Export Formats¶

Recursivist can export directory structures to several different formats to suit different needs. This page explains each format and provides examples.

Available Formats¶

Basic Export Command¶

To export the current directory structure:

recursivist export --format FORMAT

Replace FORMAT with one of: txt, json, html, md, or jsx.

Exporting to Multiple Formats¶

You can export to multiple formats in a single command:

recursivist export --format "txt json html md jsx"

Specifying Output Directory¶

By default, exports are saved to the current directory. You can specify a different output directory:

recursivist export --format md --output-dir ./exports

Customizing Filename Prefix¶

By default, all exports use the prefix structure. You can specify a different prefix:

recursivist export --format json --prefix my-project

This will create a file named my-project.json.

Including File Statistics¶

All export formats support including file statistics:

# Include lines of code
recursivist export --format html --sort-by-loc

# Include file sizes
recursivist export --format json --sort-by-size

# Include modification times
recursivist export --format md --sort-by-mtime

# Combine multiple statistics
recursivist export --format txt --sort-by-loc --sort-by-size

Format Details¶

Text Format (TXT)¶

The text format provides a simple ASCII tree representation that can be viewed in any text editor:

📂 my-project
├── 📁 src
│   ├── 📄 main.py
│   ├── 📄 utils.py
│   └── 📁 tests
│       ├── 📄 test_main.py
│       └── 📄 test_utils.py
├── 📄 README.md
├── 📄 requirements.txt
└── 📄 setup.py

With file statistics:

📂 my-project (4328 lines)
├── 📁 src (3851 lines)
│   ├── 📄 main.py (245 lines)
│   ├── 📄 utils.py (157 lines)
│   └── 📁 tests (653 lines)
│       ├── 📄 test_main.py (412 lines)
│       └── 📄 test_utils.py (241 lines)
├── 📄 README.md (124 lines)
├── 📄 requirements.txt (18 lines)
└── 📄 setup.py (65 lines)

Export to text format with:

recursivist export --format txt

JSON Format¶

The JSON format provides a structured representation that can be easily parsed by other tools or scripts:

{
  "root": "my-project",
  "structure": {
    "_files": ["README.md", "requirements.txt", "setup.py"],
    "src": {
      "_files": ["main.py", "utils.py"],
      "tests": {
        "_files": ["test_main.py", "test_utils.py"]
      }
    }
  }
}

With file statistics:

{
  "root": "my-project",
  "structure": {
    "_loc": 4328,
    "_files": [
      { "name": "README.md", "path": "README.md", "loc": 124 },
      { "name": "requirements.txt", "path": "requirements.txt", "loc": 18 },
      { "name": "setup.py", "path": "setup.py", "loc": 65 }
    ],
    "src": {
      "_loc": 3851,
      "_files": [
        { "name": "main.py", "path": "main.py", "loc": 245 },
        { "name": "utils.py", "path": "utils.py", "loc": 157 }
      ],
      "tests": {
        "_loc": 653,
        "_files": [
          { "name": "test_main.py", "path": "test_main.py", "loc": 412 },
          { "name": "test_utils.py", "path": "test_utils.py", "loc": 241 }
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "show_loc": true,
  "show_size": false,
  "show_mtime": false
}

Export to JSON format with:

recursivist export --format json

HTML Format¶

The HTML format provides an interactive web-based visualization that includes:

• Proper styling for directories and files
• Color-coding based on file extensions
• File statistics display when enabled
• Mobile-friendly responsive design
• Clean, modern styling

Export to HTML format with:

recursivist export --format html

The generated HTML file can be opened in any web browser and includes appropriate styling and formatting.

Markdown Format (MD)¶

The Markdown format creates a representation that renders nicely on platforms like GitHub:

# 📂 my-project

- 📁 **src**
  - 📄 `main.py`
  - 📄 `utils.py`
  - 📁 **tests**
    - 📄 `test_main.py`
    - 📄 `test_utils.py`
- 📄 `README.md`
- 📄 `requirements.txt`
- 📄 `setup.py`

With file statistics:

# 📂 my-project (4328 lines)

- 📁 **src** (3851 lines)
  - 📄 `main.py` (245 lines)
  - 📄 `utils.py` (157 lines)
  - 📁 **tests** (653 lines)
    - 📄 `test_main.py` (412 lines)
    - 📄 `test_utils.py` (241 lines)
- 📄 `README.md` (124 lines)
- 📄 `requirements.txt` (18 lines)
- 📄 `setup.py` (65 lines)

Export to Markdown format with:

recursivist export --format md

React Component (JSX)¶

The JSX format creates a self-contained React component with an interactive directory tree viewer:

Features include:

• Collapsible folder structure
• Breadcrumb navigation
• File and path search functionality
• Path copying
• Dark/light mode toggle
• Tree navigation with keyboard shortcuts
• File statistics display when enabled
• Expand/collapse all buttons
• Mobile-responsive design
• Smooth animations and transitions

Export to React component format with:

recursivist export --format jsx

Using the React Component¶

To use the exported React component in your project:

1. Copy the generated .jsx file to your React project's components directory
2. Install the required dependencies:

   npm install lucide-react prop-types
   

3. Import and use the component in your application:

import DirectoryViewer from "./components/structure.jsx";

function App() {
  return (
    <div className="App">
      <DirectoryViewer />
    </div>
  );
}

The component is designed to be used with Tailwind CSS. If your project doesn't use Tailwind, you may need to adapt the component to use your preferred styling solution.

Export with Filtering¶

All of the filtering options available for the visualize command also work with the export command:

recursivist export \
--format md \
--exclude "node_modules .git" \
--exclude-ext .pyc \
--depth 3

This exports a Markdown representation of the directory structure, excluding node_modules and .git directories, as well as .pyc files, and limiting the depth to 3 levels.

Exporting Full Paths¶

By default, exports show only filenames. You can include full paths with the --full-path option:

recursivist export --format json --full-path

This is particularly useful for JSON exports that might be processed by other tools.

Comparison of Export Formats¶

Legend:

• ✅ Fully supported
• ⚠️ Partially supported
• ❌ Not supported