haasr/files-organizer

Python script to automagically sort your files according to their extensions.

files-organizer

Python script to automagically sort your files according to their extensions.

Contents

• Changes (6/13/2024)
• Requirements
• Setup
  • 1) Specify Your Path Prefix and username
  • 2) Customize which files get moved where
  • 3) Install the required packages
  • 4) Configure files-organizer to Start Automagically
    • Mac:
    • Windows:
    • Linux (with systemd):
• Use Recursion
• Logged output

Changes (6/13/2024)

• Added logging options and incorporated basic INFO logging.
• Logging exception that may occur if user manually moves file at precisely the same time the program tries to.
• Added a few more audio extensions and the HEIC image extension to the default extensions map.
• Increased sleep time before file is moved from 1s to 2s.

Requirements

• Computer with Python 3.6+ installed

Setup

Note that if python is used in a code block, you may have to substitute it for python3 or py depending on your configuration. pip may also have to be substituted for pip3.

1) Specify Your Path Prefix and username

In config.py, uncomment the path prefix that matches your operating system. Comment out the other path prefixes. Then replace 'User' with your computer's account username.

2) Customize which files get moved where

My default configuration in config.py is for my personal preferences. I listen for changes in both my Downloads folder and my Desktop folder. If, for example, you do not wish to automatically sort files in your Desktop folder, remove the second key-value pair in DIRECTORIES_MAP.

EXTENSIONS_MAP categorizes lists of extensions to check for. The lists are by no means comprehensive. I just included the extensions that I expect to see often. You may, of course, alter the categories (the keys) and the lists of extensions. Just ensure that all the categories used in DIRECTORIES_MAP are included as keys in EXTENSIONS_MAP to avert app.py from throwing a KeyError.

You can write as many key-value pairs as you like provided that you follow my format where each key in DIRECTORIES_MAP is a directory to monitor and the key's value is itself a dictionary listing the category of files (which must be included as a key in EXTENSIONS_MAP) and the directory to move such files.

3) Install the required packages

From the root directory for this project, install the dependencies as such:

pip install -r requirements.txt

If you wish, you may create and install the required packages to a virtual environment instead:

(Powershell)

python -m venv venv
.\venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

(Linux)

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip3 install -r requirements.txt

4) Configure files-organizer to Start Automagically

Mac:

If you're using a Mac, you are going to have to figure this part out for yourself. I don't give a shit about your Mac or your reasoning for why you use it. Apparently since some time in 2005 macOS uses an OS management daemon called launchd. You could try to write a launchd file in the form of a disturbingly verbose plist XML script like this.

Windows:

In the system_scripts/Windows folder, I have created a one-line VB script to execute this project. simply change the path to wherever the app.py file is located in your filesystem. Then copy the file into C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup. To execute this program right away, launch the Run dialog (Win + R), type "shell:startup" to open the startup folder, and double click on the filesorganizer VB script.

Linux (with systemd):

If you're on Github and you use Linux, you probably don't need any help :D. Anyhow, I've created a start.bash script to work for the systemd service file in system_scripts/Linux to call on. I did that to simplify the configuration if you wish to use a Python virtual environment for this project. If you are using a virtual environment for this project, see where I have commented about inserting a command for activating your virtual environment in start.bash.

Of course, if you are not using a virtual environment and for whatever reason it peaves you that systemd will be indirectly invoking Python through the start.bash script, you can change the ExecStart line in system_scripts/Linux/filesorganizer.service to something like ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /home/<username>/files-organizer/app.py and just delete the start.bash script.

Ensure that you have edited the paths in start.bash and filesorganizer.service and that the bash script is executable. Then copy the service file to /etc/systemd/system/. Start and enable the service. Ex.:

sudo cp /home/pi/files-organizer/system_scripts/Linux/filesorganizer.service /etc/systemd/system/
sudo systemctl start filesorganizer
sudo systemctl enable filesorganizer

To check the status of the service and debug, use:

systemctl status filesorganizer, and

sudo journalctl -u filesorganizer|tail -f

Use Recursion

The last line of code in config.py, OBSERVER_RECURSIVE = False means that the Observer will not traverse any subdirectories for changes. Toggle that to true if you wish to listen for changes in subdirectories as well.

Logged output

Logging settings are also configurable in config.py. Unless you specify a path prefix in LOG_FILE_PATH, the log file will be stored in the program's working directory. E.g., if the program were invoked from a VB script in your startup folder, you would find the log file in that folder.

If you notice that files are no longer being automagically moved as expected, check the log. If you identify bugs, please start an issue in this repo, sharing the relevant log information, and your platform. Or if you've patched a bug, please reach out to me or send a pull request!