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Tanmaya Naik
Tanmaya Naik

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Turning ASCII folder trees into real project structures (built this while experimenting)

When I’m experimenting with ideas or teaching myself through notes and small demos, I often sketch out folder structures as ASCII trees in my journal or docs.

project/
├── src/
│   ├── app.py
│   └── utils.py
├── README.md
└── requirements.txt
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The structure itself usually comes first, before any framework or CLI. What I kept running into was the repetitive part — manually recreating that exact structure every time just to start experimenting.

So I built a small utility for myself that takes an ASCII folder tree and materializes it into an actual folder structure you can download as a ZIP.

I’m curious how others handle this when they’re:

  • experimenting with ideas
  • writing docs or notes for themselves
  • creating small demo or repro projects

Do you usually rely on framework CLIs, scripts, or just create things manually as you go?

Link (for context):

https://tancannon2003.pythonanywhere.com/tools/ascii-tree-to-zip

Would love honest feedback on whether this fits into anyone else’s workflow.

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