Datamodder File Tools (FileTools)

A Notepad++ plugin for tidying, validating and converting text data formats (YAML, JSON, CSV) plus a read-only Parquet preview.

64-bit Notepad++ only.

Status

Working:

• Reindent / tidy (Ctrl+Alt+Y) — normalise a block-style YAML document (tabs → spaces, consistent indent step, trailing-whitespace strip, blank-line cap, single trailing newline, nesting reset at --- / ...). Block-scalar bodies, unclosed flow collections and quoted text are left untouched.
• Format on Save (On / Off, persisted).
• JSON: pretty-print (indent from Settings), minify, sort keys, escape/unescape.
• CSV: align columns (quote mode from Settings), compact, delimiter convert, sort by column, transpose, add/remove quotes.
• Parquet (via duckdb.exe on PATH, next to the DLL, or a path set in Settings): Parquet → … previews a saved .parquet file in a new tab (read-only); … → Parquet writes a .parquet file next to the current document.
• Full conversion matrix — every format submenu carries every conversion from that format, so YAML/JSON/CSV/Parquet all reach each other (YAML routes through JSON; to/from Parquet needs duckdb.exe).
• Settings dialog (Settings...) — tabbed (YAML / JSON / CSV / Parquet / Behavior), INI-persisted, with named profiles (save/load/delete, export/import as JSON) — lifted from the FormatSQL plugin's dialog pattern.

The menu is grouped into YAML / JSON / CSV / Parquet submenus (built at NPPN_READY from the flat g_funcs list — see build_all_submenus).

Stubbed / planned — see DESIGN.md:

• Validate, YAML ↔ JSON, sort keys (with pinned keys), expand anchors, minify/flow, lint.

Build

Visual Studio C++ build tools required. From an elevated terminal:

build.cmd

Compiles the plugin, closes Notepad++, deploys FileTools.dll + help.txt to C:\Program Files\Notepad++\plugins\FileTools, and restarts Notepad++.

Test

test.cmd

Builds a console harness and diffs yaml_tidy output for test_docs.yaml against tests/golden_*.txt (profiles default and wide). When output changes on purpose, regenerate:

build\harness\test_harness.exe test_docs.yaml default > tests\golden_default.txt
build\harness\test_harness.exe test_docs.yaml wide    > tests\golden_wide.txt

Layout

src/yaml_tidy.{h,cpp}   the YAML reindenter — pure, no Windows deps, unit-tested
src/dllmain.cpp         Notepad++ plugin glue (self-declared NPP ABI)
src/settings.h          YamlSettings struct + load/save/dialog declarations
src/settings_dialog.cpp tabbed Settings dialog, INI persistence, profiles, About dialog
src/settings.rc         dialog resources, version resource + manifest
src/test_harness.cpp    console runner
test_docs.yaml          numbered test cases
tests/golden_*.txt      expected output per profile

License

MIT — see LICENSE.