Documentation / Post-Processing Rules

Post-Processing Rules

Post-processing rules are StreamSweeper's most powerful feature. They allow you to automatically organize, filter, and customize your IPTV channels based on EPG (Electronic Program Guide) data and channel information. This is perfect for sports fans who want to follow specific teams or anyone who wants intelligent, dynamic channel organization.

What Are Post-Processing Rules?

Post-processing rules analyze your channel EPG data and apply actions based on criteria you define. Unlike basic filtering which is static, post-processing rules are dynamic - they continuously evaluate what's currently playing and what's coming up.

How They Work

  1. StreamSweeper fetches EPG data for your channels
  2. Rules are evaluated against current and upcoming programs
  3. Matching programs trigger specified actions
  4. Your playlist is updated automatically
Real-World Example: Create a rule that moves any channel currently showing a game featuring your favorite team to a "My Team" category. When the game ends, the channel moves back to its original category.

Creating Your First Rule

To create a post-processing rule:

  1. Navigate to Live TV
  2. Click Edit on your desired playlist
  3. Scroll to the Post-Processing Rules section
  4. Click Add New Rule
  5. Configure your rule criteria and actions
  6. Click Save Rule

Match Field Options

Rules can match against different fields depending on what you want to filter:

Channel Name

Match based on the channel's name itself:

Category Name

Match channels already in specific categories:

Program Title

Match based on the EPG program title:

Most Popular: Program Title matching is the most powerful option for sports fans and event tracking. It looks at what's actually playing, not just the channel name.

Program Description

Match based on the detailed EPG description:

Match Type Options

Once you've selected what field to match, choose how the matching works:

Contains

Matches if the field contains your search term anywhere:

Exact Match

Matches only if the field exactly equals your search term:

Starts With

Matches if the field begins with your search term:

Ends With

Matches if the field ends with your search term:

Regex (Regular Expression)

Advanced pattern matching for complex criteria:

Regex Tips: Regular expressions are powerful but complex. Use tools like regex101.com to test your patterns before applying them in StreamSweeper.

AND/OR Logic for Multiple Match Values

When you specify multiple match values, you can choose how they're evaluated:

OR Logic (Default)

Matches if ANY of your criteria are met:

AND Logic

Matches only if ALL criteria are met simultaneously:

Best Practice: OR logic is most common for team following. AND logic is useful for complex filtering scenarios where you need multiple conditions to be true.

Exclusion Filters

Sometimes it's easier to define what you DON'T want rather than what you do want:

Exclude Matches

Add exclusion criteria to filter out unwanted matches:

  1. In your rule, expand Exclusions
  2. Add terms to exclude
  3. Channels matching exclusions will be ignored

Common Exclusion Examples

Exclusions Run First: StreamSweeper evaluates exclusion filters before inclusion filters. If something matches an exclusion, it won't be processed even if it matches an inclusion rule.

Actions: Move to Category

The most common action is moving matching channels to a custom category:

How It Works

  1. When a program matches your rule criteria
  2. The channel is moved to your specified category
  3. It appears in that category in your IPTV player
  4. When the program ends, the channel returns to its original category

Example: Team Following

Rule: "My Lakers Games"
Match Field: Program Title
Match Type: Contains
Match Value: Lakers
Action: Move to Category
Category Name: Lakers Live

Result: Any channel currently showing a Lakers game appears in the "Lakers Live" category.

Actions: Rename Channel

Automatically rename channels based on what they're showing:

Dynamic Channel Names

Use the {original} placeholder in your rename pattern to keep the channel's original name as part of the new one:

Example: Tagging Live Game Channels

Rule: "Tag Lakers Channels"
Match Field: Program Title
Match Type: Contains
Match Value: Lakers
Action: Rename Channel
Pattern: 🏀 {original}

Result: "Sports Network" becomes "🏀 Sports Network" while a Lakers game is airing on it, then reverts when the game ends.

Combination Power: Each rule performs one action, but you can create two rules with the same match criteria — one to Move to Category and one to Rename Channel — for maximum organization.

Time Window Settings

Control when rules are evaluated based on program timing:

Current Programs Only

Match only programs that are currently airing:

Upcoming Programs

Include programs starting within a specific time window:

Time Window Options

The EPG look-ahead window is fully customizable from 1 hour to 168 hours (7 days). The default is 24 hours. Common choices:

EPG Timing: Time windows depend on accurate EPG data from your IPTV provider. Some providers may not include detailed scheduling information.

Priority and Execution Order

When multiple rules might match the same channel, priority determines which rule wins:

Setting Priority

  1. Each rule has a priority number (default 0)
  2. Lower numbers = higher priority
  3. Priority 1 rules execute before Priority 10 rules

Example Priority Setup

Priority 1: Exclusion Rules (hide unwanted content first)
Priority 5: Specific Team Rules (Lakers, Dodgers, etc.)
Priority 10: General Category Organization
Priority 20: Catch-all Rules
Best Practice: Start with priority 10 for most rules. Only adjust priorities when you notice conflicts between rules.

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Following Multiple Sports Teams

Rule Name: "LA Sports Teams"
Match Field: Program Title
Match Type: Contains (OR)
Match Values: Lakers, Dodgers, Rams, Kings
Exclusions: Highlights, Replay
Action: Move to Category
Category: LA Teams Live
Time Window: Current + 1 hour
Priority: 5

Example 2: Premier League Soccer

Rule Name: "Premier League Matches"
Match Field: Program Description
Match Type: Contains
Match Value: Premier League
Action: Move to Category
Category: Premier League
Time Window: 2 hours
Priority: 5

Example 3: News Networks Organization

Rule Name: "All News Channels"
Match Field: Channel Name
Match Type: Regex
Match Value: (News|World News|Breaking News)
Action: Move to Category
Category: 24/7 News
Priority: 10

Example 4: Championship Events

Rule Name: "Championship Games"
Match Field: Program Title
Match Type: Contains (OR)
Match Values: Championship, Finals, Cup Final, Playoff
Exclusions: Highlights
Action: Move to Category
Category: Championships
Time Window: 4 hours
Priority: 1

Add a second rule with the same match criteria and a Rename Channel action (pattern LIVE: {original}) to also tag these channels by name.

Testing Your Rules

Before activating rules in your main playlist, test them:

  1. Create a test playlist with a small subset of channels
  2. Add your rule to the test playlist
  3. Open the playlist in your IPTV player
  4. Verify channels are categorized correctly
  5. Adjust match criteria if needed
  6. Once satisfied, apply to your main playlist
Playlist Preview: After saving a rule, open the playlist preview in StreamSweeper to see the regenerated channel list with your rules applied.

Technical Details

EPG Caching

To ensure fast performance, StreamSweeper caches EPG data:

Rule Evaluation Timing

Post-processing rules are applied when the playlist is generated:

Performance Consideration: Complex rules with many match values or regex patterns may slightly increase playlist generation time. For best performance, be as specific as possible with your match criteria.

Match Accuracy

Rule matching is case-insensitive by default:

Troubleshooting Rules

Rule Not Matching

Too Many Matches

Rules Conflicting

Best Practices

Start Simple

Begin with one straightforward rule and expand from there:

  1. Create a rule for one team or category
  2. Test it thoroughly
  3. Add more rules incrementally
  4. Adjust priorities as needed

Use Descriptive Names

Give rules clear names that explain what they do:

Document Complex Rules

For regex or multi-criteria rules, add notes explaining the logic in the rule description field.

Next Steps

Continue learning about StreamSweeper features: