RustleFlow is a batch file organizer for desktop and Android. It supports Clean, Rename, Transfer, and Sync. This guide follows the actual UI workflow so you can complete tasks step by step.

---

Table of Contents

1. Install & Launch
2. UI Overview
3. General Workflow
4. Filter Reference
5. Task: Clean / Delete
6. Task: Batch Rename
7. Task: Copy / Move
8. Task: Sync / Backup
9. Preferences & About
10. Android Notes
11. Step-by-Step Examples
12. Notes & FAQ

---

Install & Launch

• Google Drive
• 百度网盘
• 夸克网盘

Desktop (Windows / macOS / Linux)

1. Open the cloud drive link above and download the installation package for the corresponding platform.
2. Launch RustleFlow. A window of at least 900×900 is recommended for the four-section workflow.
3. Language follows the system by default; switch in Preferences → Language.

Android

1. Install the APK, or install from a store channel that distributes the AAB build.
2. On first launch, grant storage / all-files access or folder browsing will fail.
3. The mobile layout matches desktop logic; controls stack vertically on small screens.

---

UI Overview

The main screen has four sections — work top to bottom:

Section	Purpose
① Source	Pick a folder, set filters (extension, regex, size, include/exclude), and scan
② Task type	Switch among Clean / Rename / Transfer / Sync and configure task options
③ Target	Set the destination path (not needed for clean-only tasks), preview, and run
④ Preview & log	Review scan results or previews, select items, read execution logs

The title bar / toolbar also provides:

• Preferences — undo grace period, theme, custom sync defaults, about documents
• Cancel — stop the current scan or batch job immediately
• Help (mobile) — short notes on filters and task entry points

---

General Workflow

For every task type, follow this rhythm:

Pick source → Set filters → Choose task type → Configure options
    → Scan or preview → Review & select in terminal → Execute
    → (Optional) Cancel during the progress-bar countdown

Pick a source folder

1. Paste a path in the source field, or click 📂 Browse to open the system folder dialog.
2. On desktop, the dialog opens at the current field path when valid; otherwise it falls back to the home directory.
3. When set, the status bar shows that the source is connected.

Scan

1. Configure filters, then click 🔍 Scan.
2. Watch progress in the log area; click Cancel to abort.
3. Matched files appear in the Preview & log terminal with name, path, and size.

Terminal actions

• Selection — only checked items are processed; use Select all / Select none.
• Load more — paginated results for large lists.
• Clear list — removes the current scan result from the UI only; does not delete files on disk.

Undo & progress bar

Destructive batch operations (delete, rename, move, copy, sync) enter a queued task with a countdown bar:

1. Click Cancel before the countdown ends to stop files that have not started yet.
2. Duration is set in Preferences → Progress time. 0 seconds skips the buffer.
3. After the bar completes, this cancel path no longer applies.

---

Filter Reference

Filters live in the Source section and apply during scan.

File extensions

• Enter extensions separated by commas, e.g. jpg, png, raw.
• Open the extension panel to pick common categories (images, RAW, video, documents, etc.).
• ★ Save / ⚡ Default — persist the current extension set for the next launch.

Name match (regex)

• Leave empty to skip filename filtering.
• Example: .*IMG.* matches names containing IMG.

Size range

• Min/max in MB; leave a side empty for no limit on that side.

Include / Exclude rules

Click Include or Exclude to open the rule dialog. Syntax is similar to .gitignore — one rule per line:

Example	Meaning
*.tmp	Files ending in .tmp
temp_*	Names starting with temp_
node_modules	A folder named node_modules
photos/**	Everything under photos/

• Include (whitelist) — keep only matching files/folders.
• Exclude (blacklist) — remove matches from results.
• Both can be used together; test on a small folder first to confirm the combined effect.

Other options

Option	Description
Include subfolders	When off, only the current directory level is scanned
Move to trash	Send deletions to the system recycle bin when supported
Include dot files	Off by default (skips .env, .gitignore, etc.); enabling shows a risk warning

---

Task: Clean / Delete

Use for empty folders, temp files, or deleting scan matches.

Steps

1. Source — pick a folder; set filters (e.g. extensions tmp, bak or exclude important paths).
2. Task type — stay on 🧹 Clean / Delete.
3. Scan, review the terminal list, uncheck anything that must not be deleted.
4. Run one of:

• 🗑️ Delete N items — delete checked files.
• 🧹 Clean all empty folders — recursively remove empty directories (ignores file checkboxes).

5. Cancel during the progress bar if needed.

Notes

• Check filters before delete, especially with dot files enabled.
• When cleaning empty folders, permission-denied paths are skipped and summarized.

---

Task: Batch Rename

Use for date prefixes on photos or bulk string replacement in filenames.

Steps

1. Source — pick a folder and scan (narrow extensions first if needed, e.g. jpg, raw).
2. Task type — 🏷️ Rename.
3. Choose a mode:

Mode A: Date prefix

Setting	Description
Date format	strftime style, e.g. %Y-%m-%d_; use the panel to insert Y/M/D tokens
Date source	Smart / EXIF original / Modified / Created / EXIF digitized
Replace existing date prefix	Whether to overwrite a similar prefix already in the name

Date source details:

• Smart — EXIF capture time first, then digitized time, EXIF date, modified, created.
• EXIF original — DateTimeOriginal only; no EXIF means no date.
• Modified / Created — filesystem timestamps.

