Inspiration

Recently, I tried to make a simple app to locally convert some files into PDFs, and realized that there are many Python file conversion libraries that simply don't work or aren't being updated/maintained.

What it does

The-file-tool is a Python library installable from PyPi that allows users to convert many different types of files into other files. As of right now its limited to three categories: Images, documents, and data.

How we built it

I built the-file-tool in VS Code using Python. I also used uv for my packaging and distribution.

Challenges we ran into

I had never built a library before today. I had no real idea how to do that when I started coding Saturday morning. On top of that, this project involved a whole host of libraries I had no real experience using. I had to read documentation and learn as I went.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I managed to get my distribution working with PyPi, which I had heard was something many new devs struggle with, so I'm proud of being able to figure it out within a day.

What we learned

During this project, I learned the following: How to utilize multiple files in a Python project, how to build a distribution with uv, how to get a library on PyPi for others to use, and how to use many new Python libraries.

What's next for The File Tool

I plan to continue working on The File Tool, as it is a project that I would easily use for my own use in projects. I also plan to make comprehensive documentation and open the project up to open source contributions.

Built With

Share this project:

Updates