Directory File Tracker in Python

This blog post explains how to build a Directory File Tracker in Python that scans a directory, gathers metadata for each file, and exports the results into a CSV file. The script leverages key modules like os, csv, and datetime for file operations and report generation.

What This Project Does

Recursively scans directories for all files.
Collects file metadata like:
- File name
- File size (in KB)
- Last modified time
- File type (extension)
- Full path
Generates a CSV report.

Python Code

import csv
import os
from _datetime import datetime

class DirectoyFileTracker:

    def __init__(self, directory):
        self.directory = directory
        self.file_list = []

    def get_all_files(self, file_path):
        for path, _, files in os.walk(file_path):
            for file in files:
                yield os.path.join(path, file)

    def get_file_metadata(self, file_path):
        stat = os.stat(file_path)
        return {
            "file_name": os.path.basename(file_path),
            "file_size_kb": round(stat.st_size/1024,2),
            "last_modified": datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_mtime).strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'),
            "file_type": os.path.splitext(file_path)[1],
            "file_path": file_path
        }

    def scan(self, file_path):
        files = list(self.get_all_files(file_path))
        for path in files:
            meta = self.get_file_metadata(path)
            if meta:
                self.file_list.append(meta)
        return True

    def write_csv_report(self, output_file='file_report.csv'):
        if not self.file_list:
            print("No files to write")
        field_names = ["file_name", "file_size_kb", "last_modified", "file_type", "file_path"]
        with open(output_file, 'w', newline='') as file:
            writer = csv.DictWriter(file, fieldnames=field_names)
            writer.writeheader()
            writer.writerows(self.file_list)
        print("Output file written")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    file_path = "C:\\aws\\AUTOMATION_VM_LINUX_11"
    dft = DirectoyFileTracker(file_path)
    dft.scan(file_path)
    dft.write_csv_report()

Key Python Concepts

1. `os.walk()`

Recursively yields (dirpath, dirnames, filenames).
Used to traverse a directory tree.

2. `os.stat()`

Returns file metadata like size and last modified time.
Example: os.stat(file).st_size gives size in bytes.

3. `os.path` Utilities

os.path.basename(path) → just the file name.
os.path.splitext(path) → separates name and extension.

4. CSV Writing

csv.DictWriter allows writing a list of dictionaries to CSV.
writer.writeheader() adds column headers.
writer.writerows(data) writes all rows.

Sample Output (CSV)

file_name	file_size_kb	last_modified	file_type	file_path
report.csv	15.2	2024-12-01 10:22:30	.csv	C:\aws...

Summary

This script is a powerful tool for generating detailed reports on any file system directory using Python. It can be extended to filter file types, track changes, or even monitor in real time.

vinod's erudition

Directory File Tracker