Usage Documentation for large_folders.py

Overview

This script is designed to recursively scan a specified directory and its subdirectories, identifying folders that are both older than a specified date and larger than a specified size. The results are saved to an output file.

Command-line Arguments

• path: The root directory to start the scan.
• date: The reference date in dd-mm-yyyy format. Folders modified before this date will be considered.
• size: The minimum size (in megabytes) of the folders to be considered.
• --file: (Optional) The name of the file to save the results. If not specified, the default output file is output.txt.

Example Usage

python large_folders.py "F:\IT" "01-01-2021" 2000 --file output-it-folder2.txt

Detailed Description

• path: The script will start scanning from this root directory.
• date: The script will convert this date to an epoch time and use it to compare the last modified times of folders.
• size: The script will convert this size from megabytes to bytes for comparison.
• --file: If provided, the script will save the results to this file. If not provided, it defaults to output.txt.

Functions

convert_mb_to_bytes(mb)

Converts megabytes to bytes.

convert_bytes_to_mb(bytes)

Converts bytes to megabytes.

convert_date_to_epoch(date_string)

Converts a date string in dd-mm-yyyy format to epoch time.

convert_epoch_to_date(epoch)

Converts epoch time to a date string in dd-mm-yyyy format.

process_folder(folder_path, date, size, output_file)

Recursively processes folders starting from folder_path. Checks each folder's last modified date and size. If a folder is older than the given date and larger than the given size, it saves the folder's details to the output file.

get_folder_size(folder_path, size)

Calculates the total size of a folder. If the size exceeds the specified size during calculation, it returns the size immediately.

save_folder_to_file(folder_path, output_file, folder_date, folder_size)

Saves the details of a folder to the output file.

Script Execution

The script begins by parsing the command-line arguments. It then converts the provided date and size to epoch time and bytes, respectively. If the date conversion fails, the script exits with an error message.

The script then calls process_folder with the specified path, reference date, size, and output file. The process_folder function handles the recursive scanning and filtering of folders based on the date and size criteria. If a qualifying folder is found, its details are saved to the specified output file.

Important Notes

• Backup Warning: Ensure you have a valid backup of your data before running this script.
• Disclaimer: The script is provided as-is. The author takes no responsibility for any damage, data loss, or unintended consequences resulting from its use. Use at your own risk.

Contact Information

• Programmer: Bora Noyan
• Contact: bora@boranoyan.com
• Website: www.boranoyan.com

License

This script is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. For the full license text, see the LICENSE file in the project root.

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