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How to Build a CSV File Merger with GUI for macOS

Develop a macOS application with a simple GUI that allows users to merge multiple CSV files into a single file. The app features drag-and-drop functionality, progress tracking, data preview, and error reporting.

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Simple Summary

This coding plan outlines the development of a macOS application with a GUI for merging multiple CSV files into a single file, featuring drag-and-drop functionality and error reporting.

Product Requirements Document (PRD)

Goals:

  • Create a user-friendly macOS application for merging multiple CSV files
  • Provide both manual control and automated options for file selection
  • Ensure efficient processing without overloading system resources

Target Audience:

  • Users working with multiple CSV files across various projects

Key Features:

  1. Simple GUI interface
  2. Drag-and-drop functionality for file/folder selection
  3. CSV file concatenation capabilities
  4. Manual output filename specification
  5. Error reporting without halting the process
  6. Progress bar during merging
  7. Preview of merged data
  8. Option to save error reports

User Requirements:

  • Ability to merge 80-200 CSV files per project
  • Process completion within minutes
  • Flexibility to select individual files or entire directories
  • Option to specify output filename manually

User Flows

  1. File Selection:

    • User launches the application
    • User drags and drops CSV files or folders into the application window
    • Application recognizes and lists selected files

  2. Merging Process:

    • User specifies the output filename
    • User initiates the merge process
    • Application displays progress bar during merging
    • Application shows preview of merged data
    • Application generates error report if issues occur

  3. Output and Reporting:

    • Application saves the merged CSV file with the specified name
    • User can view and optionally save the error report

Technical Specifications

  • Programming Language: Python (recommended for data manipulation)
  • GUI Framework: A macOS-compatible framework (e.g., PyQt, wxPython)
  • CSV Processing: Python's built-in csv module or pandas library
  • File Handling: Python's os and shutil modules for file operations
  • Error Handling: Custom error logging and reporting system
  • Performance Optimization: Efficient CSV reading and writing techniques to handle multiple files without overloading system resources

API Endpoints

N/A

Database Schema

N/A

File Structure

csv_merger_app/ ├── main.py ├── gui/ │ ├── __init__.py │ ├── main_window.py │ └── components/ │ ├── __init__.py │ ├── file_drop_area.py │ ├── progress_bar.py │ └── data_preview.py ├── core/ │ ├── __init__.py │ ├── csv_merger.py │ └── error_handler.py ├── utils/ │ ├── __init__.py │ └── file_operations.py └── resources/ └── icons/

Implementation Plan

  1. Set up the development environment for macOS
  2. Create the basic GUI structure with drag-and-drop functionality
  3. Implement CSV file reading and merging logic
  4. Add progress bar and data preview features
  5. Develop error handling and reporting system
  6. Integrate all components in the main application
  7. Optimize performance for handling multiple files
  8. Conduct thorough testing with various CSV file sets
  9. Refine user interface based on testing feedback
  10. Prepare for deployment on macOS

Deployment Strategy

N/A

Design Rationale

The design decisions were made to create a user-friendly, efficient tool for merging CSV files on macOS. The drag-and-drop interface was chosen for its simplicity and speed in file selection. A GUI was preferred over command-line or web-based interfaces for ease of use and local execution. The focus on macOS simplifies development and allows for platform-specific optimizations. Error reporting without halting the process ensures users can identify issues without interrupting large merge operations. The preview feature and progress bar were included to provide users with real-time feedback during the merging process.