Customize Your Data Directory: A QoL Enhancement

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Hey everyone! Let's dive into a cool feature request: adding a --data-dir CLI argument. This nifty addition lets you tell your app where to store its data, instead of the usual ./data/ folder. Sounds pretty useful, right? I'm here to break down why this matters, how it works, and why it's a game-changer for your workflow.

The Need for a Custom Data Directory

Why bother with a custom data directory? Well, think about it: when you're deep in the trenches of app development, you're constantly tweaking, testing, and restarting. If you're making changes directly within the app, it can be a real pain to restart the development session without messing up what you're already working on. This is where a custom data directory steps in to save the day!

Imagine this scenario:

You're working on your app, and you need to test out some new features that require a restart. With a custom data directory, you can create a separate instance of your app just for testing. This instance would point to a different data directory, keeping your development data safe and sound. You can then run a second instance of your app, and it wouldn't interfere with your ongoing work.

Here's how it might look in practice:

# Your current development session
uv run python main.py --port 8000

# Your testing session with a custom data directory
uv run python main.py --port 8081 --data-dir ./test-data

See? Smooth sailing! You get to test your changes without disrupting your current workflow. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. This simple addition opens up a whole world of possibilities, let's check it out.

Benefits Beyond Testing

But wait, there's more! Custom data directories offer a bunch of other sweet benefits:

  • Separate Development and Production Data: Keep your dev data and production data completely separate. This is crucial for preventing accidental data mishaps and ensuring your production environment stays clean and stable.
  • Run Parallel Instances Without Conflicts: Need to run multiple instances of your app simultaneously? No problem! With custom data directories, each instance can have its own data, avoiding conflicts and keeping everything organized.
  • Easier Integration Testing with Isolated Data: Make integration testing a breeze. You can set up isolated data environments for testing different scenarios without affecting your main data. This helps to ensure your app is reliable and dependable.
  • Support for Containerized Deployments with Mounted Volumes: Deploying your app in containers? Custom data directories play nicely with mounted volumes, giving you even more control over your data storage and making your deployments more flexible.

Implementing the Change

So, how does this actually work behind the scenes? It's pretty straightforward. Here's the lowdown:

The core of this change involves adding an argument to main.py. This is the starting point of your app. The code will look something like this:

parser.add_argument('--data-dir', default='./data', help='Data directory location (default: ./data)')

This little snippet does a lot of heavy lifting. It adds the --data-dir argument, lets you specify a custom path, and sets ./data as the default if you don't specify a path. The next step involves passing this custom data directory to different components of your app that handle data paths. These components include:

  • SessionManager (session state): Manages user sessions. Making sure sessions are stored in the right place is key.
  • ProjectManager (project state): Handles project data, ensuring all project-related files end up in the right spot.
  • DataStorageManager (messages, history): Deals with storing messages and history, ensuring that all the relevant information gets stored in the right place.
  • configure_logging() (log files): Configures the logging system, sending log files to the specified directory. Ensuring your logs go where you want them to go. This helps you troubleshoot issues and monitor your app's health.

With these adjustments, your app will use the custom data directory for storing all its data, including projects, sessions, and logs. It's a simple change that makes a big difference.

Expected Behavior

Let's break down what to expect when this feature is implemented:

  • CLI Argument Accepts Custom Path: You'll be able to use the --data-dir argument to specify where you want your data to be stored.
  • Data Files Use Specified Directory: All data files, including projects, sessions, and logs, will be stored in the directory you specify.
  • Default Behavior Unchanged: If you don't provide the --data-dir argument, the app will continue to use the default directory, which is ./data/.
  • Path Validation and Creation: The app will check if the specified directory exists and create it if necessary. This keeps things user-friendly and ensures your data has a place to live.
  • Documentation Update: The documentation will be updated to include the new --data-dir argument, so everyone knows how to use it.

Why This Matters

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