# Explorer Workbench - Backlog

> Personal file management workbench.
>
> Goal: Make working with files faster - not necessarily the filesystem itself.
>
> **Primary success metric:** One happy customer. 😎

---

## Core Principles

### Windows remains the source of truth

Explorer Workbench may discover, index, display and organize Windows resources, but should not silently modify Windows configuration.

Example:

- Removing `Z:` from Workbench removes the Workbench location and its index data.
- It does **not** disconnect the Windows network drive.
- Existing Windows resources should be discoverable/importable again.

### Workbench owns the workflow

Specialized tools may provide execution capabilities.

Possible providers:

- Robocopy - robust file transfers
- 7-Zip - archive operations
- FFmpeg - media conversion
- Git - repository operations

Explorer Workbench provides:

- UI
- orchestration
- metadata
- index
- profiles
- queue
- status
- history

### File Operations Queue is the execution engine

Whenever possible, features that modify files should create operations instead of modifying the filesystem directly.

Examples:

- Copy
- Move
- Recycle
- Delete
- Rename
- Extract
- Compress
- Convert
- Sync
- Reorganize

### Analyze aggressively, modify conservatively

Analysis may be ambitious.

Filesystem modifications should be predictable, reviewable and safe.

Complex operations should preferably follow:

`Analyze -> Preview -> Operation Plan -> Queue -> Execute`

### Configuration rule

If both behaviors are useful depending on the situation:

**Make it an option.**

---

# Current Features

## Navigation

- [x] Group locations into `This PC`, `Network` and `Cloud`
- [x] Optional grouping via Settings
- [x] Remove locations from Workbench
- [x] Remove associated index/database data
- [x] Do not modify Windows mappings when removing Workbench locations
- [x] Add network/cloud locations
- [x] Discover/import existing Windows network drives
- [x] Restore a previously removed Workbench location from Windows discovery

## UI

- [x] Classic application menu
- [x] Icon-based toolbar
- [x] Settings dialog
- [x] Help menu with About and in-app Documentation
- [x] Expandable Settings architecture
- [x] Show `Free Space` next to `Size` where meaningful
- [x] Consistent capacity information for local/network/cloud providers
- [x] Organize folder (classify → preview → queue moves)

## Search / Index

- [x] Central filesystem index
- [x] Fast indexed search
- [ ] Search offline locations
- [x] Search archive contents
- [ ] Store originating machine/location
- [ ] Multi-PC search
- [ ] Richer metadata indexing

## Storage Analysis

- [x] Storage usage analysis
- [x] WinDirStat-style functionality
- [x] Duplicate detection
- [x] Duplicate classification
- [x] Distinguish intentional duplicates
- [x] Recognize Sync copies
- [ ] Recognize Backup copies
- [x] Detect hardlinks

---

# File Operations Queue

## Implemented

- [x] Central File Operations Queue
- [x] Copy
- [x] Move
- [x] Move to Recycle Bin
- [x] Queue Rename
- [x] Queue Extract
- [x] Queue Compress
- [x] Sequential execution
- [x] Pause / Resume
- [x] Pause all
- [x] Progress display
- [x] Queue status
- [x] Reorder operations
- [x] Remove queued operations
- [x] Clear finished operations
- [x] Auto-clear when done
- [x] Compact queue status in main UI
- [x] Persist queue across Workbench restarts
- [x] Retry failed operations
- [x] `Waiting for destination` state
- [x] Resume automatically when destination becomes available
- [x] Handle temporarily unavailable network shares
- [x] Handle removable media (wait until reachable)
- [x] Detect file locks (Failed + Retry)
- [x] Operation history (append-only)

## Planned

- [ ] Conflict resolution
- [x] Undo last rename batch
- [ ] Undo copy / move
- [ ] Resource-aware scheduling

### Resource-aware scheduling

Potential future behavior:

Instead of always running exactly one operation, allow concurrent operations when they do not compete for the same I/O resources.

Example:

`C: -> D:` and `NAS -> USB` may run simultaneously.

Two operations using the same physical source/target should normally remain serialized.

