Sortwell™
Change Log

Newest first.


0.9.9  (24 October 2026)
  - Starts faster: the app opens its window sooner, especially the first time after installing, and in Lightroom
    Classic a "Sortwell: starting" bar shows straight away while it gets ready.
  - User Guide: step-by-step instructions for getting an API key for reading hard handwriting online, a new Updates
    section, and License and Help sections that match the other Picture Org apps.

0.9.8  (24 October 2026)
  - Fixed: in Lightroom Classic, Finish the batch folders stopped at once with "An internal error has occurred".
  - "Colour" is now spelled "Color".

0.9.7  (24 October 2026)
  - New: Finish the batch folders. Each batch folder's date goes into its photos as the date taken, its event name
    is added as a keyword, the batch number comes off the folder's name, and the photos are renamed with the
    folder's name and a four-digit number (1982-10-31-Halloween-0001 …). In Lightroom Classic they are numbered in
    the order Lightroom shows them. Undo puts it all back.
  - New: Delete the batch cards. Only the batch cards go to the Recycle Bin or Trash; no other photo is touched.
  - Faster with camera raw files: each photo's preview is read in one step.

0.9.6  (24 October 2026)
  - Lightroom Classic: the review screen now shows each card's date, batch number and description, ready to check,
    with every batch ticked. Before, the boxes were empty.
  - New "Copy, rather than move" tick box: the photos are copied into the batch folders and the originals stay where
    they are. Undo deletes the copies.
  - The review screen shows the folder the batch folders go in, with a button to change it. Afterwards Lightroom
    Classic opens that folder (or the new batch folders) for you.

0.9.5  (24 October 2026)
  - Behind-the-scenes reliability work: the app can no longer start the same job twice from a quick double click,
    and Lightroom Classic waits for each step of removing the old catalog entries instead of fixed pauses.
  - On a Mac, a saved API key file is private from the moment it is made.

0.9.4  (23 October 2026)
  - A new Sortwell icon, in the app, Lightroom's Plug-in Manager, the Start menu, Installed apps and the Windows
    Setup.

0.9.3  (23 October 2026)
  - Faster: finding the batch cards in a folder of large scans is several times faster, and camera raw files are
    opened much faster.
  - Lightroom Classic: reading what the catalog knows about each photo before and after sorting is faster on big
    runs.
  - Camera raw files whose built-in preview is small are now read from Lightroom's larger preview, so their cards
    read better.

0.9.2  (23 October 2026)
  - Batch cards are found by the card designator, a circle with two black quarters in the middle of the card, so the
    cards can be any color. You can use a mark of your own instead: choose a picture of it in the settings.
  - Folders are now named date-subject-batch, such as 1982-10-31-Halloween-0001, with four-digit batch numbers. The
    pattern can still be changed.
  - Dates are kept as written, with 00 for a month or day that isn't known (1976-03-00, 1975-00-00).
  - Reads each part after the word printed for it on the card (Batch, Date, Subject), and reads faint pencil on
    cards of any color much better.
  - Optional: hard handwriting can also be read online by Claude, OpenAI or Google Gemini with your own API key.
    Only the batch cards are sent, never your photos.
  - Cards are read from the full-size file, so small writing reads better in Lightroom Classic.

0.9.1  (23 October 2026)
  - Windows, Lightroom Classic: finding the cards could stop at once with "Access is denied". Fixed.
  - Windows: the app's Choose a folder button now opens the folder dialog every time. If the dialog ever can't open,
    the app says so, and you can type or paste the folder's path instead.

0.9.0  (23 October 2026)
  - First version. Sortwell finds the batch cards in a folder of scans, reads the date, batch number and description
    written on each card, and moves every batch into its own folder named from its card.
  - Lightroom Classic plug-in for photos already in your catalog, such as tethered captures: each photo keeps its
    flags, stars, keywords, captions, edits and collections at its new place.
  - Standalone app for Windows and Mac that doesn't need Lightroom, for scans that aren't in a catalog or to sort a
    folder before importing it.
  - A review of every card before anything moves: fix a misread date, number or description and see the folder name
    change as you type.
  - Card backs scanned after each card go into the same folder. Folder names follow a pattern you choose.
  - Every run can be undone. When you're done with the batches, Sortwell marks the cards (and the photos you
    rejected) for deletion in Lightroom, or moves them to one folder in the app.
