.pdf` or `19650312-Oma.pdf`. Parsing these automatically saves several keystrokes per document and reduces the chance of data entry errors. ## User Journey User uploads a file named `1965-03-12_Hans_Mueller.pdf`. The system parses the filename and: - pre-fills the **date** field with `12.03.1965` - pre-fills the **sender** typeahead with `Hans Mueller` (shown as a suggestion, not yet committed) The user can accept, correct, or ignore each suggestion. If the filename doesn't match any known pattern, no suggestion is made and the form behaves as normal. ## Parsing patterns to support | Filename pattern | Extracted | |---|---| | `2024-03-15_Firstname_Lastname.pdf` | date=2024-03-15, name=Firstname Lastname | | `20240315_Firstname_Lastname.pdf` | date=2024-03-15, name=Firstname Lastname | | `Firstname_Lastname_2024-03-15.pdf` | date=2024-03-15, name=Firstname Lastname | | `2024-03-15.pdf` | date only | | `Firstname_Lastname.pdf` | name only | Names are matched loosely — the suggestion is shown in the typeahead but the user must confirm (select from the dropdown or create new person). No automatic person creation from a filename. ## E2E Scenarios ``` Scenario: Date extracted from filename Given I am on the new document page When I select a file named "1965-03-12_Hans_Mueller.pdf" Then the date field shows "12.03.1965" Scenario: Name extracted as sender suggestion Given I am on the new document page When I select a file named "1965-03-12_Hans_Mueller.pdf" Then the sender typeahead shows "Hans Mueller" as a pre-filled suggestion Scenario: Unstructured filename produces no suggestion Given I am on the new document page When I select a file named "scan_001.pdf" Then the date field is empty And the sender field is empty Scenario: Manual title not overwritten by parsed name Given I have typed a title manually When I select a file with a parseable name Then the title field is unchanged ``` ## Implementation notes - Parsing is purely client-side (no backend changes needed). - A small `parseFilename(name: string): { date?: string; personName?: string }` utility function in `src/lib/utils/` keeps this testable in isolation. - The sender typeahead component already accepts an `initialName` prop — use that to pass the parsed name. - If both drop zone (issue #X) and this feature are active, filename parsing should also run during bulk upload so documents land with dates/names pre-filled where possible.

marcel referenced this issue

2026-03-25 14:12:23 +01:00

As a user I want to drop or select multiple files on the home page so I can digitize a stack of documents without navigating to a form for each one #66

marcel commented

2026-03-25 14:12:28 +01:00

Also applies during bulk upload (#66): filename parsing should run for each file in the drop zone, so documents land with dates/names already populated where the filename is structured.

marcel added the file-upload label 2026-03-25 14:14:31 +01:00

marcel referenced this issue

2026-03-25 18:58:47 +01:00

As a user I want a help page on the site so I can learn how to use the archive and share the guidance with family members before a scanning session #70

marcel referenced a pull request that will close this issue

2026-03-26 15:20:26 +01:00

feat: suggest date, sender and title from structured filename (#69) #78

marcel closed this issue

2026-03-26 16:48:46 +01:00

marcel referenced this issue

2026-03-27 19:03:01 +01:00

As a user I want a help page on the site so I can learn how to use the archive and share the guidance with family members before a scanning session #70