This chapter presents you with a challenge: creating an advanced console app named DirInspect Pro. This app will empower you to thoroughly analyze any directory and gain insightful statistics about its files and subdirectories.

🏆 Challenge Awaits

Picture a scenario where you must navigate a labyrinth of folders containing crucial files and data. DirInspect Pro is your ally in this journey, providing comprehensive insights into the directory's structure and contents.

🚀 The Resulting App

Get ready to wield DirInspect Pro's capabilities. The app will furnish you with critical information, such as

• The total number of items;
• The aggregate size of all items;
• The largest file's name and size;
• The detailed list of individual file names and sizes.

Two Paths to Choose

You have two paths ahead.

• The first is to tackle this challenge head-on, honing your skills without guidance;
• The second is to follow a helpful guide that guarantees your success.

Whichever path you choose, you're in for a rewarding journey culminating in creating a captivating and functional console app.

Masterplan

• 👉 Step 1: Import Required Modules;
• 👉 Step 2: Define getStats Function;
• 👉 Step 3: Define analyzeFile Function;
• 👉 Step 4: Define analyzeDirectory Function;
• 👉 Step 5: Define main Function and Invoke;
• 🎉 Conclusion;
• 🏁 Full App Code.

Step 1: Import Required Modules

To embark on this adventure, you'll need the right tools. Begin by importing two key modules: fs.promises to manage the file system asynchronously and path to handle file paths effectively.

Step 2: Define getStats Function

The asynchronous function, getStats, takes a file or directory path as an argument and attempts to retrieve its statistics using fs.stat.

• If successful, it returns the statistics;
• If an error occurs, it logs an error message and returns null.

Step 3: Define analyzeFile Function

The analyzeFile function uses the getStats function to obtain statistics for a file. If statistics are available (not null), it returns an object containing the file's name (extracted using path.basename) and its size.

Step 4: Define analyzeDirectory Function

The analyzeDirectory function takes a directory path as an argument and comprehensively analyzes its contents.

• It begins by reading the items within the directory using fs.readdir and then iterates through each item;
• For each item, it constructs the full path using path.join and retrieves its statistics using the getStats function;
• If the stats indicate that the item is a file, it updates file-related statistics;
• If the item is a subdirectory, it recursively calls the analyzeDirectory function to analyze its contents and then aggregates the statistics.

Step 5: Define main Function and Invoke

The main function is the entry point of the script. It specifies the directory path to analyze (in this case, ./docs), calls the analyzeDirectory function to obtain the statistics of the directory and its contents, and then outputs the collected information. The function prints out

• The total number of items;
• The total number of files;
• The total size;
• The details about the largest file;
• The list of files in the directory.

🎉 Conclusion: Mastered Skills

With DirInspect Pro, you've mastered the art of analyzing directories like a pro. This console app showcases your ability to extract file statistics, handle errors seamlessly, and unveil meaningful insights about files and subdirectories within a specified directory.

👨‍💻 Full App Code