Plexisort

Plexisort is a command-line tool designed to organize your files based on metadata. It allows for flexible source and destination directory settings, supports dry-run operations for safe previews of potential changes, and even offers an undo functionality for reversing the last set of file movements.

Motivation

The Plexisort project began out of necessity and curiosity. Like many, I was grappling with a cluttered Downloads folder, consisting of files accumulated over time. This clutter made it difficult to locate important documents. I also had quite a lot of images and wanted ot organize them by date.

At about the same time, I started to learn Rust, and I was eager to put my new found power to the test. Plexisort emerged as the perfect project to address both my personal need for a cleaner digital workspace and my professional desire to become better at Rust.

In sharing Plexisort, I hope to not only provide a solution to a common problem but also inspire others to embark on their own learning journeys. Whether it's tackling digital clutter or learning a new programming language, the essence of Plexisort is about embracing challenges and turning them into opportunities for growth.

Version

0.1.0

Features

• Custom Config File: Use a custom configuration (toml) file to specify operational parameters.
• Source Directory: Set one or more source directories for the organization process.
• Destination Directory: Define a specific destination directory for organized files.
• Dry Run: Execute the tool in a mode that shows what would be done without making any changes.
• Undo: Revert the last set of changes made by the tool.

How to Use

1. Installation: Ensure you have Rust installed on your system. Clone this repository and build the project using cargo build --release.
2. Running: Execute the tool with cargo run -- [OPTIONS]. The following options are available:
   • -c, --config <FILE>: Sets a custom config file.
   • --source <SOURCE_DIR>: Sets the source directory(s). Multiple directories can be specified.
   • --destination <DEST_DIR>: Sets the destination directory.
   • --dry-run: Runs the organizer without making any changes.
   • --undo: Reverts the last set of file movements.

Building the Configuration

If not using a configuration file, the tool requires at least the source and destination directories to be specified through command-line options.

Config File Example

You can use a config.toml file like this for the configuration option:

source_directories = ["path/to/cluttered_data"]
destination = "organized_data/organized"

Example Command using the config.toml file

cargo run -- --config config.toml

Example Command using source and destination paths

cargo run -- --source /path/to/source --destination /path/to/destination

This will organize files from /path/to/source to /path/to/destination based on their metadata.

Visual Examples:

Dry run mode creates a preview of the organized folder without making any changes

cargo run -- --config config.toml --dry-run=true

Folder Layout Before and After Running Plexisort

Folder Structure Comparison

Left: Original folder structure.

Right: Final folder structure after running Plexisort.

Detailed Folder View Comparison

Left: Cluttered folder before Plexisort.

Right: Organized folder after running Plexisort.

Using the --undo=true flag reverses the entire operation to the orignal state

cargo run -- --config config.toml --undo=true

Logging

Plexisort provides informative logging during its operation, indicating the progress and actions taken or to be taken in dry-run mode.

Limitations

Plexisort moves uncategorized files into the Other_Files directory.

Contributions

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit pull requests or create issues for bugs and feature requests.

License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT License.