Watchdog File Processor

This project is a Python based folder‑watching automation tool that monitors a target directory and automatically organizes new files into a structured output location.

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How It Works

• Watches a directory for file creation, modification, movement, and deletion events
• Waits until files are stable before processing them
• Moves files into a processed directory -> categorized by extension
• Logs all actions and errors
• Can run in dry-run mode to preview behavior without modifying the filesystem

The folders named Incoming and processed are only examples. Any paths can be used.

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Configuration

All behavior is controlled through config.json. Example configuration:

{
  "watch_path": "Incoming",
  "processed_path": "processed",

  "dry_run": false,
  "recursive": false,

  "log_file": "watch_folder.log",
  "log_level": "INFO"
}

Configuration Parameters

• watch_path -> Path to the folder that will be monitored for incoming files. Can be an absolute path or a path relative to the project root.
• processed_path -> Destination folder where processed files will be moved. If the path is relative, it will be resolved relative to the project root.
• dry_run -> When set to true, no files or folders are created or moved. All actions are logged as "would do" operations.
• recursive -> When true, subfolders inside the watched directory are also monitored. When false, only the top-level folder is watched.
• log_file -> Path to the log file where all activity is recorded.
• log_level -> Logging verbosity level. Common values are: INFO, WARNING, ERROR, DEBUG

How to Run

• Create and activate a virtual environment (recommended)
• Install dependency: pip install watchdog
• Adjust config.json as needed
• Run the program: python main.py

The program will keep running and monitoring the folder until manually stopped (use q or CTRL + C)