Daft Logic List Folder Contents Explained: Features & ExamplesDaft Logic’s “List Folder Contents” is a small but powerful web tool designed to quickly generate a plain-text listing of files and folders from a given directory on your computer. It’s especially handy when you need a simple inventory of file names (with optional sizes, dates, and attributes) to paste into documents, share with colleagues, or use in scripts. This article explains the main features, shows practical examples, and offers tips and common use cases.
What the tool does (overview)
Daft Logic List Folder Contents converts a directory listing into a clean, copyable text output. It runs in your browser and accepts drag-and-dropped files or pasted file lists from file manager windows. Instead of producing a formatted table or spreadsheet, it focuses on a straightforward, human-readable or machine-friendly text list that you can customize.
Key outputs include:
- File names (default)
- Optional file sizes
- Optional timestamps (modified/created)
- Optional full paths or relative paths
- Optional attributes (e.g., directories vs. files)
How it works (interaction modes)
There are two primary ways to provide input to the tool:
- Drag-and-drop files and folders from your operating system into the browser window. The browser’s file API supplies details the tool parses and formats.
- Paste a list copied from your file manager (e.g., Windows Explorer, macOS Finder) directly into the input area. The tool recognizes common clipboard formats and extracts file names and paths.
Because it runs in the browser, nothing needs to be uploaded to a server — the parsing happens locally in your machine’s browser session.
Main features
- Customizable output format: choose whether to include sizes, dates, or full paths.
- Sorting options: sort alphabetically, by type (folders first), by size, or by date.
- Filtering: exclude certain file types or include only specified extensions.
- Copy-to-clipboard: quickly copy the generated list for use elsewhere.
- Lightweight and privacy-friendly: file details are processed locally; no files are uploaded.
Use case examples
- Simple file name list for documentation
- Situation: You need to list files in a project folder for README documentation.
- Action: Drag the folder into Daft Logic, uncheck size/date options, copy the list.
- Result: A clean list of file names you can paste into README or issue tracker.
- Preparing an inventory with sizes for storage planning
- Situation: You must report which files consume the most space.
- Action: Enable size display and sort by descending size.
- Result: A prioritized list showing large files first for archiving decisions.
- Creating a list with timestamps for auditing
- Situation: QA needs a record of file modification dates.
- Action: Enable modified timestamps and filter to recent months.
- Result: A list used in audits or change logs showing when files changed.
- Filtering by extension for content migration
- Situation: Migrate only image files (.jpg, .png) from a folder tree.
- Action: Set filter to include only .jpg and .png, include full paths.
- Result: A path list you can feed into migration scripts or batch copy tools.
Practical examples (sample outputs)
Simple names only:
index.html styles.css app.js README.md images/ images/logo.png With sizes and dates:
index.html 4.2 KB 2025-02-10 14:33 styles.css 2.0 KB 2025-01-21 09:12 app.js 85.4 KB 2025-02-11 18:05 README.md 1.1 KB 2024-11-30 07:40 images/ <DIR> 2025-02-01 12:00 images/logo.png 15.7 KB 2025-02-01 12:00 Paths for scripting:
/Projects/Website/index.html /Projects/Website/styles.css /Projects/Website/app.js Tips and best practices
- When sharing lists that include paths, remove or obfuscate sensitive directory names.
- For large folders, use filtering to limit the output to relevant file types before copying.
- Combine the generated list with simple shell or PowerShell scripts to automate bulk operations (e.g., copy, move, compress).
- If you need CSV import into spreadsheets, use the size/date options and then paste into a CSV-aware editor or convert with a simple script.
Limitations
- The tool depends on the browser’s file APIs, so very deep recursive scans of huge directory trees may be slow or limited by clipboard size.
- It does not perform file transfers, permissions changes, or server-side indexing — it only formats listings.
- Some file metadata (like Windows “hidden” attribute) may not be exposed in all browsers.
Alternatives and when to use them
Use Daft Logic List Folder Contents when you want a quick, local, privacy-preserving way to produce readable file listings without installing software. For more advanced needs (scheduled indexing, remote servers, large-scale backups), consider dedicated tools:
- Command-line: ls, dir, tree, find (for scripting and automation)
- GUI file managers with export plugins
- Dedicated inventory/indexing software for enterprise use
Conclusion
Daft Logic’s List Folder Contents is a practical, browser-based utility for quickly turning folders into clear, adjustable text lists — ideal for documentation, audits, simple migrations, and quick inventories. Its local processing preserves privacy while offering useful options like sizes, timestamps, sorting, and filtering to tailor outputs to diverse workflows.
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