Mode B: Regex replace

Setting	Description
Find	Text or regex, e.g. IMG_
Replace with	Replacement text

1. Click 👁️ Preview and review Original → New in the terminal.
2. Check items to apply, then Confirm / Apply rename.
3. Cancel during the progress bar if needed.

Notes

• Run preview before applying renames.
• Name collisions in the same folder may fail or overwrite.

---

Task: Copy / Move

Use for archiving to backup drives, tidying downloads, or flattening asset folders.

Steps

1. Source — pick and scan.
2. Task type — 📂 Copy / Move.
3. Options:

Option	Description
Copy	Keep sources; create copies at the target
Move	Remove files from the source after moving
Original structure	Preserve relative folder hierarchy under the target
Flatten	Drop all matched files into the target root (no subfolders)

1. Target — path must differ from source.
2. Preview source → target mapping.
3. Check items, then Start copy or Start move.

Notes

• Move removes files from the source path.
• Flatten mode may overwrite same-named files.

---

Task: Sync / Backup

Use for keeping two folders aligned across devices or merging updates.

Steps

1. Source — left / reference folder.
2. Task type — 🔄 Sync / Backup.
3. Target — right folder.
4. Pick a sync mode, then ⚖️ Compare and review differences in the terminal.

Sync modes

Mode	Summary
Mirror	Right matches left; extra files on the right are deleted
Update (incremental)	Copy new files from left to right; does not delete extras on the right
Two-way	Merge both sides; newer wins on conflict
Custom	Per conflict type: left-only, right-only, left newer, right newer

In Custom mode, each conflict type can be handled separately (e.g. left-only → copy to right / delete left / skip). Preferences → Custom sync defaults sets the initial panel when you open Custom.

1. Check diff rows, then 🚀 Execute sync.
2. Mirror and Two-way modify or delete files on the target side — confirm paths before running.

---

Preferences & About

Open Preferences from the title bar / toolbar:

Setting	Description
Progress time	Cancel window for batch jobs (seconds); 0 disables the buffer
Default theme	Light / Dark / System
Custom sync defaults	Default conflict actions for Sync → Custom
Language	中文 / English
About	Changelog, privacy policy, disclaimer, user guide

About documents open in an in-app panel and work offline (content matches the installed version).

---

Android Notes

1. Permissions — if prompted, open settings and grant all-files or equivalent access, then return to the app.
2. Folder picker — browse level by level; inaccessible paths offer retry or go up.
3. Layout — same four sections as desktop; filters use full-screen or bottom sheets.
4. Performance — keep the app in the foreground during large scans to avoid the OS killing the task.

---

Step-by-Step Examples

Example 1: Extract RAW and video from a card

Goal: Copy only RAW and MOV; skip JPG thumbnails.

1. Source → card root or DCIM.
2. Include:

 *.RAW
 *.raw
 *.MOV
 *.mov

3. Exclude: *.JPG, *.THM (adjust as needed).
4. Task → Copy / Move → Copy, Original structure.
5. Target → archive folder on disk.
6. Scan → Preview → select → Start copy.

Example 2: Archive PSD sources after a project

1. Source → project folder; extensions psd,ai or use the extension panel.
2. Task → Rename → date prefix %Y%m%d_, date source EXIF original or Modified.
3. Scan → Preview → Execute.
4. Switch to Transfer → backup drive → Preview → Start copy.

Example 3: Clean temp files but protect work folders

1. Source → drive or parent folder.
2. Exclude example:

 Documents/**
 Projects/**

3. Extensions tmp,bak,log or a regex for temp names.
4. Task → Clean → Scan → review carefully → Delete.
5. Enable Move to trash when available.

Example 4: Mirror a work folder to a laptop

1. Source → desktop Work folder.
2. Task → Sync → Mirror (confirm the right side may be overwritten).
3. Target → matching folder on the laptop.
4. Compare → review deletes/copies → Execute sync.

---

Notes & FAQ

Operation notes

1. Test new rules on a subfolder first.
2. Use preview for rename, transfer, and sync; verify checkboxes before delete.
3. Include dot files matches .env, .git, and other hidden items.
4. Mirror sync deletes extra files on the target.
5. Progress time 0 disables the cancel window.

FAQ

Q: Scan returns nothing?
Check the path, filters (overly strict include rules, typos in extensions, size range), and whether subfolders are disabled.

Q: Rename preview shows 0 changes?
No matching files, or the chosen date source has no data (e.g. EXIF original on non-EXIF files).

Q: Source and target cannot be the same?
Transfer and sync require different left/right paths.

Q: Android cannot list a folder?
Check storage permission; some system paths are sandboxed — pick an accessible location.

Q: How to report bugs or request features?
Email support@physchen.com or use the survey links in Preferences.