File Sorter Utility

A simple and flexible command-line tool and library to sort files in a directory and rename them with a numeric prefix.

This tool is perfect for organising media files, documents, or any collection of files where a specific order is desired. It can be run on a folder to perform an initial sort and can also be run again to incrementally add new numbered files without disrupting the existing order.

Key Features

• Numeric Prefixes: Sorts files alphabetically and adds a zero-padded numeric prefix (e.g., 01_, 02_).
• Force Re-numbering: An option to strip all existing prefixes and re-number the entire directory.
• Skip Extensions: Ignore certain file types (e.g., .log, .tmp) during the process.
• Incremental Mode: Automatically detects existing numbered files and continues numbering from the last number when new files are added.
• Dual Usage: Can be used as a powerful command-line tool or as a library in your own Node.js projects.

Installation

For command-line use, install the package globally:

npm install -g file-sorter-utility

For use as a library in your own project, install it locally:

npm install file-sorter-utility

CLI Usage

The command is run by specifying a target directory and any desired options.

file-sorter <directory> [options]

Options

| Option | Description | | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | --force | Strips all existing number prefixes and re-numbers the entire directory from 01. | | --skip .ext1,.ext2 | A comma-separated list of file extensions to ignore (e.g., --skip .log,.tmp). |

Examples

1. Basic Sort To sort all files in a folder named my-photos on your desktop:

file-sorter "C:\Users\YourUser\Desktop\my-photos"

2. Incremental Add If my-photos already contains files up to 05_... and you add new files, simply run the same command again. The new files will be numbered starting from 06_....

file-sorter "C:\Users\YourUser\Desktop\my-photos"

3. Force Re-number and Skip Files To re-sort the entire directory from scratch, ignoring .txt and .log files:

file-sorter "C:\Users\YourUser\Desktop\my-photos" --force --skip .txt,.log

Library Usage

You can also use the functions directly in your Node.js code.

const sortAndRenameFiles = require('file-sorter-utility');

const targetDirectory = './path/to/your/files';

// Example 1: Run the main sorting function with options
async function organizeMyFiles() {
  try {
    await sortAndRenameFiles(targetDirectory, {
      force: false,
      skipExtensions: ['.tmp']
    });
    console.log('Done!');
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('An error occurred:', error);
  }
}

organizeMyFiles();

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are what make the open-source community such an amazing place to learn, inspire, and create. Any contributions you make are greatly appreciated.

If you have a suggestion that would make this better, please fork the repo and create a pull request. You can also simply open an issue with the tag "enhancement".

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📬 Contact

Mathan Kumar - gmathankumar.github.io

Project Link: https://github.com/gmathankumar/file-sorter-utility