Possible to edit (batch define) hazlrules w/external editor?

I recently purchased Hazel and am excited about the prospect of using it to clean up after a couple of years of lapsed discipline in file management/organization. Before the lapse I maintained a fairly elaborate schema of directories and associated files, and I'd like to use Hazel to fold the accumulated clutter of the last few years into that schema. However I'm hoping to avoid the chore of manually specifying each hazelrule required to accomplish that in the conventional way, using the Hazel preference pane.

Is there any way to directly edit the /application support/.hazelrule, or some other efficient method of defining a large number of hazelrules?

Thanks in advance!

The rules file are not directly editable. You can copy rules as needed though. There is the "Duplicate" function in the gear/cog pulldown or if you drag the rule to another folder, if you don't hold down any modifier keys, the default operation is to copy it. If you hold down the option-key while dragging, you can force a copy if for some reason it isn't the default.

Otherwise, if you could provide more details on what kind of workflow you are trying to achieve, I can help you more. I find many times when people do a lot of repetitive rules, that they could have condensed it into a single rule with smart use of patterns.