Node.js File System Operations

A Node.js application that monitors a command file and performs file system operations based on text commands. This project demonstrates file watching, asynchronous file operations, and command parsing in Node.js.

Features

• File Creation: Create new files with custom paths
• File Deletion: Remove files from the filesystem
• File Renaming: Rename/move files to new locations
• Content Addition: Append content to existing files
• Real-time Monitoring: Watches command.txt for changes and executes commands automatically

How It Works

The application monitors command.txt for changes and parses commands to perform file operations:

1. The app starts and opens command.txt for reading
2. A file watcher monitors the command file for changes
3. When the file changes, the app reads and parses the command
4. The corresponding file operation is executed

Supported Commands

Create a File

create a file <path/to/file.txt>

Creates a new file at the specified path. If the file already exists, it will not be overwritten.

Delete a File

delete the file <path/to/file.txt>

Removes the specified file from the filesystem.

Rename a File

rename the file <old/path.txt> to <new/path.txt>

Renames or moves a file from the old path to the new path.

Add Content to a File

add to the file <path/to/file.txt> this content: <your content here>

Appends the specified content to the end of the file.

Installation

1. Clone or download this project
2. Navigate to the project directory
3. No additional dependencies required - uses only built-in Node.js modules

Usage

1. Start the application:

node app.js

2. Open command.txt in a text editor
3. Add one of the supported commands (see above)
4. Save the file - the command will be executed automatically
5. Check the console for operation results

Example Workflow

1. Start the application: node app.js
2. Edit command.txt and add: create a file test.txt
3. Save the file - a new test.txt will be created
4. Edit command.txt again: add to the file test.txt this content: Hello World!
5. Save - "Hello World!" will be appended to test.txt
6. Edit command.txt: rename the file test.txt to renamed.txt
7. Save - the file will be renamed
8. Edit command.txt: delete the file renamed.txt
9. Save - the file will be deleted

Error Handling

The application includes comprehensive error handling:

• File existence checks before creation
• Graceful handling of missing files during deletion/renaming
• Error logging for filesystem operations
• Duplicate content prevention in add operations

Technical Details

• Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
• Core Modules: fs/promises for asynchronous file operations
• Architecture: Event-driven with file watching
• Pattern: Command pattern with text-based interface

Learning Objectives

This project demonstrates:

• Asynchronous file system operations in Node.js
• File watching and event handling
• Command parsing and execution
• Error handling in file operations
• Buffer manipulation for file reading

Notes

• The application runs continuously until manually stopped (Ctrl+C)
• Commands are processed in the order they appear in command.txt
• Only one command is processed per file change
• The command file is monitored in real-time