readme

README.md

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+# File Wizard
+
+File Wizard is a self-hosted, browser-based utility for file conversion, OCR, and audio transcription. It features a modern drag-and-drop interface and a powerful, asynchronous backend to handle long-running tasks without tying up the browser.
+
+## Features
+
+  * **Versatile File Conversion:** Easily convert between various file formats. The system is designed to be extended with any command-line tool (like FFmpeg, ImageMagick, etc.) via a simple `settings.yml` configuration file.
+  * **High-Quality OCR:** Perform Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on PDFs and images to extract text.
+  * **Accurate Audio Transcription:** Transcribe audio files into text using high-performance Whisper models.
+  * **Modern UI & UX:**
+      * Clean, responsive, dark-themed interface.
+      * Drag-and-drop support for single or multiple files anywhere on the screen.
+      * Traditional multi-file selection buttons.
+      * A dialog to choose the desired action (Convert, OCR, Transcribe) for dropped files.
+  * **Real-time Updates & History:**
+      * Jobs are processed in the background, with the UI updating statuses in real-time via polling.
+      * A persistent job history table displays file names, tasks, submission times, file sizes (input → output), and final status.
+      * Timestamps are automatically displayed in the user's local timezone.
+      * Download links are provided for successfully processed files.
+      * Pending or processing jobs can be cancelled.
+  * **Easy Configuration:**
+      * All tools, models, and application settings are managed in a human-readable `settings.yml` file.
+      * A dedicated `/settings` page allows for viewing and editing the configuration directly from the UI.
+
+-----
+
+## Tech Stack 
+
+  * **Backend:** FastAPI (Python)
+  * **Frontend:** Vanilla HTML, CSS, JavaScript (no framework)
+  * **Task Queue:** Huey (with a SQLite backend)
+  * **Database:** SQLAlchemy (with a SQLite database)
+  * **Configuration:** YAML
+
+-----
+
+## Installation & Setup 
+
+To get File Wizard running, you need to run the web server and the background task processor separately.
+
+### With Docker
+Clone the Repo and make sure docker compose is working on your environment
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/LoredCast/filewizard.git
+cd filewizard
+```
+
+Startup Docker, initially the settings.yml file is applied, you can edit it.
+For You can edit the .env file for further configuration.
+
+```bash
+docker compose up -d
+```
+
+### Manually
+
+
+**1. Clone the Repository**
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/LoredCast/filewizard.git
+cd filewizard
+```
+
+**2. Create a Virtual Environment & Install Dependencies**
+
+```bash
+python -m venv venv
+source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows, use `venv\Scripts\activate`
+
+# Make sure you have a requirements.txt file with all dependencies
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+```
+
+*(**Note:** Dependencies include `fastapi`, `uvicorn`, `sqlalchemy`, `huey`, `faster-whisper`, `ocrmypdf`, `pytesseract`, `python-multipart`, `pyyaml`, etc.)*
+
+**3. Configure the Application**
+Copy the default settings file and customize it to your needs. This is where you define your conversion tools and other parameters.
+
+
+**4. Run the Web Server**
+This command starts the Webserver and Huey.
+
+```bash
+chmod +x run.sh
+./run.sh
+```
+
+
+-----
+
+## Usage 🖱️
+
+1.  Open your browser to `http://127.0.0.1:8000`.
+2.  **Drag and drop** any file or multiple files onto the page.
+3.  A dialog will appear asking you to choose an action: **Convert**, **OCR**, or **Transcribe**.
+4.  Alternatively, use the "Choose File" buttons in any of the three sections.
+5.  Your job will appear in the "History" table, and its status will update automatically.