Universal Conversion Hub (UCH)

Version: 0.7.1

Changelog:

• CHANGELOG.md (full project history and release notes)
• archive/ARCHIVE_INDEX.md (archive map and external archive-root policy)

This is a modular desktop suite for practical file workflows:

• Convert
• Compress
• Extract
• Metadata
• PDF / Documents
• Images / Audio / Video
• Archives
• Rename / Organize
• Duplicate Finder
• Storage Analyzer
• Checksums / Integrity
• Subtitles
• Presets / Batch Jobs

Advanced media modules now include:

• Images: resize to fit, export to a chosen format, and optional sharpen pass
• Audio: format conversion, sample-rate conversion, mono/stereo control, loudness normalization, and silence trimming
• Video: remux, trim clips, stream-prep presets, and thumbnail-sheet generation

Image conversion coverage includes:

• Standard raster formats such as PNG, JPG, WEBP, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and ICO
• Modern Apple/HEIF-family formats such as HEIC, HEIF, and AVIF when the bundled pillow-heif plugin is available

This file is the combined README + How-To guide.

0) Install/Launch Safety

Installer behavior is configured to reduce duplicate installs and preserve upgrades:

• Reuses previous install directory automatically (UsePreviousAppDir)
• Hides directory chooser for upgrades (DisableDirPage=auto)
• Detects running app/updater instances via mutex and requests closing before install (AppMutex)
• Replaces existing installed files with the new version during upgrade

Runtime behavior:

• Main app is single-instance (one running copy at a time)
• Updater is also single-instance

1) What The App Does

Universal Conversion Hub (UCH) is designed as one desktop app with separate tools, instead of a single tangled converter view.

Core behavior:

• Queue-based processing for batch workflows
• Safe output conflict prompts (replace / rename / change location / cancel)
• Optional backend integrations for advanced formats
• Activity log for command/result visibility
• First-run setup, settings persistence, and update checks

2) UI Layout

Top tabs:

• Workspace
• Suite Plan
• Backends / Links
• Activity Log

Workspace now has a second navigation layer:

• Conversion
• Advanced
• Misc

Each of those category tabs contains the relevant module tabs for the current feature set.

3) First Run + Settings

First launch opens setup wizard so you can configure:

• Output folder
• Theme and window mode
• Update checks
• Optional backend prompt behavior
• Update manifest URL

After that, use:

• File -> Settings

Settings page includes:

• Output path defaults
• Dark mode, fullscreen, borderless defaults
• Hover tooltip preference for advanced option explanations
  • Applies to Convert, Compress, Storage Analyzer, Duplicate Finder, and Backends / Links
• High contrast mode, interface scaling, and reduced-motion startup behavior for improved accessibility
• Startup animation toggle + duration
• FFmpeg thread count (0 = auto)
• Activity log line retention
• Update and backend prompt settings
• Security controls:
  • confirm before opening external links
  • require HTTPS for backend/update links
  • require HTTPS for update manifest URLs
  • allow/block local manifest files

4) Quick Start

1. Open a module (example: Convert).
2. Add files or a folder.
3. Select valid options for the current queue type.
4. Confirm output path.
5. Run queue.
6. Review output and Activity Log.

Convert queue behavior:

• Queue is limited to one source extension at a time.
• Target format list updates to valid outputs for the current source type.

5) Optional Backends

Base app functions work without all backends, but advanced workflows improve when these are installed:

• FFmpeg + FFprobe
• Pandoc
• LibreOffice
• 7-Zip
• ImageMagick

Backends panel behavior:

• Detected backend path: click to open file location
• Missing backend: click to open install link

6) Update Sources

Use Settings -> Update manifest URL for app update checks. You can also use the standalone updater executable (UniversalConversionHub_UCH_Updater.exe), which supports:

• Manifest URL
• Local manifest JSON file
• GitHub repo URL (checks latest release metadata/tags)

Default updater source:

• https://github.com/Pugmaster04/Universal-File-Conversion

Updater security options include:

• HTTPS-only manifest/download URLs
• optional confirmation before opening download URLs
• SHA256 verification policy for downloaded update files

Example:

{
  "latest_version": "0.7.1",
  "download_url": "https://example.com/UniversalConversionHub_UCH.exe",
  "sha256": "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef",
  "notes": "Release notes here"
}

Manual check:

• Help -> Check for Updates

7) Build And Run

Run from source

python modular_file_utility_suite.py

Build one-file EXE + installer

build_suite_release.bat

Outputs:

• dist\UniversalConversionHub_UCH.exe
• dist\UniversalConversionHub_UCH_Updater.exe
• installer_output\UniversalConversionHub_UCH_Setup.exe
• release_bins\UniversalConversionHub_UCH.exe
• release_bins\UniversalConversionHub_UCH_Updater.exe
• release_bins\UniversalConversionHub_UCH_Setup.exe

release_bins is the stable folder that always keeps the latest runnable app, updater, and installer binaries together.

Linux build (preview)

chmod +x build_linux.sh
./build_linux.sh

Linux outputs:

• dist/UniversalConversionHub_UCH
• dist/UniversalConversionHub_UCH_Updater
• release_bins/UniversalConversionHub_UCH
• release_bins/UniversalConversionHub_UCH_Updater

Basic dependencies

Install Python dependencies:

python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

8) Activity Log

The log tracks:

• Executed commands
• Workflow progress
• File output mapping
• Errors

Retention is configurable in Settings (log_max_lines) to avoid unbounded growth.

9) Performance Tips

• Use SSD output paths for faster batch writes.
• Install FFmpeg/FFprobe for media-heavy workflows.
• Tune FFmpeg threads in Settings:
  • 0 = backend default/auto
  • Higher values can increase speed and CPU usage
• Keep queues type-consistent.

10) Troubleshooting

Backend shows Not found:

• Install from Backends / Links tab
• Restart app
• Verify executable path exists

Wrong/limited conversion options:

• Queue may be extension-locked to a different source type
• Clear queue, add one known test file, then retry

No update results:

• Check manifest URL or GitHub repo URL
• Validate JSON keys and URL accessibility
• If using GitHub: publish a Release (recommended) or include update_manifest.json in the repo

11) Historical Snapshots / Backups

This repo uses automated historical snapshots:

• tools/create_historical_snapshot.ps1
• .githooks/post-commit

Default external snapshot location:

• %USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Universal File Utility Suite Output\\Universal Conversion Hub Archives\\history\\v<version>\\<timestamp>_<reason>\\

Build script also runs snapshots:

• pre-build source snapshot
• post-build source + artifacts snapshot

Legacy imported archives are also stored in that external archive root, under:

• legacy_universal_file_utility_suite

Override location:

• Set environment variable UCH_ARCHIVE_ROOT

To enable local hooks in a clone:

git config core.hooksPath .githooks

12) Important Paths

Settings file:

• %LOCALAPPDATA%\UniversalConversionHubUCH\settings.json
• Legacy fallback: %LOCALAPPDATA%\UniversalConversionHubHCB\settings.json
• Legacy fallback: %LOCALAPPDATA%\UniversalFileUtilitySuite\settings.json
• Updater settings: %LOCALAPPDATA%\UniversalConversionHubUCH\updater_settings.json
• Updater legacy fallback: %LOCALAPPDATA%\UniversalConversionHubHCB\updater_settings.json
• Updater legacy fallback: %LOCALAPPDATA%\UniversalFileUtilitySuite\updater_settings.json

Default output root:

• %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Universal Conversion Hub Output

13) Legal/Safety Notes

• Use lawful personal workflows.
• Test on a small sample before large batch jobs.
• Keep backups for destructive operations.