TreeGen: File Tree Generator for Research Data

TreeGen is a cross-platform desktop application developed by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. It helps researchers, data curators, and technical teams document and share the structure of digital folders in a clear, consistent, and citable format. With TreeGen, users can visualize and annotate the file hierarchy of any directory and export it as structured Markdown or plain text.

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Overview

TreeGen simplifies the process of generating file tree documentation by:

• Automatically reading folder and file names and sizes
• Allowing inline editing of descriptions
• Generating a live preview
• Supporting clean export to .md and .txt

This tool is especially useful for research data management, dataset publication, software documentation, and reproducible workflows.

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Features

• Interactive File Tree: Browse and annotate an expandable folder structure.
• Live Markdown Preview: Real-time rendering of the exported structure.
• Search & Filter: Find specific files, exclude hidden files, or ignore selected extensions.
• Export Options: Save your file tree as Markdown or plain text with an optional summary.
• Usage Instructions: Clear in-app guidance with clickable help links.
• Local and Secure: No internet access required; all operations are local.

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Installation

Option A: Download the Executable

Download pre-built executables for your system from the Releases page.

Option B: Run from Source

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• See environment.yml or requirements.txt for dependencies.

Setup Instructions

git clone https://github.com/Alliance-RDM-GDR/RDM_FileTree.git
cd RDM_FileTree
conda env create -f environment.yml
conda activate treegen-env
python TreeGen.py

Compilation

To compile the app into a single executable file for Windows or Mac, open a terminal window in the app folder and enter the following command:

For windows and MAC:

pyinstaller --onefile --windowed TreeGen.py

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Usage Guide

• Launch TreeGen and click Select Directory.
• Navigate through the tree and double-click any file or folder to add a description.
• Use the search bar or exclusion options to filter what is shown.
• Click Export to Markdown or Export to Plain Text to save your documentation.

For step-by-step guidance, refer to the Quick Start Tutorial.

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Documentation

• Architecture Overview
• Quick Start Tutorial
• Software Management Plan
• Contributing Guidelines

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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Citation

If you use TreeGen in your work, please cite it using the information provided in the CITATION.cff file.

TreeGen is also archived and citable via Zenodo: [10.5281/zenodo.17289197]

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Contact

For support or questions, please contact: rdm-gdr@alliancecan.ca

Digital Research Alliance of Canada

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Last updated: 2025-07-28