---

# Protected Windows Filesystem Locations

## Visibility

- [x] Hidden file support
- [x] Setting: `Show protected system locations`
- [x] Detect `FileAttributes.Hidden`
- [x] Detect `FileAttributes.System`
- [x] Classify known protected Windows locations
- [x] Distinguish `Access denied` from empty folders

Known examples:

- `System Volume Information`
- `$RECYCLE.BIN`
- `Recovery`
- `pagefile.sys`
- `hiberfil.sys`

## Size calculation

Never display:

`0 B`

when the actual state is:

`Unknown because access was denied`

Possible states:

- Calculated
- Partial
- Unknown
- Access denied

## Elevated scan

- [ ] Detect when elevation would provide additional information
- [ ] Optional elevated/deep scan
- [ ] Never silently elevate
- [ ] Keep normal Workbench operation non-elevated

## Recycle Bin

- [x] Classify `$RECYCLE.BIN` specially
- [x] Do not expose it merely as a normal filesystem folder
- [x] Show logical Recycle Bin information
- [x] Number of deleted items
- [x] Used space
- [x] Open Recycle Bin
- [x] Empty Recycle Bin

---

# Folder Sync

Goal: Replace the relevant AllSync workflows.

## Sync modes

- [x] Copy / Update
- [x] Mirror
- [ ] Two-way sync
- [ ] Versioned backup

Two-way sync should be implemented later because it requires proper conflict and deletion tracking.

## Integration

- [x] Analyze differences
- [x] Generate operation plan
- [x] Submit operations to File Operations Queue
- [x] Preview before execution
- [x] Conflict detection
- [ ] Sync history

## Offline / removable locations

- [x] Detect target availability
- [x] Wait when target is offline
- [x] Automatically continue when target returns
- [x] Identify removable media using stable volume identity
- [x] Do not depend only on drive letters
- [x] Trigger sync when known media is connected

Example:

`When PhotosBackup becomes available -> run Photos Sync`

## Duplicate awareness

Files intentionally created by Folder Sync should be marked as intentional duplicates.

Possible classification:

- `Accidental`
- `Synchronized`
- `Backup`
- `Unknown`

The Duplicate Finder hides intentional duplicates by default. Sync and backup tags are written when those operations exist.

---

# Batch Rename

Goal: Replace FileRenamer workflows.

## Rename rules

- [x] Search / Replace
- [x] Regex
- [x] Prefix
- [x] Suffix
- [x] Counter
- [x] Counter padding
- [x] Case conversion
- [x] Extension handling
- [ ] Metadata placeholders

Potential placeholders:

- `{CreatedDate}`
- `{ModifiedDate}`
- `{Counter}`
- `{Width}`
- `{Height}`
- `{Artist}`
- `{Title}`
- `{Project}`
- `{Extension}`

## Workflow

`Select -> Configure -> Preview -> Validate -> Queue`

- [x] Preview all resulting names
- [x] Detect collisions
- [x] Detect invalid filenames
- [x] Add Rename operations to File Operations Queue
- [x] Store `OldPath -> NewPath`
- [x] Support Undo for completed rename batches

---

# File Operation Profiles

Reusable workflows built from Workbench operations.

## Core

- [x] Create profile
- [x] Edit profile
- [x] Delete profile
- [x] Duplicate profile
- [x] Run profile
- [x] Preview operation plan
- [x] Add resulting operations to queue

## Example: Archive Project

1. Verify Git status
2. Require clean working tree
3. Exclude `.git`, `bin`, `obj`, `.vs`
4. Compress using 7-Zip
5. Generate SHA-256
6. Copy archive to NAS
7. Verify destination
8. Recycle source only if all previous steps succeeded

## Example: Phone Videos

1. Find matching videos
2. Convert to configured format
3. Preserve timestamps
4. Copy converted files to Media
5. Archive originals
6. Queue cleanup

## Example: Clean Downloads

Classify files and propose:

- Installers -> Software
- Images -> Pictures
- Video -> Media
- Archives -> Archive
- Git repositories -> Development
- Unknown -> Leave untouched

Available as **Tools → Organize folder…** and **Organize this folder…** on a directory. Suggestions only; nothing moves until Queue.

