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FileFlow - User Guide

🎯 Quick Start

Installation & Running

  1. Quick Start (Recommended)

    ./start.sh

    This script will:

    • Install all dependencies
    • Initialize the database
    • Start both backend and frontend servers

  2. Manual Start

    Backend:

    cd FileFlow/backend
pip install -r ../requirements.txt
flask init-db
flask run

    Frontend:

    cd FileFlow/frontend
npm install
npm start

  3. Access the Application

📚 Feature Guide

1. File Management

Uploading Files

  • Click the Upload button in the toolbar
  • Or drag and drop files directly into the file browser
  • Multiple file upload supported

Creating Folders

  • Click New Folder button
  • Enter folder name
  • Folder appears in current directory

Viewing Files

  • List View: Detailed information with file names, sizes, and dates
  • Grid View: Thumbnail/icon-based view for quick browsing
  • Details View: Comprehensive file information
  • Toggle views using the view buttons in the toolbar

File Operations

  • Rename: Select file → Press F2 or right-click → Rename
  • Delete: Select file(s) → Press Delete or right-click → Delete
  • Copy: Select file(s) → Ctrl+C
  • Cut: Select file(s) → Ctrl+X
  • Paste: Navigate to destination → Ctrl+V

2. Navigation

Breadcrumb Navigation

  • Click any folder in the breadcrumb path to jump to that location
  • Breadcrumbs show your current path from root

Back/Forward Navigation

  • Use Back (Alt+Left) and Forward (Alt+Right) buttons
  • Browser-style history navigation
  • Navigate through previously visited folders

Folder Navigation

  • Double-click folders to open them
  • Click folder names in breadcrumb to jump directly

3. Selection

Selecting Files

  • Single: Click on a file
  • Multiple: Hold Ctrl (Windows/Linux) or Cmd (Mac) while clicking
  • Range: Click first file, hold Shift, click last file
  • All: Press Ctrl+A or right-click → Select All

Deselecting

  • Press Escape to clear selection
  • Click in empty area to deselect all

4. Search & Filtering

Basic Search

  1. Click the search bar at the top
  2. Type your search query
  3. Press Enter or click the search button

Advanced Search

  1. Click the Advanced button next to search
  2. Set filters:
    • File Types: Select image, video, audio, PDF, or text
    • Size Range: Set minimum and maximum file size
    • Date Range: Filter by creation/modification date
  3. Click Search

Saved Search Profiles

  1. Create an advanced search
  2. Click Save Profile
  3. Name your search profile
  4. Access saved searches from the dropdown menu

5. File Preview

The preview panel on the right shows:

  • Images: Full preview with zoom
  • Videos: Built-in video player
  • Audio: Audio player with controls
  • PDFs: Embedded PDF viewer
  • Text Files: Syntax highlighting for code

Preview Controls

  • Toggle preview panel with the preview button
  • Close preview by clicking the X button
  • Resize preview panel by dragging the divider

6. Compression & Archives

Creating Archives

  1. Select files/folders to compress
  2. Right-click → Create Archive
  3. Choose format:
    • ZIP (with optional password)
    • TAR (with gz, bz2, or xz compression)
    • 7Z (with optional password)
  4. Enter archive name
  5. Click Create

Extracting Archives

  1. Select an archive file
  2. Right-click → Extract
  3. Enter password if required
  4. Files extract to a new folder

Browsing Archives

  1. Select an archive file
  2. Right-click → View Contents
  3. See list of files without extracting

7. Context Menu (Right-Click)

Right-click on any file or folder to access:

  • Open: Open file or navigate into folder
  • Rename: Change file/folder name
  • Copy: Copy to clipboard
  • Cut: Cut to clipboard
  • Download: Download file to your computer
  • Delete: Remove file/folder
  • Properties: View detailed information

8. Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+A Select all files
Ctrl+C Copy selected files
Ctrl+X Cut selected files
Ctrl+V Paste files
Ctrl+Z Undo last operation
Delete Delete selected files
F2 Rename selected file
F5 Refresh file list
Escape Clear selection / Close dialogs
Alt+Left Navigate back
Alt+Right Navigate forward
Alt+Up Go to parent folder
Ctrl+F Focus search bar

9. Theme Customization

Switching Themes

  • Click the Theme button (Sun/Moon icon) in the toolbar
  • Choose between Light and Dark themes
  • Theme preference is automatically saved

