FileMonitorApp

A minimal Qt C++ application that cyclically creates and deletes files in a folder while monitoring its contents using a state machine and threads.

• File Creation Thread: Cyclically creates files (file_XXXX.txt) with minimal text content.
• File Deletion Thread: Deletes the oldest file based on the consecutive number in the filename.
• State Machine: Monitors the directory and updates UI indicators:
  • Green: 1–20 files.
  • Red: 0 files.
  • Orange: >20 files.
• UI:
  • Button to choose the folder for file operations.
  • Button to start/stop file creation/deletion.
  • Button to select and open a file in the default text editor.
  • Dashboard showing status (color indicator and file count) and a list of files.
  • Spin boxes to adjust creation/deletion intervals (1000–10000 ms).

• Qt: Install Qt 5 or 6 (e.g., via Qt Online Installer).
• VS Code: Install Visual Studio Code.
• C++ Compiler: Ensure a C++ compiler (e.g., Clang) is installed (comes with Xcode on macOS).
• CMake or qmake: qmake is used by default (included with Qt).

• src/:
  • main.cpp: Application entry point.
  • MainWindow.cpp/h: Main UI window with buttons, dashboard, and interval controls.
  • FileCreator.cpp/h: Thread for cyclic file creation.
  • FileDeleter.cpp/h: Thread for cyclic file deletion.
  • FolderMonitor.cpp/h: State machine for monitoring folder contents.
• FileMonitorApp.pro: Qt project file for qmake.
• README.md: This file.

• Choose Folder: Click "Choose Folder" to select a directory for file operations (defaults to monitored_folder in the project directory).
• Start/Stop Operations: Click "Start Operations" to begin file creation/deletion; click "Stop Operations" to pause.
• Open File: Click "Open File" to select and open a .txt file from the monitored folder in the default text editor.
• Dashboard: Shows the status (color indicator and file count) and a list of files in the monitored folder.
• Adjust Intervals: Use the spin boxes to set creation/deletion intervals (1000–10000 ms). Default for Creation is 1000ms and Deletion is 5000ms

• The application uses QThread for file creation/deletion and QStateMachine for monitoring.
• Files are created as file_XXXX.txt (e.g., file_0001.txt) and deleted in order.
• The folder must have write permissions for file operations to succeed.

1. Install Qt:

   • Download and install Qt from www.qt.io.
   • Choose a Qt version (e.g., Qt 5.15 or 6.x) and install qmake.
   • Note the Qt installation path (e.g., /Users/youruser/Qt/5.15.2/clang_64).

2. Install VS Code:

   • Download and install VS Code from code.visualstudio.com.
   • Install the following extensions:
     • C/C++ (by Microsoft)
     • Qt Tools (optional, for Qt-specific features)

3. Set Up the Project:

   • Clone or create the project directory (FileMonitorApp) with the provided structure.
   • Ensure all files are placed as per the structure above.

4. Configure VS Code:

   • Open the FileMonitorApp folder in VS Code.
   • Create a tasks.json file in .vscode/ to build the project:

     {
         "version": "2.0.0",
         "tasks": [
             {
                 "label": "Build with qmake",
                 "type": "shell",
                 "command": "/Users/youruser/Qt/5.15.2/clang_64/bin/qmake FileMonitorApp.pro && make",
                 "group": {
                     "kind": "build",
                     "isDefault": true
                 },
                 "problemMatcher": ["$gcc"]
             }
         ]
     }

     • Replace /Users/youruser/Qt/5.15.2/clang_64/bin/qmake with your Qt qmake path.
   • Create a launch.json file in .vscode/ to run the application:

     {
         "version": "0.2.0",
         "configurations": [
             {
                 "name": "Run FileMonitorApp",
                 "type": "cppdbg",
                 "request": "launch",
                 "program": "${workspaceFolder}/FileMonitorApp",
                 "args": [],
                 "stopAtEntry": false,
                 "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
                 "environment": [],
                 "externalConsole": false,
                 "MIMode": "lldb"
             }
         ]
     }

5. Build the Project:

   • Open the VS Code Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P).
   • Select Tasks: Run Build Task to run the qmake and make commands.
   • The binary FileMonitorApp will be generated in the project directory.

6. Run the Application:

   • Press F5 or select Run > Start Debugging in VS Code to launch the application.
   • Alternatively, run ./FileMonitorApp from the terminal in the project directory.