## Profile triggers

- [x] Manual
- [x] Context menu: `Run Profile`
- [x] Drag files onto profile
- [x] When location becomes available
- [x] When removable media is connected
- [ ] Scheduled
- [ ] Folder watcher

---

# Archives

## Supported concepts

- [x] ZIP
- [x] 7z
- [x] RAR
- [x] Additional archive formats through providers

## Indexing

- [x] Scan archive contents without extraction
- [x] Add archive entries to search index
- [x] Search inside archives
- [x] Display archive path as virtual hierarchy

Example search result:

`\\NAS\Archive\2019-backup.7z\Projects\Explorer\README.md`

even when the NAS is currently offline.

## Operations

- [x] Extract
- [x] Compress
- [x] Add to archive
- [x] Verify archive
- [x] Queue archive operations

Potential provider:

`7-Zip`

---

# File Classification

Goal: Understand what files and folders represent rather than relying only on extensions.

## Initial categories

- [x] Media (Photos / Video / Audio)
- [x] Photos
- [x] Video
- [x] Audio
- [x] Documents
- [x] Code repositories
- [x] Installers
- [x] Backups (classified; left in place)
- [x] Archives
- [x] System data
- [x] Unknown

## Detection signals

- [x] File extension
- [ ] MIME/content signature
- [x] Folder structure
- [x] Git metadata
- [ ] Media metadata
- [x] Known application structures (`node_modules`, `bin`, `obj`, `.vs`)
- [x] File age (old installers flagged in preview)
- [ ] File relationships
- [ ] Index metadata

---

# Reorganization / Consolidation

Use file classification and metadata to propose better organization.

## Concepts

- [x] Analyze directory
- [x] Classify contents
- [x] Detect misplaced files
- [ ] Detect redundant files
- [x] Detect old installers
- [x] Detect old build output
- [ ] Detect archived projects
- [x] Generate reorganization proposal
- [x] Preview proposed operations
- [x] Submit approved operations to queue

Important:

**Never automatically reorganize based only on classification.**

Always prefer:

`Analyze -> Suggest -> Review -> Queue`

---

# Multi-PC

Goal: Search and manage the user's complete file environment rather than only the current PC.

## Machines

- [ ] Register Workbench machine
- [ ] Assign machine identity
- [ ] Store machine name with indexed files
- [ ] Track last-seen timestamp
- [ ] Track online/offline state

## Search

Example:

Search: `wallet.dat`

Results:

- `Desktop-PC -> D:\Backup\wallet.dat`
- `Laptop -> C:\Archive\wallet.dat`
- `NAS -> backup-2019.7z\Crypto\wallet.dat`

## Offline behavior

- [ ] Keep index searchable while machine is offline
- [ ] Show last known location
- [ ] Show last indexed timestamp
- [ ] Queue operations requiring offline machine
- [ ] Resume when machine becomes available

## Future

- [ ] Transfer files between Workbench machines
- [ ] Remote filesystem browsing
- [ ] Remote indexing
- [ ] Shared operation queue / agent model

---

# Secure Storage

## Concepts

- [ ] CryptDrive/Vault integration
- [ ] Secure Storage location category
- [ ] Detect mounted/unmounted state
- [ ] Index policy for encrypted locations
- [ ] Optional metadata-only index
- [ ] Security-sensitive search behavior

Workbench should preferably integrate existing encryption technology rather than implement cryptography itself.

---

# Conversion

Conversions should be represented as File Operations.

## Media

Potential provider:

`FFmpeg`

Possible operations:

- [ ] Video conversion
- [ ] Audio conversion
- [ ] Codec conversion
- [ ] Resolution conversion
- [ ] Extract audio
- [ ] Generate thumbnails

## Images

- [ ] HEIC -> JPEG
- [ ] PNG -> JPEG
- [ ] Resize
- [ ] Rotate
- [ ] Metadata preservation/removal

## Workflow

Conversions should support:

`Input -> Conversion Profile -> Preview -> Queue`

and be usable inside File Operation Profiles.

---

# Git Integration

Workbench should recognize repositories but not reimplement Git.

