Reference Sidecars for Live Photo Support

Status Update (Nov 1, 2025)

Live Photo detection and pairing has been moved to the Photos extension as part of the domain-separated architecture. The reference sidecar infrastructure remains in core and is complete.

The core reference sidecar pattern is implemented and ready for use by extensions:

• source_entry_id column exists in sidecars table
• create_reference_sidecar() method implemented
• convert_reference_to_owned() method implemented
• Database schema supports reference tracking

Live Photo detection will be reimplemented in the Photos extension using these core primitives.

Original Description

Implement the "Reference Sidecar" feature as described in REFERENCE_SIDECARS.md. This allows Spacedrive to track pre-existing files (like the video component of a Live Photo) as virtual sidecars without moving them from their original locations.

Implementation Notes

• Added source_entry_id: Option<i32> column to sidecars table
• Implemented SidecarManager::create_reference_sidecar()
• Implemented SidecarManager::convert_reference_to_owned()
• Live Photo detection moved to Photos extension (will use these primitives)

Acceptance Criteria

• Reference sidecar infrastructure exists in core
• Can create sidecar records that reference existing entries
• Files are NOT moved when creating reference sidecars
• Can convert reference sidecars to managed sidecars
• Live Photo detection implemented in Photos extension (separate task)

Migration Notes

Live Photo functionality will be tracked in Photos extension tasks. Core reference sidecar support is complete and available for any extension to use.