File Monitor

Real-time file system monitoring tool with simple terminal interface and comprehensive logging capabilities.

Quick Start

One-Command Setup & Run

git clone https://github.com/your-username/FileMonitor.git
cd FileMonitor
chmod +x setup_and_run.sh
./setup_and_run.sh

This script will:

• Install all dependencies (GCC, Python packages)
• Build the C monitoring program
• Create configuration files
• Set up test environment
• Launch interactive menu

Manual Installation

1. Install dependencies:

   # Ubuntu/Debian
   sudo apt update && sudo apt install gcc libjson-c-dev python3-pip
   
   # Fedora/RHEL
   sudo dnf install gcc json-c-devel python3-pip
   
   # Arch Linux
   sudo pacman -S gcc json-c python-pip

2. Install Python packages:

   pip3 install --user -r requirements.txt

3. Build the monitor:

   python3 src/fmon.py build -t all

Usage

Interactive Mode (Recommended)

python3 src/interactive_menu.py
# or
python3 src/fmon.py --interactive

Use arrow keys to navigate through options:

• Start/stop monitoring
• View logs and status
• Configure settings
• Test monitoring

Command Line Interface

Start monitoring current directory:

python3 src/fmon.py start . --background

Monitor parent directory (project root):

python3 src/fmon.py start . --parent --background

Monitor project root automatically:

python3 src/fmon.py start . --project-root --background

Enhanced monitoring with unlimited capacity:

python3 src/fmon.py start /large/directory --enhanced --background

Monitor parent directory with specific levels:

python3 src/fmon.py start /path/to/dir --parent --levels 3 --background

Check status (supports all monitor types):

python3 src/fmon.py status

View performance statistics:

python3 src/fmon.py perf

View recent logs:

python3 src/fmon.py logs show
python3 src/fmon.py logs show --enhanced  # Enhanced monitor logs

Real-time log monitoring:

python3 src/fmon.py logs tail
python3 src/fmon.py logs tail --enhanced  # Enhanced monitor logs

Stop monitoring:

python3 src/fmon.py stop

Configuration

Edit monitor.conf to customize monitoring:

# Enable recursive directory monitoring
recursive=true

# Monitor specific file extensions
extension=js
extension=html
extension=css
extension=py
extension=json

Configuration commands:

# Set extensions
python3 src/fmon.py config set extensions txt,py,js

# Set recursive mode
python3 src/fmon.py config set recursive true

# Show current config
python3 src/fmon.py config show

Features in Detail

Enhanced Monitoring System

• Three monitor types: Basic, Advanced (with checksums), Enhanced (dynamic scaling)
• Dynamic watch management: No hard limits on watched directories
• Real-time statistics: Memory usage, event counts, watch statistics
• Automatic scaling: Watch capacity expands based on needs
• Performance metrics: JSON-based statistics with detailed monitoring info

Parent Directory & Project Monitoring

• Parent directory monitoring: Monitor 1-5 levels up from current directory
• Project root detection: Automatically detect .git, package.json, requirements.txt, etc.
• Smart targeting: Monitor entire project from any subdirectory
• Flexible levels: Choose how many parent levels to monitor

Real-time Monitoring

• File events: Create, modify, delete, move, attribute changes
• Directory monitoring: Recursive or single-level
• Performance: Low CPU usage with inotify
• Filtering: Extension-based filtering for focused monitoring
• Unlimited capacity: Enhanced monitor handles large directory trees

Logging & Analysis

• Comprehensive logs: All events with timestamps
• Enhanced statistics: Real-time metrics in JSON format
• Log viewing: Show recent entries or real-time monitoring
• Log rotation: Automatic log management for enhanced monitor
• Color-coded logs: Error, info, and debug level highlighting

Advanced Usage

Enhanced Monitoring

# Start enhanced monitoring with unlimited capacity
python3 src/fmon.py start /large/project --enhanced --background

# Monitor with project root detection
python3 src/fmon.py start . --project-root --enhanced --background

# View enhanced statistics
python3 src/fmon.py perf  # Shows both basic and enhanced stats

# View enhanced logs with color coding
python3 src/fmon.py logs show --enhanced
python3 src/fmon.py logs tail --enhanced

Parent Directory Monitoring

# Monitor parent directory (1 level up)
python3 src/fmon.py start . --parent --background

# Monitor specific levels up
python3 src/fmon.py start /project/src --parent --levels 2 --background

# Auto-detect and monitor project root
python3 src/fmon.py start . --project-root --background

Background Monitoring

# Start background monitoring
python3 src/fmon.py start /home/user/projects --background

# Enhanced background monitoring
python3 src/fmon.py start . --enhanced --project-root --background

# Check if running (shows all monitor types)
python3 src/fmon.py status

# View logs while running
python3 src/fmon.py logs tail

Performance Monitoring

# View real-time performance statistics
python3 src/fmon.py perf

# Monitor performance in real-time
watch -n 2 'python3 src/fmon.py perf'

Log Viewing

# Show recent logs
python3 src/fmon.py logs show

# Real-time log monitoring
python3 src/fmon.py logs tail

Custom Configuration

# Set custom extensions
python3 src/fmon.py config set extensions js,ts,jsx,tsx
python3 src/fmon.py config set recursive true

# View current config
python3 src/fmon.py config show

Project Structure

FileMonitor/
├── src/                    # Source code
│   ├── main.c             # C monitoring program (basic)
│   ├── advanced_monitor.c # C monitoring program (advanced with checksums)
│   ├── enhanced_monitor.c # C monitoring program (enhanced with dynamic scaling)
│   ├── fmon.py            # Python CLI interface
│   └── interactive_menu.py # Interactive menu system
├── docs/                   # Documentation
│   ├── QUICK_START.md     # Quick start guide
│   └── ENHANCED_FEATURES.md # Enhanced features guide
├── build/                 # Built executables
├── enhanced_stats.json   # Enhanced monitor statistics
├── enhanced_monitor.log  # Enhanced monitor logs
├── setup_and_run.sh      # Setup script
├── requirements.txt      # Python dependencies
└── README.md             # This file

Development

Building from Source

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/FileMonitor.git
cd FileMonitor

# Build C programs
python3 src/fmon.py build -t all

# Install Python dependencies
pip3 install --user -r requirements.txt

Testing

# Test basic monitoring
python3 src/fmon.py start test_monitoring --background
echo "test content" > test_monitoring/test.txt
python3 src/fmon.py logs show
python3 src/fmon.py stop

# Test enhanced monitoring
python3 src/fmon.py start . --enhanced --background
touch test_file.txt
python3 src/fmon.py perf  # View enhanced statistics
python3 src/fmon.py logs show --enhanced
python3 src/fmon.py stop

# Test parent directory monitoring
mkdir -p project/src
cd project/src
python3 ../../src/fmon.py start . --parent --background
echo "test" > ../test.txt  # Create file in parent
python3 ../../src/fmon.py logs show
python3 ../../src/fmon.py stop

Requirements

• OS: Linux (uses inotify)
• Compiler: GCC
• Libraries: json-c, pthread, openssl, zlib, pcre
• Python: 3.6+
• Python packages: rich, click, inquirer, psutil

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built with Rich for terminal output
• Uses Click for CLI framework
• Interactive menus powered by Inquirer

Documentation

• Quick Start Guide - Get started quickly
• Enhanced Features Guide - Detailed guide for new capabilities

---

Monitoring

mwah!