🗂️ Smart File Sorter

An intelligent, automated file organization tool that monitors folders and sorts files by type with advanced features like duplicate detection, undo functionality, and statistics tracking. Built with Python and available as a standalone executable.

✨ Features

Core Functionality

• 📁 Automatic File Monitoring: Real-time monitoring of folders with instant file organization
• 🎯 Smart Categorization: Automatically sorts files into categories (Images, Documents, Videos, Audio, etc.)
• 🔄 Manual Organization: Organize existing files with a single click
• 💾 Persistent Configuration: Saves your preferences and folder settings
• 🖥️ System Tray Integration: Minimize to system tray and manage from there

Advanced Features (Portfolio Highlights!)

• 🔍 Duplicate Detection: Identifies duplicate files using MD5 hashing and moves them to a separate folder
• ⏮️ Undo Functionality: Reverse any file move operation with full history tracking (up to 100 operations)
• 📊 Statistics Dashboard: View detailed analytics about organized files
• 🎨 User-Friendly GUI: Clean, intuitive interface built with tkinter
• ⚙️ Customizable Categories: Easily modify file type categories and extensions
• 🚫 Single Instance Protection: Prevents multiple instances from running simultaneously

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: Download & Run Executable (Easiest)

1. Download the installer from the releases page
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts
3. Launch "Smart File Sorter" from your Start Menu

Option 2: Run from Python Source

1. Install Python 3.7 or higher from python.org

2. Install Dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the Application

   python Smart_File_Sorter.py

📖 Detailed Usage Guide

Getting Started

1. Launch the Application

   • If installed: Click "Smart File Sorter" in Start Menu
   • If running from source: python Smart_File_Sorter.py

2. Select a Folder

   • Click the "Browse" button
   • Choose the folder you want to monitor
   • The folder path will be saved for future sessions

3. Start Monitoring

   • Click "Start Monitoring" to begin automatic file organization
   • Any new files added to the folder will be automatically sorted
   • Click "Stop Monitoring" to pause monitoring
   • Minimize to system tray to keep it running in the background

4. Organize Existing Files

   • Click "Organize Now" to sort all files currently in the folder
   • Useful for cleaning up existing clutter

Advanced Features

Undo Last Action

• Click "Undo Last" to reverse the most recent file move
• Up to 100 operations are tracked in history
• History persists between sessions
• Full path recovery maintained

View Statistics

• Click "View Stats" to see:
  • Number of files organized by category
  • Total files processed
  • Category distribution chart

Duplicate Detection

• Enabled by default
• Automatic MD5 hash comparison
• Duplicate files moved to "Duplicates" folder
• Prevents duplicate organization

System Tray

• Minimize to system tray
• Quick access menu:
  • Show Window
  • Start/Stop Monitoring
  • Exit Application

📂 File Categories

The application organizes files into these default categories:

Category	File Extensions
Images	.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .svg, .webp, .ico, .tiff
Documents	.pdf, .doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf, .odt, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx
Videos	.mp4, .avi, .mkv, .mov, .wmv, .flv, .webm, .m4v
Audio	.mp3, .wav, .flac, .aac, .ogg, .wma, .m4a
Archives	.zip, .rar, .7z, .tar, .gz, .bz2, .xz
Code	.py, .js, .html, .css, .java, .cpp, .c, .h, .json, .xml, .sql
Executables	.exe, .msi, .app, .dmg, .deb, .rpm
Others	All other file types
Duplicates	Auto-generated for duplicate files

Customizing Categories

Edit the config.json file (created after first run) in your AppData folder:

{
  "categories": {
    "Images": [".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png"],
    "MyCustomCategory": [".xyz", ".abc"],
    "Documents": [".pdf", ".doc", ".docx", ".txt"]
  },
  "watched_folder": "C:\\Users\\YourName\\Downloads",
  "enable_duplicates": true,
  "enable_undo": true
}

🏗️ Project Structure

Smart_File_Sorter/
│
├── Smart_File_Sorter.py        # Main application (source code)
├── SmartFileSorter.spec        # PyInstaller configuration
├── requirements.txt            # Python dependencies
├── build_installer.bat         # Batch script to build installer
├── installer_script.iss        # Inno Setup installer script
│
├── README.md                   # README
├── LICENSE                    # MIT License
├── config.json                # Auto-generated (user config)
├── history.json               # Auto-generated (undo history)
│
├── build/                     # PyInstaller build output
│   └── SmartFileSorter/
│       ├── SmartFileSorter.exe
│       ├── Various .toc and .pyz files
│       └── localpycs/
│
└── installer_output/          # Inno Setup installer output
    └── SmartFileSorterSetup.exe

🛠️ Building & Distribution

Building the Executable (PyInstaller)

Prerequisites:

• Python 3.7+
• All dependencies from requirements.txt

Build Steps:

1. Install PyInstaller (included in requirements.txt)

   pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Build the executable

   pyinstaller SmartFileSorter.spec

   Or manually:

   pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --icon=app_icon.ico Smart_File_Sorter.py

3. Output

   • Executable: build/SmartFileSorter/SmartFileSorter.exe
   • Distributable: Place the entire SmartFileSorter/ folder

Building the Installer (Inno Setup)

Prerequisites:

• Inno Setup 6.0+ (free download from innosetup.com)
• PyInstaller executable already built

Build Steps:

1. Using the batch script

   build_installer.bat

2. Or manually with Inno Setup

   • Open installer_script.iss in Inno Setup
   • Click "Build" → "Compile"
   • Output: installer_output/SmartFileSorterSetup.exe