Theme Features

  • Light Theme: Bright, clean interface for daytime use
  • Dark Theme: Reduced eye strain for nighttime use
  • Smooth Transitions: Animated theme switching
  • Persistent: Your choice is remembered across sessions

10. Status Bar

The status bar at the bottom shows:

  • Total Files: Number of items in current folder
  • Selected: Number of selected items
  • Total Size: Combined size of all files
  • Keyboard Hints: Quick reference for shortcuts

11. Drag & Drop

Moving Files

  1. Click and hold on a file/folder
  2. Drag to destination folder
  3. Release to drop
  4. File moves to new location

Uploading Files

  1. Drag files from your computer
  2. Drop them into the file browser
  3. Files upload automatically

12. Bulk Operations

Bulk Rename

  1. Select multiple files
  2. Right-click → Bulk Rename
  3. Enter pattern with wildcards:
    • {name}: Original filename
    • {num}: Sequential number
    • {date}: Current date
  4. Preview changes
  5. Click Apply

Bulk Move

  1. Select multiple files
  2. Cut or Copy (Ctrl+X or Ctrl+C)
  3. Navigate to destination
  4. Paste (Ctrl+V)
  5. Confirm operation

Bulk Delete

  1. Select multiple files
  2. Press Delete key
  3. Confirm deletion dialog
  4. All selected files removed

13. Favorites & Bookmarks

Adding Favorites

  1. Navigate to a folder
  2. Click the Star icon
  3. Folder added to favorites sidebar

Accessing Favorites

  • Click on favorite in the sidebar
  • Instantly navigate to bookmarked location
  • Organize your most-used folders

14. File Organization

Auto-Organize

  • Right-click in empty space → Auto-Organize
  • Choose organization method:
    • By Type (Images, Documents, Videos, etc.)
    • By Date (Year/Month folders)
    • By Size (Small, Medium, Large)

Duplicate Finder

  1. Right-click → Find Duplicates
  2. System scans for duplicate files
  3. Review list of duplicates
  4. Choose which copies to keep/delete

🎨 Tips & Tricks

Power User Tips

  1. Quick Navigation: Use Alt+Left/Right to jump through folder history
  2. Fast Selection: Hold Shift and click to select ranges
  3. Multi-Select: Hold Ctrl to select non-consecutive files
  4. Quick Preview: Select a file and press Space for quick look
  5. Batch Operations: Select multiple files for bulk actions

Performance Tips

  1. Use Grid View for folders with many files (faster rendering)
  2. Enable Virtual Scrolling for large file lists
  3. Search Profiles save time on repeated searches
  4. Favorites provide instant access to frequently used folders

Organization Tips

  1. Create a consistent folder structure
  2. Use descriptive folder names
  3. Tag files for easier searching
  4. Regular cleanup with duplicate finder
  5. Archive old files to save space

🔧 Troubleshooting

Files Not Showing

  • Press F5 to refresh the file list
  • Check if you're in the correct folder
  • Verify file permissions

Upload Fails

  • Check file size (max 100MB by default)
  • Verify file type is allowed
  • Ensure sufficient disk space

Preview Not Working

  • Check if file type is supported
  • Try downloading and opening locally
  • Clear browser cache

Search Not Finding Files

  • Verify search terms
  • Check filters (type, size, date)
  • Ensure files exist in current location

📞 Support

For issues or questions:

  1. Check the documentation
  2. Review error messages in the status bar
  3. Check console logs (F12 in browser)
  4. File an issue on GitHub

🎓 Advanced Usage

API Integration

Use the REST API for programmatic access:

// Upload file
const formData = new FormData();
formData.append('file', file);
await axios.post('/api/upload', formData);

// Search files
const results = await axios.post('/api/search', {
  query: 'document',
  file_types: ['application/pdf']
});

// Create archive
await axios.post('/api/compress/create', {
  file_ids: [1, 2, 3],
  archive_name: 'backup',
  format: 'zip'
});

Custom Themes

Edit CSS variables in App.css:

:root[data-theme="custom"] {
  --bg-primary: #your-color;
  --text-primary: #your-color;
  --accent-color: #your-color;
}

📝 Best Practices

  1. Regular Backups: Download important files regularly
  2. Organize Frequently: Keep folders tidy
  3. Use Search Profiles: Save common searches
  4. Tag Files: Add tags for better organization
  5. Archive Old Files: Compress infrequently used files
  6. Check Duplicates: Run duplicate finder monthly
  7. Update Regularly: Keep FileFlow up to date

Enjoy using FileFlow! 🚀