MetaMan

Neuro data organization without the folder chaos

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Why MetaMan?

MetaMan helps you manage neuroscience project metadata and keep raw/processed data in a clean hierarchy:

data_root/
  raw/
    <project>/<experiment>/<subject>/<session>/...
  processed/
    <project>/<experiment>/<subject>/<session>/...

It is built for fast navigation, safe copy workflows, metadata consistency, and reproducible structure.

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Quick Start

1. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Launch

python run_app.py

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Feature Tour

Navigation tab

• Browse project -> experiment -> subject -> session
• View and edit metadata at all hierarchy levels
• Load subject metadata from CSV for one or multiple subjects
• Copy/open paths quickly

Recording tab

• Create and update recording/session metadata
• Navigate existing project hierarchy via dropdowns
• Update file list and metadata triplet outputs (json/csv/h5)

Preprocessing tab

• Track preprocessing steps and completion status
• Store step parameters and comments
• Import parameters from CSV/JSON
• Attach per-step results folders

Data reorganizer tab

• Load metadata plans (csv/tsv/xlsx)
• Map columns (subject_id, session_id, trial_id, custom fields)
• Match files using deterministic keys
• Scan multiple raw and processed source roots
• Dry run by default (safe mode)
• Execute copy with overwrite policy controls
• Generate match report, run log, and session/subject metadata outputs

Backup tools

• Manual backup to Server, External HDD, or Both
• Scheduled daily backups per project
• Optional experiment-level backup selection
• Last-used backup roots and schedules persisted

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Data Reorganizer Outputs

MetaMan writes:

• experiment_plan_normalized.csv
• match_report.csv
• run_log.txt
• subject_metadata.csv and subject_metadata.h5
• session_metadata.csv and session_metadata.h5

Output roots follow:

• target_raw_root/<project>/<experiment>/...
• target_processed_root/<project>/<experiment>/...

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Design Principles

• Safe by default: dry run + no blind overwrite
• Transparent operations: logs, preview tables, match reports
• Responsive UI: background worker threads for long operations
• Deterministic matching: reproducible plan-to-file mapping

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Project Layout

MetaMan/
  main.py
  config.py
  state.py
  io_ops.py
  tabs/
    navigation_tab.py
    recording_tab.py
    preprocessing_tab.py
    data_reorganizer_tab.py
  services/
    data_reorganizer.py
    file_scanner.py
    server_sync.py
    search_service.py

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Tips

• Keep one canonical data_root with raw/ and processed/ subfolders.
• Use Data reorganizer in dry run first, then execute.
• Save/load reorganizer configs for recurring pipelines.
• Prefer explicit session_id in plans when possible.

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Troubleshooting

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'PySide6'

Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Old drive path errors (for example B:\ not found)

MetaMan now falls back to a safe local root (~/MetaManData).
You can also set your preferred root from File -> Set Data Root....

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One-line summary

MetaMan turns scattered files and ad-hoc metadata into a structure you can trust.