CopyKeeper

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A configurable Windows CLI for incremental folder backups, with an arrow-key menu to pick what gets copied or ignored.

CopyKeeper mirrors a source folder into a destination (e.g. a local drive or your OneDrive folder), skipping files that haven't changed. You manage everything — source, destination, ignore lists, and extra paths — from a simple interactive menu. No need to edit code.

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Features

• Interactive menu navigated entirely with the arrow keys (↑ ↓ + Enter, Esc to go back).
• Visual picker: see the real contents of your source folder split into two live lists — what gets copied and what gets ignored — and toggle items with Enter.
• Incremental copy: files with the same size and modification date are skipped, so re-runs are fast.
• Extras: include folders or files located outside the main source folder.
• Scheduled backups: run automatically via Windows Task Scheduler (daily or weekly) — set it up from the menu, no admin needed.
• Activity log with a summary (copied / ignored / errors / total time).
• Config lives outside the code in a JSON file, so your settings survive updates and reinstalls.
• Installer that adds a copykeeper command to your PATH — run it from any terminal.
• No administrator privileges required.

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Requirements

• Windows with PowerShell 5.1+ (included in Windows 10/11) or PowerShell 7+.
• That's it — no other dependencies.

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Installation

1. Download or clone this repository.
2. Double-click install.bat.

The installer will:

• Copy the program to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\CopyKeeper.
• Create the copykeeper launcher and add it to your user PATH.
• Create the config folder at %APPDATA%\CopyKeeper (seeded from backup-config.example.json).

Then open a new terminal (CMD or PowerShell) and run:

copykeeper

The PATH change only applies to new terminals, so close any open ones first.

Run without installing

You can also just double-click backup.bat to open the menu without installing anything.

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Usage

When you launch CopyKeeper you get the main menu:

============================================================
                    CopyKeeper - Projects
============================================================
 Origen : C:\Users\YourUser\Projects
 Destino: C:\Users\YourUser\OneDrive\Projects-backup
 Registro (log): ACTIVADO
 Carpetas ignoradas: 5    Archivos ignorados: 2    Extras: 0
------------------------------------------------------------
    Elegir QUE SE COPIA del origen  (ver y marcar)
    Ver configuracion completa
    Cambiar carpeta de ORIGEN
    Cambiar carpeta de DESTINO
    Carpetas a ignorar  (agregar / quitar a mano)
    Archivos a ignorar  (agregar / quitar a mano)
    Carpetas/archivos EXTRA a incluir  (agregar / quitar)
    Activar / desactivar registro (log)
    Programar copia automatica  (Windows)
  > >> EJECUTAR COPIA AHORA <<
    Salir
  (flechas para moverte - ENTER elige - ESC sale)

The title shows CopyKeeper - <source folder name>, updating automatically when you change the source.

The visual picker (option 1)

This is the easiest way to choose what to back up. It lists the actual items in your source folder, split into two sections:

 SE COPIAN  (13):        <- will be copied (green)
  > [CARPETA]  app-frontend
    [CARPETA]  app-backend
    ...
 SE IGNORAN  (11):       <- will be skipped (gray)
    [CARPETA]  node_modules
    ...

• ↑ ↓ to move through both lists.
• Enter moves the selected item to the other list (copy ⇄ ignore).
• Esc saves and returns.

Extras

Use "Carpetas/archivos EXTRA a incluir" to add full paths to folders or files that live outside the source folder. On each run:

• A folder is copied into the destination under its own name.
• A file is copied to the root of the destination.
• A missing path is reported and skipped.

Running a backup

Choose >> EJECUTAR COPIA AHORA << (highlighted in green). After a confirmation, CopyKeeper copies the source (minus ignored items) and then any extras, printing a summary at the end.

Scheduled (automatic) backups

Open "Programar copia automatica" to let CopyKeeper run on its own through the Windows Task Scheduler:

• Choose daily or weekly and the time (and day, for weekly).
• The task runs CopyKeeper in silent mode (backup.ps1 -Run) — it copies using your saved config without opening the menu, and records the result in the log file.
• You can view the current schedule or remove it from the same screen.
• No administrator privileges required (the task runs as your user).

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Configuration

Settings are stored in:

%APPDATA%\CopyKeeper\backup-config.json

You normally never edit this by hand — the menu does it for you — but here is the shape:

Key	Description
origen	Source folder to back up.
destino	Destination folder.
crearRegistro	true to write a log file.
archivoLog	Path of the log file.
carpetasAIgnorar	Folder names to skip (matched anywhere in the tree).
archivosAIgnorar	File names to skip (supports * and ? wildcards).
extras	Full paths (folders/files) to include in addition to the source.

See backup-config.example.json for a starting point.

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How it works

• backup.ps1 — the interactive CLI (menu, pickers, config management).
• copyFolders.ps1 — the copy engine. It walks the source recursively, applies the ignore lists, and copies only files that are new or changed (same size and last-write-time = skipped).

The CLI simply calls the engine with the values from your config. Extras are handled by calling the same engine once per extra path.

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Uninstall

Double-click uninstall.bat. It will:

1. Remove CopyKeeper from your PATH.
2. Delete the program folder.
3. Ask whether to also delete your configuration (%APPDATA%\CopyKeeper).

Notes

The menu uses [Console]::ReadKey() for arrow-key navigation, so always launch it through a real console window (backup.bat, install.bat, or the copykeeper command).

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License

MIT