mktree 0.1

Simple tool for creating directory trees in one shot

mktree

mktree is a simple tool for creating directory trees in one shot. This is somewhat similar to what the mkdir unix command can do, but with an easier syntax and better usability.

Installation

Arch users can simply run the following command from the project directory:

makepkg -si

Anyone else can use pip:

pip install --user mktree

Usage

mktree allows you to create complex directory trees with a simple syntax

 $ mktree -P this/is,a.bunch,of/directories
 .
 ├── this
 │   ├── is
 │   └── a
 ├── bunch
 └── of
	  └── directories

Th -P flag makes sure we are given a preview of the directory tree without actually creating any directory. For a simpler preview of all the directories that are going to be created, use the -p flag instead. A confirmation prompt is available with the -i flag.

You can find a complete list of all the available options here.

Now let's take a look at the string we've passed as argument. Notice how the argument string is made up of directories names separated by one of these three special characters: /, , and ..

Let's start with a very basic example

$ mktree -P A
.
└── A

This will simply create a directory A inside the current directory.

What if you want to create a folder B inside the folder A?

$ mktree -P A/B
.
└── A
    └── B

That's the purpose of the / character: it tells mktree to create the following directories inside the previous one.

Now a little more advanced example

$ mktree -P A/B,C
.
└── A
    ├── B
    └── C

This will create the directories B and C inside the directory A. The , character tells mktree to create the following directory at the same level of the previous one.

Continuing the above example, suppose that after you type C you need to create a folder D at the same level of the folder A. Remember that you've used the / character to move one level down the directory tree and now you want go back. That's when the . character comes in: it tells mktree to create the following directories one level up the directory tree

$ mktree -P A/B,C.D
.
└── A
│   ├── B
│   └── C
└── D

You can use the . character as much as you want but you can't move outside the current working directory directory

$ mktree -P A/B/C,D..E/F...H
.
├─ A
│  └─ B
│     ├─ C
│     └─ D
├─ E
│  └─ F
└─ H

License

See LICENSE.txt.