Structure Dump

A simple CLI tool to generate a clean, readable file tree of your project.

structure-dump creates a formatted directory structure and saves it to a text file. It automatically ignores common internal folders like node_modules and .git, supports project-specific ignore rules, and provides flexible CLI options.

Features

• Generates a readable tree structure

• Automatically ignores:

  • node_modules
  • .git
  • .structuredumpignore

• Respects .gitignore (enabled by default)

• Supports custom ignore file: .structuredumpignore

• Allows manual ignore via CLI

• Option to include internal folders

• Automatically excludes the generated output file (unless --include-internals or --all is used)

• Supports full raw dump mode via --all

Requirements

• Node.js >=16

Installation

Recommended (Project Local)

npm install --save-dev structure-dump

Run with:

npx structure-dump

Global Installation

npm install -g structure-dump
structure-dump

Usage

Basic

structure-dump

Creates:

structure-dump.txt

Custom Output File

structure-dump --output project-tree.txt

Short version:

structure-dump -o project-tree.txt

Manual Ignore

Ignore specific files or folders:

structure-dump --ignore dist,coverage,logs

Multiple flags also supported:

structure-dump -i dist -i coverage

Include Internals

Include .git, node_modules, and the output file:

structure-dump --include-internals

Disable .gitignore Respect

By default, .gitignore is respected.

To disable:

structure-dump --no-gitignore

Show Everything

Include all files and disable all ignore rules:

structure-dump --all

Short version:

structure-dump -a

This overrides:

• Default internal ignores
• .gitignore
• .structuredumpignore
• Manual ignore rules

CLI Options

| Flag | Description | | ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | -o, --output <file> | Specify output file name | | -i, --ignore <pattern> | Ignore specific files/folders (comma-separated or multiple flags) | | --include-internals | Include .git, node_modules, and output file | | --no-gitignore | Disable .gitignore rules | | -a, --all | Show everything (override all ignore rules) |

Ignore Behavior (Normal Mode)

When --all is NOT used, ignores are applied in this order:

1. Default internal ignores:

   • node_modules
   • .git
   • .structuredumpignore

2. .gitignore (unless disabled)

3. .structuredumpignore

4. CLI --ignore entries

5. Output file (unless --include-internals is used)

Example Output

├── bin
│   └── cli.js
├── package.json
├── README.md
└── src
    └── generateTree.js

Creating a Custom Ignore File

Create a file named:

.structuredumpignore

Add patterns similar to .gitignore:

dist
coverage
*.log

Why Structure Dump?

• Quick project overview
• Documentation support
• Sharing folder structure
• Debugging directory organization
• Lightweight alternative to system tree

Development

Clone repository:

git clone https://github.com/whoisBugsbunny/structure-dump.git
cd structure-dump
npm install
npm link

License

MIT