M3 File Engine — List Scanner

Universal File Matcher & Batch Copier for Windows

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✨ Features

• ⚡ Single Standalone Executable (List Scanner.exe): Completely portable. Copy only List Scanner.exe into any working directory alongside list.txt and run! No .ps1 or .bat files required in that directory!
• 🎛️ Interactive Mode Selection on Launch: Choose between 4 flexible matching modes on launch, defaulting to ALL MODES automatically by simply pressing Enter.
• 🎯 Universal Extension Support: Scans and matches any file format (.png, .jpg, .pdf, .zip, .mp4, .exe, .doc, .csv, etc.) specified in list.txt.
• 🔍 Flexible Embedded Substring Matching: Locates files where list IDs appear anywhere as embedded substrings inside complex filenames (e.g. 8261 inside INV_8261_final.pdf).
• 🧹 Automatic Bullet & List Sanitization: Automatically strips list formatting prefixes (- , * , • , 1. , 1) ) copied from Markdown, Word, or emails.
• 🛡️ Smart Application Isolation: Protects application binaries (List Scanner.exe, build scripts, engine files) from being matched or copied.
• 📄 Standardized Professional Reports: Generates unified, beautifully structured report files (Missing Items.txt, Partial Matches.txt, Multiple Matches.txt, Copy Failures.txt, Verification Failures.txt).

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📂 Repository Structure

List_Scanner/
├── assets/
│   ├── icon.png               # High-Resolution HD App Icon (1024x1024)
│   └── icon.ico               # Auto-generated 256x256 multi-res Win32 Icon resource
├── src/
│   └── M3 File Engine.ps1     # Universal File Matcher & Copier Core Engine
├── build/
│   └── Build-Exe.ps1          # Automated C# / Win32 Standalone Executable Compiler
├── List Scanner.exe            # Ready-to-use Standalone Windows Executable (Version 1.0)
├── list.txt                   # Target items list file (Example)
├── .gitignore                 # GitHub ignore rules
└── README.md                  # Documentation & user guide

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🚀 Quick Start / How to Use

Step 1: Copy Executable

Copy List Scanner.exe into the folder containing the files you wish to scan.

Step 2: Create list.txt

In the same folder, create a plain text file named list.txt with item names (one per line).

Invoice1
Invoice2.pdf
- MZ0002561
Tax Report
8261

Note: Flexible List Inputs Supported:

• Without extension (Invoice1): Matches base name Invoice1 across any extension (Invoice1.pdf, Invoice1.docx, etc.).
• With extension (Invoice2.pdf): Performs exact filename matching.
• Bulleted / Formatted lines (- MZ0002561): Automatically strips bullet symbols (- , * , 1. ) to extract the core search ID.
• Embedded Substrings (8261): Matches files containing 8261 anywhere inside the filename (INV_8261_final.pdf).

Step 3: Run List Scanner.exe & Select Mode

Double-click List Scanner.exe.

1. The engine will open in a maximized console window and display the Matching Mode Selection Menu:
   • [1] ALL MODES (Default - Press Enter): Scans for exact filenames, base names, and embedded substrings.
   • [2] Full Filename with Extension Only
   • [3] BaseName without Extension Only
   • [4] Embedded Substring / Partial ID Only
2. Press Enter (or type 1 to 4 and hit Enter).
3. The engine creates a timestamped output directory: List Items (dd-MM-yyyy - HH.mm.ss).
4. Copies all matched files and performs post-copy file size verification.
5. Generates detailed report logs inside List Items (...)/Reports/.

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🛠️ How to Build from Source

If you modify src/M3 File Engine.ps1 or update assets/icon.png, you can re-compile List Scanner.exe with a single command using Windows' built-in C# compiler (csc.exe):

Open PowerShell in the repository root and run:

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "build/Build-Exe.ps1"

The build script will:

1. Generate assets/icon.ico from assets/icon.png.
2. Embed the script into a C# host template with full Win32 assembly metadata.
3. Compile a new standalone List Scanner.exe in the root folder.

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👤 Author & License

Created by Meet Mistry.

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.