📥 File Extraction¶

Extract complete projects from LookAtni marker files with perfect fidelity and zero data loss.

Quick Start¶

# Extract from VS Code
LookAtni: Extract Files → select marker file → choose destination

# Extract via CLI
lookatni extract --input project-markers.txt --output ./restored-project

How Extraction Works¶

The extraction process reconstructs your project in three phases:

1. Marker Parsing - Reads and validates marker file structure
2. Structure Creation - Recreates folder hierarchy
3. File Restoration - Writes files with original content and metadata

Features¶

🎯 Perfect Fidelity¶

• Exact content restoration - Byte-for-byte accuracy
• Folder structure - Complete directory hierarchy
• File metadata - Timestamps and permissions (when possible)
• Encoding preservation - UTF-8, ASCII, binary files

⚡ Smart Extraction¶

# Extract specific folders only
lookatni extract --input markers.txt --filter "src/**"

# Extract with conflict resolution
lookatni extract --input markers.txt --on-conflict=overwrite

# Dry run to preview extraction
lookatni extract --input markers.txt --dry-run

🔒 Safety Features¶

• Conflict detection - Warns about existing files
• Backup creation - Optional backup of overwritten files
• Validation checks - Ensures marker file integrity
• Progress tracking - Real-time extraction progress

Extraction Options¶

VS Code Command¶

The VS Code command provides an interactive experience:

1. File Selection - Browse for marker files
2. Destination Choice - Select output directory
3. Conflict Resolution - Handle existing files
4. Progress Display - Visual extraction progress

CLI Tool¶

Full command-line control with advanced options:

lookatni extract [options]

Options:
  --input, -i     Input marker file (required)
  --output, -o    Output directory (default: current)
  --filter, -f    Extract specific paths only
  --exclude, -e   Exclude specific patterns
  --overwrite     Overwrite existing files
  --backup        Create backups before overwriting
  --dry-run       Preview extraction without writing
  --verbose, -v   Show detailed progress

Use Cases¶

📚 Educational Content¶

Perfect for distributing course materials and tutorials:

# Student downloads tutorial-project.txt
lookatni extract --input tutorial-project.txt --output ./lesson-1
cd lesson-1
npm install  # Project ready to run!

👥 Team Collaboration¶

Share project slices without full repository access:

# Extract just the component library
lookatni extract --input full-project.txt \
  --filter "src/components/**" \
  --output ./component-review

🚀 Deployment & CI/CD¶

Automate project packaging and deployment:

# Extract configuration files for deployment
lookatni extract --input deployment-package.txt \
  --filter "config/**,scripts/**" \
  --output ./deploy-staging

Advanced Features¶

Selective Extraction¶

Extract only the files you need:

# Extract TypeScript files only
lookatni extract --input project.txt --filter "**/*.ts,**/*.tsx"

# Extract everything except tests
lookatni extract --input project.txt --exclude "**/*.test.*,**/tests/**"

Conflict Resolution¶

Handle existing files intelligently:

# Prompt for each conflict
lookatni extract --input project.txt --interactive

# Always overwrite
lookatni extract --input project.txt --overwrite

# Always skip existing
lookatni extract --input project.txt --skip-existing

# Create backups
lookatni extract --input project.txt --backup

Validation & Verification¶

Ensure extraction accuracy:

# Verify extraction integrity
lookatni verify --input project.txt --extracted ./my-project

# Compare with original
lookatni diff --markers project.txt --directory ./my-project

Error Handling¶

LookAtni provides comprehensive error handling:

Common Issues¶

Error: Invalid marker format detected
Solution: Re-generate markers from original source

Error: Cannot write to destination directory
Solution: Check directory permissions or choose different location

Error: Not enough space for extraction
Solution: Free up disk space or extract to different drive

Recovery Options¶

• Partial extraction - Continue with remaining files
• Repair mode - Attempt to fix corrupted markers
• Logging - Detailed logs for troubleshooting

Performance¶

Extraction Speed¶

• Small projects (< 100 files) - Instant
• Medium projects (< 1000 files) - < 5 seconds
• Large projects (< 10000 files) - < 30 seconds

Memory Usage¶

• Streaming extraction - Constant memory usage
• Large files - Processed in chunks
• Memory-efficient - No full file buffering

Integration Examples¶

GitHub Actions¶

- name: Extract Project
  run: |
    npm install -g lookatni-cli
    lookatni extract --input project-markers.txt --output ./build

Docker Containers¶

RUN npm install -g lookatni-cli
COPY project-markers.txt .
RUN lookatni extract --input project-markers.txt --output ./app

Next: Learn about Validation Systems to ensure project integrity.