Organization Guide¶

Master the file organization workflows in File Organizer.

Understanding Organization¶

What is Organization?¶

File organization is the process of:

1. Analyzing files
2. Categorizing them based on content
3. Moving/renaming them into a structured hierarchy
4. Applying consistent naming conventions

Organization Methodologies¶

File Organizer supports multiple systems:

PARA Methodology¶

Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives - A flexible system for knowledge workers.

PARA Structure¶

PARA/
├── Projects/           # Active projects with deadlines
│   ├── Website Redesign/
│   ├── Research Paper/
│   └── Product Launch/
├── Areas/              # Ongoing responsibilities
│   ├── Health/
│   ├── Finance/
│   └── Career/
├── Resources/          # Reference materials
│   ├── Templates/
│   ├── Tools/
│   └── Articles/
└── Archives/           # Completed items
    ├── 2023 Projects/
    └── Old Areas/

PARA Organization Steps¶

1. Click Organize → PARA
2. Select files
3. Choose which category they fit:
4. Projects: Time-bound initiatives
5. Areas: Ongoing areas of life
6. Resources: Reference material
7. Archives: Completed/inactive
8. AI analyzes content and suggests categories
9. Review and confirm
10. Click Apply

PARA Best Practices¶

• Review projects quarterly
• Archive completed items
• Keep resources organized by type
• Use consistent folder structure
• Combine with tags for flexibility

Johnny Decimal System¶

JD is a hierarchical, numbered system. Perfect for structured organization.

Johnny Decimal Structure¶

JD/
├── 10-19 Career/
│   ├── 11 CV & Applications/
│   ├── 12 Job Offers/
│   └── 13 Training & Development/
├── 20-29 Finance/
│   ├── 21 Taxes/
│   ├── 22 Invoices/
│   └── 23 Bank Statements/
├── 30-39 Health/
│   ├── 31 Medical Records/
│   ├── 32 Prescriptions/
│   └── 33 Fitness/
└── 40-49 Personal/
    ├── 41 Travel/
    ├── 42 Family/
    └── 43 Hobbies/

Johnny Decimal Organization Steps¶

1. Click Organize → Johnny Decimal
2. Select files
3. Choose category (10-99)
4. Choose subcategory
5. Enter decimal number
6. Review organization
7. Click Apply

Johnny Decimal Rules¶

• X0-X9: 10 main categories
• X0-X9: 10 subcategories each
• X.XX: File numbering within subcategory
• Max 10 items per level
• Simple, clear structure

Johnny Decimal Best Practices¶

• Plan categories before starting
• Keep similar items together
• Use consistent naming
• Don't skip numbers
• Review structure regularly

Custom Methodologies¶

Create your own organization system.

Creating Custom Rules¶

1. Click Organize → Custom
2. Click Create New Rule
3. Define rule:
4. Name: Rule identifier
5. Condition: What files match (e.g., type:pdf)
6. Action: Where to put them
7. Add more rules
8. Test with Preview
9. Apply when ready

Rule Conditions¶

Match files by:

• File Type: pdf, image, video, etc.
• File Size: >10mb, \<1mb, etc.
• Extension: .pdf, .docx, etc.
• Date: Recent (last month, etc.)
• Name: Pattern matching
• Content: Keywords in file

Rule Actions¶

Actions for matched files:

• Move to Folder: Specific path
• Rename: Pattern-based renaming
• Tag: Add tags automatically
• Copy: Keep original + copy
• Archive: Move to archive folder

Example Custom Rules¶

Rule 1: PDF Documents

• Condition: type:pdf
• Action: Move to Documents/PDFs/

Rule 2: Recent Photos

• Condition: type:image AND date:>30days
• Action: Move to Photos/Recent/

Rule 3: Large Files

• Condition: size:>100mb
• Action: Move to Archive/Large Files/

Organization Workflow¶

Step 1: Select Files¶

1. Navigate to Organize
2. Click Select Files
3. Choose:
4. Specific Files: Click individual files
5. Folder: Select entire folder
6. Search Results: Organize search results
7. See count of selected files

