MM File Utility Files

Source, JavaDoc, and compiled classes.

No installer included or jar included. Use start.bat (for windows) or in the bin directory:
java -cp ./ mm.util.MultiFileOperation concat

NOTE: It is recommended to back up files before performing operations as file operations are not reversible.

Brief instruction on MM File Utility: (v0.9)
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NOTE: It is recommended to back up files before performing operations as operations are not reversible. 

Method 1:
Windows: Start program with start.bat 
(executes in bin directory: java -cp ./ mm.util.MultiFileOperation)

Method 2:
Windows: Single operation, single file processing at command line
example: single_exec.bat in bin directory:
java -cp ./ mm.util.MultiFileOperation _exeone test_attrib.txt test_output.txt replaceText match=abc replace=replaced

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Program Overview:
(1) Drag and drop input files (or directies) into a java program. Optionally filter files matching some pattern. String URL's can also be dragged-and-dropped as files from html sources.

(2) Perform file, string, or text file manipulations on all the selected files. Includes generic field entry to input parameters to each manipulation. 

(3) Output each file according to: overwrite the input file, or write into a new generated file for each file (using several methods). Also can output a single file across all the files. 

(4) Options: recurse/do not recurse subdirectories, output text files with different endline formats (\r\n, \r, \n), output text files with different field delineators (tab, comma). Do not process the first row for certain operations.

(5) Stores recent history of lists of files processed,file output options, and operations exectued. Save/Load the lists/operations to text file. 

(6) Paste area: perform operations on text entered into a text box. Output to a separate text box.

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directories:

bin: class 
src: java source code (developed using Eclispe)
doc: javadoc generated files
testcase: misc text files from testing

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Usage:

1. FileDrop tab: Add files/directories into the "FileDrop" tab using drag and drop. Select a filter to restrict which files are processed (useful when a directory is dropped into the FileDrop). String URL's can also be dragged-and-dropped as files from html sources.

2. Output tab: Select file output. The cumulative single file entry is for operations that output to a single file. The per file name generation is for operations that generate an output file for each file. By default the same output file is used (overwrite can be enabled on Options tab to silence the overwrite messages). Can optinally drag and drop a file for entry into cumulative file.

3. Operation tab: Operations have some primitive grouping (all, file, string, table, utility). The first drop down menu selects a group of operations. The second drop down menu lists operations and parameters. A brief description of the operation is displayed after selection. (After execution, the list of recently executed operations can be saved/loaded to a file.) Parameters for an operation are entered in the table next to corresponding field names. Click "Do Operation" to execute the operation with the entered parameters. Can optinally drag and drop a file for entry into fields. The "Generate Script" button creates the XML formatted text for the current operation and parameters (note that the generator does not escape characters, and escaping is required for the scripting module). The script is for usage in XML formatted text util command "executescript". An example script is given in "example_script.txt".

4. Paste area tab: Perform operations on a text area (instead of a file). The operation is performed on text in the source area and the result is passed to the result area or cummulative result area. Use the "Do Operation on Copy Source" to perform the operation. Use the "Copy-back Result to Source" to copy the text in the result text area back into the source text area.

5. Options for output. 
 - By default, there is a confirmation dialogue when an output file will overwrite an existing file. The confirmation allows various methods of skipping files. Select "Overwrite without confirmation" to silently overwrite existing files. Select "skip all overwrites" to silently disable file overwriting. 
 - Select "Expand directories" to also perform operations on sub-directories. 
 - When writing an output file, many operations write out line feeds or record delineators. The selected endline/delineators will be used in such a case. 
 - "Process first row as data" will execute the operation on the entire file, where as "Skip processing on first row" will pass the first row through without processing.
 - "Delay between file operations" will pause between operations, and variance in delay will add some variance to the pause. This is useful when processing is on URL's pointing at web resources.

readme-updated 2011/5/2