Potential provider:

`git`

## Repository detection

- [x] Detect Git repositories
- [x] Show current branch
- [x] Show modified count
- [x] Show untracked count
- [x] Show ahead/behind state

Example:

`Explorer-Workbench    main    3 modified    1 untracked`

## Actions

- [ ] Status
- [ ] View Changes
- [ ] Commit
- [ ] Pull
- [ ] Push
- [ ] Fetch
- [x] Open terminal here
- [x] Open in Cursor

## Profiles

Git state may be used as a profile condition.

Example:

`Archive Project`

requires:

`Working tree clean`

before archive operations continue.

---

# Sharing

## Basic sharing

- [ ] Share file
- [ ] Share folder
- [ ] Copy share link
- [ ] Temporary shares
- [ ] Expiration
- [ ] Password protection
- [ ] Read-only permissions

## Providers

Potential integrations:

- [ ] Nextcloud
- [ ] Network shares
- [ ] Other cloud providers

## Package for Sharing

Example profile:

1. Exclude unnecessary files
2. Clean temporary data
3. Compress
4. Encrypt
5. Upload
6. Create expiring share link
7. Copy link to clipboard
8. Queue temporary archive cleanup

---

# External Tool / Provider Integration

## Robocopy

Status:

**Documentation review / knowledge transfer pending. 😏**

Potential uses:

- [ ] Restartable copies
- [ ] Network transfers
- [ ] Retry handling
- [ ] Backup-mode access
- [ ] Mirror operations
- [ ] Metadata/ACL preservation

Possible architecture:

`RobocopyTransferProvider`

Workbench retains ownership of:

- Queue
- Progress
- State
- UI
- Retry policy
- History

Robocopy performs selected low-level transfers.

## 7-Zip

`SevenZipArchiveExecutor` (`IArchiveExecutor`)

Discovery: Settings path, then Program Files, then PATH. Missing 7-Zip fails the queued job with an install hint. 7-Zip is not bundled.

## FFmpeg

Potential:

`MediaConversionProvider`

## Git

`WindowsGitStatusProvider` (`IGitStatusProvider`)

Discovery: Settings path, then Program Files, then PATH. Missing git.exe means no badge. Git is not bundled. Workbench does not commit, push, or pull.

Potential later:

`IGitCommandProvider`

---

# Future Intelligence

## File relationships

Workbench should eventually understand relationships between files.

Examples:

- Duplicate
- Sync copy
- Backup copy
- Converted version
- Archived version
- Renamed version
- Source/output relationship

This allows questions such as:

> Which duplicates are accidental?

instead of merely:

> Which files have the same hash?

## Forgotten Files

Potential analysis:

- Files not modified for many years
- Files not accessed for many years
- Old backups
- Forgotten projects
- Large unused files
- Old installers
- Historical archives

Possible feature name:

`Forgotten Files`

---

# Architectural Direction

Long-term conceptual model:

    Filesystems / Providers
             |
             v
          Scanner
             |
             v
        Metadata Index
             |
             v
      Intelligence Layer
             |
       +-----+-----+
       |           |
       v           v
    Workbench    Profiles
       |           |
       +-----+-----+
             |
             v
    File Operations Queue
             |
             v
     Execution Providers

The Workbench should increasingly understand:

- What is this?
- Where is it?
- Which machine has it?
- Is it currently available?
- Is there another copy?
- Why does another copy exist?
- Is it part of a sync or backup?
- How much space does it consume?
- What operations are safe?
- What does the user want to do with it?

---

# Replaced / Potentially Replaced Tools

| Tool | Workbench capability |
| --- | --- |
| Windows Explorer | Navigation / file management |
| WinDirStat | Storage analysis |
| WhereIsIt? | Indexed catalog / offline search |
| AllSync | Folder synchronization |
| FileRenamer | Batch rename |
| Archive tools | Archive workflows |
| Conversion tools | Profile-driven conversion |
| Various sharing workflows | Integrated sharing |

The goal is not necessarily to completely replace every specialized tool.

The goal is to make Explorer Workbench the **central working environment** from which those capabilities are orchestrated.

---

# Definition of Done

Explorer Workbench is never truly finished.

A feature is useful when it improves the actual workflow of the primary user.

A release is successful when:

> Domi realizes he has not voluntarily opened Windows Explorer all week.

😎