File Extractor Script - Extract Files by Extension or Format

This script allows you to extract files from multiple nested directories based on file extension or predetermined file formats.

Usage:

To use the script, run the following command:

./file_extractor [-m] [-n] [-o OUTPUT_DIR] TARGET_FOLDER [FILE_EXTENSION | FILE_FORMAT]

Optional Arguments:

• -h: Display this help message and exit.
• -m: Move files to the destination instead of copying them (default is to copy).
• -n: Do not add a prefix to the name of the extracted files. Use this option only if there are no duplicate filenames.
• -o OUTPUT_DIR: Specify an output directory. A new folder will be created inside this directory to store the extracted files.

File Formats:

You can specify a file extension (e.g., .jpg, .mp4) or use one of the following predefined file format identifiers:

• [p|pic|picture]: Image formats including BMP, JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF.
• [v|vid|video]: Video formats including 3GP, ASF, AVI, FLV, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MPG, MPG2, MPG4, RMVB, WMV, MTS.
• [a|aud|audio]: Audio formats including WAV, MID, CDA, MP3, WMA, AAC, RA, OGG, APE, FLAC, M4A, M4P, AIF, AIFF. If no FILE_EXTENSION or FILE_FORMAT is specified, the script will extract all files into a folder named "all".

Output Directory:

If no OUTPUT_DIR is specified, the script will create a directory in the current working path with the same name as the specified file extension or format.

Example:

To copy all JPG images from a folder called "Photos" into a new folder within "Photos" called "jpg":

./file_extractor Photos jpg

To move all video files from a folder "Videos" to a specified output directory "MyVideos":

./file_extractor -m -o MyVideos Videos v

This script simplifies the process of organizing your files by type, making it easy to locate and manage your digital content.