File Naming Patterns

Night Summary uses NINA-style $$PATTERN$$ variables for report filenames. These work the same way as NINA’s file save patterns, so the syntax should be familiar.

Setting the Pattern

Go to Options > Night Summary Settings > Report File Naming:

  1. Type or edit the pattern in the File name pattern field
  2. The Pattern preview field shows what the current pattern resolves to in real time
  3. Use the clickable variable buttons below the field to insert variables at the cursor position

The default pattern is NightSummary_$$DATEMINUS12$$, which produces filenames like NightSummary_2026-03-31.

File Naming Settings

Available Variables

Variable Description Example Output
$$DATEMINUS12$$ Session date, shifted back 12 hours (so a session ending at 3 AM on April 1 shows as March 31) 2026-03-31
$$DATE$$ Current date at report generation time 2026-04-01
$$DATETIME$$ Current date and time 2026-04-01_03-45-12
$$TIME$$ Current time 03-45-12
$$DATEUTC$$ Current UTC date 2026-04-01
$$TIMEUTC$$ Current UTC time 10-45-12
$$CAMERA$$ Camera name from NINA ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
$$TELESCOPE$$ Telescope name from NINA Esprit 100ED
$$SEQUENCETITLE$$ Title of the NINA sequence that was running Spring Galaxies

Subdirectories

Use backslashes (\) in the pattern to create subdirectories within the save path. For example:

  • Pattern: $$CAMERA$$\$$DATEMINUS12$$
  • Result: Saved Reports\ZWO ASI2600MM Pro\2026-03-31\2026-03-31.html

How It Works

The pattern is applied to all delivery channels that use filenames:

  • Local save — the pattern becomes a subfolder name inside the save directory, with the HTML file inside using the same resolved name
  • Email — the pattern is used as the email subject suffix
  • Discord / Pushover — the pattern appears in the message metadata

Each session gets its own folder. For example, with pattern $$DATEMINUS12$$:

Saved Reports/
  NightSummary_2026-03-31/
    NightSummary_2026-03-31.html
    (assets folder with live stack master images, if saved)
  NightSummary_2026-04-01/
    NightSummary_2026-04-01.html

Tips

  • $$DATEMINUS12$$ is the most useful for astrophotography since imaging sessions typically span midnight. A session that ends at 3 AM on April 1 will be filed under March 31.
  • Combine variables for detailed naming: $$CAMERA$$_$$DATEMINUS12$$ produces ZWO ASI2600MM Pro_2026-03-31
  • Keep patterns simple — long filenames with many variables can be hard to scan when browsing your report archive