Medios-Macina/ANALYSIS_export_store_vs_get_file.md

""" Analysis: Export-Store vs Get-File cmdlet

=== FINDINGS ===

1. GET-FILE ALREADY EXISTS AND IS SUFFICIENT

   • Located: cmdlets/get_file.py
   • Purpose: Export files from any store backend to local path
   • Usage: @1 | get-file -path C:\Downloads
   • Supports: Explicit -path, configured output dir, custom filename
   • Works with: All storage backends (Folder, HydrusNetwork, RemoteStorage)

2. ARCHITECTURE COMPARISON

   GET-FILE (current): ✓ Takes hash + store name as input ✓ Queries backend.get_metadata(hash) to find file details ✓ For Folder: Returns direct Path from database ✓ For HydrusNetwork: Downloads to temp location via HTTP ✓ Outputs file to specified directory ✓ Supports both input modes: explicit (-hash, -store) and piped results

   EXPORT-STORE (hypothetical): ✗ Would be redundant with get-file ✗ Would only work with HydrusNetwork (not Folder, Remote, etc.) ✗ No clear advantage over get-file's generic approach ✗ More specialized = less reusable

3. RECOMMENDED PATTERN

   Sequence for moving files between stores:

   search-store -store home | get-file -path /tmp/staging | add-file -storage test

   This reads:

   1. Search Hydrus "home" instance
   2. Export matching files to staging
   3. Import to Folder "test" storage

4. FINDINGS ON THE @2 SELECTION ERROR

   Debug output shows: "[debug] first-stage: sel=[1] rows=1 items=4"

   This means:

   • User selected @2 (second item, index=1 in 0-based)
   • Table object had only 1 row
   • But items_list had 4 items

   CAUSE: Mismatch between displayed rows and internal items list

   Possible reasons: a) Table display was incomplete (only showed first row) b) set_last_result_table() wasn't called correctly c) search-store didn't add all 4 rows to table object

   FIX: Add better validation in search-store and result table handling

5. DEBUG IMPROVEMENTS MADE

   Added to add_file.py run() method:

   • Log input result type and length
   • Show first item details: title, hash (truncated), store
   • Log resolved source details
   • Show validation failures with context

   This will help debug "no items matched" errors in future

6. STORE FIELD IN RESULTS

   Current behavior:

   • search-store results show store="hydrus" (generic)
   • Should show store="home" or store="work" (specific instance)

   Next improvement:

   • Update search-store to use FileStorage.list_backends() logic
   • Use dynamic store detection like .pipe cmdlet does
   • Show actual instance names in results table

=== RECOMMENDATIONS ===

1. DO NOT create export-store cmdlet

   • get-file is already generic and works for all backends
   • Adding export-store adds confusion without benefit

2. DO improve search-store display

   • Import FileStorage and populate store names correctly
   • Show "home" instead of "hydrus" when result is from Hydrus instance
   • Similar to the .pipe cmdlet refactoring

3. DO fix the selection/table registration issue

   • Verify set_last_result_table() is being called with correct items list
   • Ensure every row added to table has corresponding item
   • Add validation: len(table.rows) == len(items_list)

4. DO use the new debug logs in add_file

   • Run: @2 | add-file -storage test
   • Observe: [add-file] INPUT result details
   • This will show if result is coming through correctly """