Guide: Automatically add new assets within a personal album to a shared album

[jansppenrade2]

Immich’s got this “partner-sharing” feature — a sweet idea, really, for all the lovebirds and tight-knit duos out there. But here’s the thing: My partner and I? We’re into holding onto our own worlds of memories. A little personal kingdom each, where we curate our pasts. Still, when it comes to future snapshots, we want those moments auto-synced into a shared album, sparing us the hassle of manual keeping it up to date.

But then, life’s messy. Some shots? They just don’t belong in the joint space. A little too personal, maybe a little confusing for the other — so we need the freedom to pull ‘em from the shared album. You get the picture.

This setup’s not exactly plug-and-play in Immich, but there’s a little workaround if you’re comfortable tinkering under the hood. With a small trick in Immich’s database, we can have it all: automatic sharing and the flexibility to curate. Here’s where the "magic" happens. A database trigger, paired with a function, handles the heavy lifting.

Disclaimer, kids: Don’t go rogue here without a current backup and a clear idea of what each line’s doing. The script’s commented and, sure, it’s built to help, but screw up the syntax, and you’re may looking at some serious damage.

SQL Script

-- Delete the trigger if it already exists
DROP TRIGGER IF EXISTS trigger_add_to_shared_album ON public.albums_assets_assets;

-- Delete the trigger function if it already exists
DROP FUNCTION IF EXISTS add_to_shared_album;

-- Create the trigger function with variables for albumsId values
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION add_to_shared_album() 
RETURNS TRIGGER AS $$
DECLARE
    source_album_id_1 UUID := '8a2d3748-b9f7-4b28-a526-dc8e6c846455';  -- ID of the source album (e.g. "Recently") of User A
    source_album_id_2 UUID := 'df21ddea-1d23-4f65-af7d-c2270489e5c7';  -- ID of the source album (e.g. "Recently") of User B
    target_album_id UUID := '31d285e6-c421-4cb9-8615-60c6b70ac1eb';  -- ID of the target shared album
    album_exists BOOLEAN;  -- Variable to check if target album exists
BEGIN
    -- Verify if the albumsId of the new entry matches any of the source albums
    IF NEW."albumsId" = source_album_id_1 OR NEW."albumsId" = source_album_id_2 THEN
        -- Check if the target album exists
        SELECT EXISTS (
            SELECT 1 FROM public.albums WHERE id = target_album_id
        ) INTO album_exists;

        -- Only insert if the target album exists
        IF album_exists THEN
            -- Add the new entry with the target album ID
            INSERT INTO public.albums_assets_assets ("albumsId", "assetsId", "createdAt")
            VALUES (target_album_id, NEW."assetsId", NEW."createdAt");
        END IF;
    END IF;
    RETURN NEW;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;

-- Create the trigger
CREATE TRIGGER trigger_add_to_shared_album
AFTER INSERT ON public.albums_assets_assets
FOR EACH ROW EXECUTE FUNCTION add_to_shared_album();

Alright, let’s break this down a little.

What’s Going Down in the Trigger and Function

So, here’s what this script’s really up to. We’ve got a database trigger and a function, both working together like a tag team. When a new photo or asset gets added to one of our personal albums, the function jumps into action. It checks if that new entry came from one of the personal albums we set up — your “Recently” album, or hers. If it’s a match, the function then checks if the shared album — the one where your lives intersect — actually exists.

If that album’s real and ready, the function copies the new entry into the shared album. All automated, no need to lift a finger. Now both of you get to see the latest and greatest, no manual house keeping necessary.

Variables That Need a Little Personal Touch

You can’t just run this script out of the box. There are three UUIDs that you’ll need to swap out to fit your own setup. Let’s talk about each:
1. source_album_id_1 – This one’s the UUID for your “Recently” album (or whatever album you’re using as the personal stash) on your side. Find it, replace it here.
2. source_album_id_2 – Same deal as above, but this time it’s for your partner’s “Recently” album.
3. target_album_id – This one’s the UUID for your shared album, the central spot where all your joint memories will end up.

Running the Script through PGAdmin Web UI

1. Open your browser, go to your PGAdmin web interface, and log in.
2. On the left sidebar, expand the server and choose the appropriate database where Immich is running.
3. In the top menu, click on the Query Tool to open a new SQL editor.
4. Paste the script you want to run into the SQL editor and hit Execute (the play button in the top menu).

Mobile App Configuration

Make sure Album Synchronization is switched on in the Immich app settings. Why? Because that’s what keeps your personal “Recently” album stocked with the latest photos.

Now, if you’re rolling with an Android device, this might work the same way — but, full disclosure, I’m not 100% on that. So if you’re in the Android camp, give it a shot and maybe keep a close eye on things at first.

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And that’s the setup: a little bit of fine-tuning, and you’ve got yourself an automated memory keeper that respects your individual zones while syncing up the rest for the big-picture stuff. Just remember: back up first, and tweak the UUIDs as needed!