BytexGrid/NeatShift: A modern Windows file organization tool with symbolic link support

Organize your files without breaking anything

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NeatShift is a modern Windows application that helps you organize files and folders while maintaining their accessibility through symbolic links.

• 🔗 Smart File Movement: Move files while maintaining access through symbolic links
• 🛡️ Safe Operations: Automatic system restore point creation for safety
• 🎨 Modern UI: Clean Windows 11 style interface with dark/light theme support
• ⚡ Drag and Drop: Easy file and folder selection
• 🔍 Link Management: View and manage existing symbolic links
• ⚠️ Error Prevention: Smart validation and error handling

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Choose either:
   • NeatShift.exe (single file, larger size)
   • NeatShift-Release.zip (compressed package)
3. Run NeatShift.exe
   • No installation needed
   • No .NET runtime required (included in the package)

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/BytexGrid/NeatShift.git  

2. Open NeatShift.sln in Visual Studio 2022
3. Required tools:
   • Visual Studio 2022 (any edition)
   • .NET 6.0 SDK
   • Windows SDK 10.0.19041.0 or later
4. Build and run:
   • Set NeatShift as startup project
   • Build solution (F6)
   • Run with debugging (F5)

Visit our Wiki for detailed documentation:

• Windows 7 SP1 or later
• Administrator privileges
• 100 MB free disk space

• Windows 10/11
• SSD for faster file operations
• System Restore enabled (for safety features)

NeatShift requires administrator privileges for two essential functions:

1. Creating Symbolic Links: Windows security model requires elevated privileges to create symbolic links. This is a system-level security requirement to prevent potential misuse of links.
2. System Restore Points: Creating system restore points requires access to system protection settings, which is only available with administrator rights.

NeatShift is currently in testing phase. While we implement safety measures like automatic system restore points, please note:

1. Manual Backups: We strongly recommend creating manual system restore points or file backups before using the application
2. Testing Phase: The application is under active development and testing
3. No Warranty: The software is provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind
4. User Responsibility: Always verify symbolic links are working as expected after moving files

Need help or want to request a feature?

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/.