#Treecat
Serialize a directory to a tree diagram, and vice versa.
Note: this program and parts of this README are not screen-reader friendly.
#Installation
Requires a Hare install, scdoc(1) to build the man page, and probably haredo(1), or else you can try building it manually with hare.
git clone https://git.sr.ht/~autumnull/treecat
cd treecat
haredo
haredo test
sudo haredo install
# sudo haredo uninstall
#Usage
Below is a rough guide to treecat's usage. See the man page for detailed information.
manual/
├── aperitif.md:
│ Treecat serializes a filetree to a tree diagram, and vice versa.
│
│ To demonstrate what that means, this manual is an example of treecat's output.
│ You can turn this manual into a filetree using `treecat -r`, and turn that
│ filetree back into this manual using `treecat`.
│
├── basics/
│ ├── description.md:
│ │ Treecat is an amalgamation of `tree(1)` and `cat(1)`, with the added bonus that
│ │ it can reconstruct its output back into the original filetree.
│ │
│ ├── use-cases.md:
│ │ - quickly see the contents of a directory
│ │ - display a filetree structure for use in documentation (so that a user can
│ │ then easily reconstruct the directory using `treecat -r`)
│ │ - sending projects to friends to view and potentially reconstruct
│ │ - converting your home directory into one big text file to save disk space
│ │ - any other situation where you might want to display a directory and its
│ │ contents in a potentially reconstructible way.
│ └
├── binary/
│ ├── doc.md:
│ │ Files that are not valid UTF-8 will be printed out as a hexdump instead. The
│ │ marker '#' is used after the filename to indicate that it is a hexdump of a
│ │ binary file, rather than a file that looks like a hexdump anyway.
│ │
│ │ See the difference:
│ │
│ ├── pusheen.pbm#
│ │ 5034 0a32 3320 3138 0a10 2000 2850 002f
│ │ d00c 6698 1240 0812 c00f 8e92 454a 8505
│ │ 3e80 0014 8000 1480 0008 8000 0880 0008
│ │ c000 1860 0030 3683 6016 fb40 198c c0
│ ├── pusheen.pbm.hex:
│ │ 5034 0a32 3320 3138 0a10 2000 2850 002f
│ │ d00c 6698 1240 0812 c00f 8e92 454a 8505
│ │ 3e80 0014 8000 1480 0008 c000 08c0 0008
│ └ c000 1860 0030 3683 6016 fb40 198c c0
├── executables/
│ ├── doc.md:
│ │ If a file is executable (specifically, if it has the u+x permission), treecat
│ │ will store this information. Note: no other file permissions are stored, since
│ │ treecat is designed to be simple.
│ │
│ │ Names of executable binary files will be followed by a '*', and executable text
│ │ files will be followed by a '+'. For example:
│ │
│ ├── hello.elf*
│ │ 7f45 4c46 0101 0100 0000 0000 0000 0000
│ │ 0200 0300 0100 0000 6000 0008 4000 0000
│ │ d000 0000 0000 0000 3400 2000 0100 2800
│ │ 0400 0300 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
│ │ 0100 0000 0000 0000 0000 0008 0000 0008
│ │ b000 0000 b000 0000 0500 0000 0000 0000
│ │ b990 0000 08ba 1300 0000 bb01 0000 00b8
│ │ 0400 0000 cd80 bb01 0000 00b8 0100 0000
│ │ cd80 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
│ │ 6865 6c6c 6f2c 2074 7265 6563 6174 2120
│ │ 3a33 0a00 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
│ │ 002e 7368 7374 7274 6162 002e 7465 7874
│ │ 002e 726f 6461 7461 0000 0000 0000 0000
│ │ 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
│ │ 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
│ │ 0000 0000 0000 0000 0b00 0000 0100 0000
│ │ 0600 0000 6000 0008 6000 0000 2200 0000
│ │ 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
│ │ 1100 0000 0100 0000 0200 0000 9000 0008
│ │ 9000 0000 1300 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
│ │ 0000 0000 0000 0000 0100 0000 0300 0000
│ │ 0000 0000 0000 0000 b000 0000 1900 0000
│ │ 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
│ ├── print+
│ │ #!/bin/sh
│ │ # print - prints out the contents of a file
│ │
│ │ if [ $# -ne 1 ]
│ │ then
│ │ echo "Usage: $0 <file>"
│ │ exit 1
│ │ else
│ │ cat $1
│ │ fi
│ └
└── symlinks/
├── cat@
│ └╶╶ ../executables/print
├── doc.md:
│ Treecat stores symlinks with the file marker '@'. The target of the symlink is
│ shown in a dashed branch below the filename, as shown above.
└
#Contributing
Please send patches and bug reports to ~autumnull/treecat-dev@lists.sr.ht.