Step 2: Choose Methodology¶

1. Select methodology:
2. PARA
3. Johnny Decimal
4. Custom
5. None (undo previous)
6. Configure options:
7. Dry run (preview only)
8. Preserve originals
9. Create folders
10. Apply metadata

Step 3: Review Preview¶

1. See preview showing:
2. Current location of each file
3. Proposed new location
4. Metadata changes
5. Issues appear if any:
6. Invalid paths
7. Permission problems
8. Naming conflicts
9. Fix issues if needed

Step 4: Apply Organization¶

1. Review looks good
2. Click Apply
3. Progress bar shows organization status
4. See results when complete:
5. Files organized
6. Files skipped (and why)
7. Any errors

Organization Options¶

Dry Run (Preview Only)¶

See what would happen without actually organizing:

1. Enable Dry Run
2. Complete organization workflow
3. See preview and results
4. No files are moved
5. Run again with Dry Run off to apply

Preserve Originals¶

Keep original files while organizing:

1. Enable Preserve Originals
2. Files are copied (not moved)
3. Originals remain in source folder
4. Useful as backup

Create Folders¶

Automatically create folder structure:

1. Enable Create Folders
2. Non-existent folders are created
3. Avoids "file not found" errors
4. Useful for new methodologies

Apply Metadata¶

Extract and apply file metadata:

1. Enable Apply Metadata
2. AI extracts information
3. Creates metadata files
4. Updates file properties

Monitoring Organization¶

Job Progress¶

During organization:

1. Progress bar shows % complete
2. Current file being organized
3. Estimated time remaining
4. Speed (files/second)

Pause & Resume¶

1. Click Pause to stop
2. Work resumes where it left off
3. Click Resume to continue
4. Or click Cancel to stop entirely

Job History¶

View past organization jobs:

1. Click History
2. See all past organization jobs
3. Job details:
4. Date/time started
5. Files organized
6. Methodology used
7. Duration
8. Click job to see details

Undoing Organization¶

Immediate Undo¶

If you organize by mistake:

1. Click Undo (or Ctrl+Z)
2. Last operation is reversed
3. All files return to original locations
4. Original names restored

Undo Limitations¶

• Can only undo recent operations
• Undo history limited to ~20 operations
• Cannot undo after server restart
• For older changes, restore from backup

Reverting Organization¶

To revert all organization:

1. Click Organize
2. Choose Original Structure
3. Select organized files
4. Click Apply
5. Files return to original structure

Scheduling Organization¶

Automatically organize files on a schedule.

Creating Schedule¶

1. Click Organize → Schedule
2. Create new schedule:
3. Name: Schedule name
4. Folder: Watch this folder
5. Methodology: Use this method
6. Frequency: Daily/Weekly/Monthly
7. Time: When to run
8. Click Create

Managing Schedules¶

1. View active schedules
2. Pause/resume schedule
3. Edit schedule settings
4. See schedule results
5. Delete when no longer needed

Schedule History¶

View scheduled organization results:

1. Click Schedule → History
2. See all past runs
3. Details for each run:
4. Date/time
5. Files organized
6. Success/failures
7. Export results if needed

Best Practices¶

Before Organizing¶

• Backup: Make backup of important files
• Review: Check files for duplicates
• Plan: Decide on methodology first
• Test: Use dry-run on small sample first

During Organization¶

• Monitor: Watch progress
• Avoid Edits: Don't modify files while organizing
• Keep Power: Ensure system stays on
• Good Connection: Stable network if remote

After Organization¶

• Verify: Check organized files
• Update: Update any shortcuts/links
• Share: Let users know new locations
• Document: Record organization decisions

Troubleshooting¶

Files Not Organizing¶

• Check file permissions
• Ensure destination folder exists
• Verify methodology settings
• Try dry-run to see issues

Duplicates Found¶

• Review duplicates before organizing
• Use duplicate detection to clean up
• Decide which to keep
• Then organize

Slow Performance¶

• Organize in smaller batches
• Close other applications
• Use wired connection if possible
• Check available disk space

Next Steps¶

• File Management
• Analysis & Search
• Settings