3. Installer Features

   • Automatic .exe installation
   • Start Menu shortcuts
   • Add/Remove Programs entry
   • Optional desktop shortcut
   • Uninstall capability

🔧 Technical Architecture

Architecture Overview

The application is built with a modular, object-oriented design:

1. Config Class: Manages configuration and persistence

   • Loads/saves settings to JSON
   • Manages category definitions
   • Tracks folder preferences

2. FileOrganizer Class: Core sorting logic

   • File categorization based on extensions
   • Duplicate detection using MD5 hashing
   • Operation history tracking
   • Statistics collection

3. FileWatcher Class: Real-time file system monitoring

   • Inherits from watchdog.FileSystemEventHandler
   • Monitors file creation events
   • Prevents duplicate processing
   • Adds processing delay for file stability

4. SmartFileSorterGUI Class: User interface

   • Built with tkinter framework
   • Folder selection dialog
   • Real-time activity logging
   • Statistics window
   • System tray integration

Key Dependencies

• watchdog (3.0.0): File system event monitoring
• tkinter: Cross-platform GUI framework (bundled with Python)
• pystray (0.19.5): System tray functionality
• Pillow (10.1.0): Image handling for icons
• psutil (5.9.6): Process monitoring and management
• pyinstaller (6.1.0): Executable building (development only)

How It Works (Process Flow)

User Input
    ↓
File Created/Added
    ↓
FileWatcher detects event
    ↓
Get file extension
    ↓
Determine category
    ↓
Check for duplicates (MD5 hash)
    ↓
Create category folder if needed
    ↓
Handle filename conflicts
    ↓
Move file
    ↓
Record in history
    ↓
Update statistics
    ↓
Log activity

🎯 Portfolio Highlights

This project demonstrates advanced software engineering practices:

• ✅ Clean Code Architecture: Modular, object-oriented design with single responsibility principle
• ✅ GUI Development: Professional interface with tkinter, threading, and system integration
• ✅ File System Operations: Safe, robust file handling with error recovery
• ✅ Data Persistence: JSON-based configuration and comprehensive history tracking
• ✅ Error Handling: Comprehensive exception handling with user-friendly messages
• ✅ User Experience: Intuitive interface with real-time feedback and activity logging
• ✅ Advanced Features: Duplicate detection, undo functionality, statistics tracking
• ✅ Background Operations: Threading and system tray integration
• ✅ Deployment: PyInstaller and Inno Setup configuration for distribution
• ✅ Code Quality: Well-documented, commented code with clear function signatures

🔍 Configuration Files

config.json (Auto-Generated)

Location: C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\SmartFileSorter\config.json

{
  "categories": {
    "Images": [".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".gif", ".bmp"],
    "Documents": [".pdf", ".doc", ".docx", ".txt"],
    "Videos": [".mp4", ".avi", ".mkv"],
    "Audio": [".mp3", ".wav", ".flac"],
    "Archives": [".zip", ".rar", ".7z"],
    "Code": [".py", ".js", ".html", ".css"],
    "Executables": [".exe", ".msi"],
    "Others": []
  },
  "watched_folder": "C:\\Users\\YourName\\Downloads",
  "enable_duplicates": true,
  "enable_undo": true
}

history.json (Auto-Generated)

Tracks up to 100 file move operations for undo functionality.

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue	Solution
Application won't start	Ensure Python 3.7+ is installed; reinstall dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt --upgrade
Files not organizing automatically	Check that "Start Monitoring" is active; verify folder path is valid and accessible
Permission errors	Run as Administrator; ensure you have write permissions to the target folder
Undo not working	Check that "enable_undo" is true in config.json; history file may be corrupted
Duplicate detection not working	Verify "enable_duplicates" is true in config.json
Multiple instances running	Check system tray; use Task Manager to close all instances; delete lock file in AppData
Installer won't run	Ensure Inno Setup 6.0+ is installed; check build_installer.bat script

Debug Mode

Run from command prompt to see error messages:

python Smart_File_Sorter.py

Check logs in activity window for detailed operation information.

🔄 Future Enhancements

Potential features for version 2.0:

• 🌐 Cloud storage integration (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox)
• 🤖 Machine learning-based file classification
• 📅 Date-based organization options (by year, month)
• 🔔 Desktop notifications for organized files
• 📝 Custom file naming rules with regex support
• 🌍 Multi-language support (internationalization)
• 🎨 Dark mode and customizable themes
• 📦 Auto-update functionality
• 🔐 Backup and restore settings
• 📱 Mobile companion app

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

MIT License Summary

• ✅ Commercial use
• ✅ Modification
• ✅ Distribution
• ✅ Private use
• ❌ Liability
• ❌ Warranty

👤 Author

Anurag Wanwe

• GitHub: @Deathblu
• LinkedIn: Anurag Wanwe
• Email: anuwanwe1463@gmail.com

🤝 Contributing

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome!

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

⭐ Show Your Support

If this project helped you, please consider:

• ⭐ Giving it a star on GitHub
• 📣 Sharing it with others
• 💬 Providing feedback

📧 Contact & Support

For questions, feedback, or support:

• Email: anuwanwe1463@gmail.com
• GitHub Issues: Report bugs and request features
• GitHub Discussions: General questions and discussions

📚 Additional Resources

• Python Documentation
• Watchdog Documentation
• Tkinter Documentation

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Note: This is a professional portfolio project designed to showcase Python development skills, GUI design, file system operations, and software engineering best practices. It is production-ready and fully functional.

Last Updated: February 6, 2026 Version: 1.0