TreeDoc

TreeDoc is a desktop utility that generates an ASCII directory tree from a folder you select and displays it in a scrollable text window. The output can be copied to the clipboard or saved as a plain text file.

Purpose

TreeDoc is useful for producing a human-readable snapshot of a folder structure — for example, documenting a Commander4j installation layout, comparing the contents of two directories, or quickly exploring an unfamiliar project. The output uses box-drawing characters (├──, └──, │) to show the hierarchy clearly in any monospace environment.

Running TreeDoc

Native install packages for Windows, macOS, and Linux are available from the Downloads page and are the preferred installation method.

Alternatively, TreeDoc can be run directly from the distribution archive. It is a Java 21 desktop (Swing) application:

java -jar Tree.jar

The window opens at 900 × 750 pixels.

Generating a Tree

1. Click Browse to choose the root folder, or type a path directly into the folder field.
2. Adjust Max Depth and Max Entries if needed (see below).
3. Check Include Files if you want files shown alongside directories.
4. Click Refresh to generate the tree.

The output appears in the central text area. The status bar at the bottom shows the total number of entries printed, and indicates if the output was truncated.

Options

Option	Default	Description
Max Depth	9999	Maximum folder depth to traverse. Set to a small number (e.g. 3) to get a high-level overview of a deep tree.
Max Entries	10,000	Maximum number of lines to print. Prevents the output from becoming unmanageable for very large trees.
Include Files	Off	When off, only directory names are shown. When on, files are listed inside their parent directory.

Output Format

The output is plain UTF-8 text using box-drawing characters:

project/
├── src/
│   ├── main/
│   └── test/
├── docs/
└── build.xml

Directories are always included. Files appear indented under their parent directory when Include Files is enabled.

What is Excluded

The following are always omitted regardless of settings:

• Hidden files and folders (system hidden flag)
• .DS_Store and .localized (macOS metadata)
• .app bundles (macOS application packages)
• Symbolic links (skipped to prevent infinite loops)

Saving and Copying Output

The right sidebar provides:

• Save — save the output as a .txt file (default filename: tree.txt, UTF-8 encoded)
• Clipboard — copy the entire output to the system clipboard
• Clear — clear the output area

Configuration

TreeDoc saves your last-used folder path and the Include Files checkbox state to xml/config/config.xml automatically on exit. These are restored the next time the application opens.

If the saved folder path no longer exists, TreeDoc prompts you to choose a new folder on startup.

Log Files

Activity is written to logs/TreeDoc.log. Log files rotate at 10 MB and are retained for 14 days.

See also: XML Viewer, Menu4j, Downloads