📄 Pdfbar

A macOS menu bar application that monitors your Downloads, Desktop, and iCloud reading directories for PDF and EPUB files, displaying the 15 most recently modified files in a convenient dropdown menu for quick access.

Smart PDF and EPUB file monitoring for your menu bar

Features

• Real-time monitoring - Uses FSEvents to detect new files as they're added
• Smart filtering - Only shows PDF and EPUB files
• Recent files priority - Displays the 15 most recently modified files across all monitored directories
• One-click opening - Click any file in the menu to open it with the default application
• ChatGPT integration - Hold Option (⌥) and click any PDF or EPUB to send it to ChatGPT for analysis
• Lightweight - Runs efficiently in the background as a menu bar-only app
• Multi-directory support - Monitors three key locations:
  • ~/Downloads
  • ~/Desktop
  • ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/reading
• Smart date sorting - Uses last accessed times for reading directory, last modified times for Downloads/Desktop

Installation & Usage

Prebuilt Universal .app (ai.thefocus.pdfbar)

Download PdfBar-<version>.zip from GitHub Releases, move PdfBar.app to /Applications, and clear Gatekeeper quarantine once:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/PdfBar.app
open /Applications/PdfBar.app

Run or Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/The-Focus-AI/singlefilemenuapps.git
cd singlefilemenuapps/pdfbar

# Run directly as a Swift script
chmod +x pdfbar.swift
./pdfbar.swift

# Or build the standalone universal PdfBar.app bundle
./build.sh
open PdfBar.app

CLI & Debug Flags

./pdfbar.swift --debug
./PdfBar.app/Contents/MacOS/PdfBar --version
./PdfBar.app/Contents/MacOS/PdfBar --dump-menu

Using the Interface

1. Menu Bar Icon - Look for the document icon in your menu bar
2. Click the Icon - Opens a dropdown showing your 15 most recent PDF/EPUB files
3. Select a File - Click any file to open it with the default application
4. Send to ChatGPT - Hold Option (⌥) and click any PDF or EPUB to send it to ChatGPT for analysis
5. Quit - Use the "Quit" option in the menu to exit

ChatGPT Integration

Pdfbar includes seamless integration with the ChatGPT native app:

• Option + Click on any PDF or EPUB file
• Automatically opens ChatGPT and creates a new chat
• Uploads the selected file for analysis
• Works with files containing spaces and special characters
• Provides fallback options if the primary method fails

Monitored Directories

Pdfbar automatically scans these directories for PDF and EPUB files:

• Downloads - Perfect for recently downloaded documents
• Desktop - For files you're actively working with
• iCloud Reading Folder - For your organized reading collection at ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/reading

Technical Details

Requirements

• macOS 10.15+ (Catalina or later)
• Swift 5.0+
• Xcode Command Line Tools (for Swift compilation)
• ChatGPT native app (for ChatGPT integration feature)

File Monitoring

• Uses Apple's FSEvents API for efficient real-time file system monitoring
• Automatically detects file creation, modification, and deletion
• Safe handling of concurrent file operations
• Respects system file access permissions

Performance

• Scans up to 200 files per directory to balance completeness with performance
• Background scanning to avoid blocking the UI
• Efficient memory usage with automatic cleanup of deleted files
• Native macOS integration for optimal responsiveness

Architecture

The application consists of four main components:

1. FileMonitor - Handles FSEvents monitoring and file system events
2. Pdfbar - Manages the list of recent files and metadata
3. MenuManager - Creates and updates the menu bar dropdown interface
4. AppDelegate - Coordinates the application lifecycle and initialization

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

App doesn't appear in menu bar

• Check if the app is running: ps aux | grep pdfbar
• Try running from terminal to see error messages

Files not appearing

• Verify the monitored directories exist and are accessible
• Check file permissions on the directories
• Ensure files have .pdf or .epub extensions

App crashes when clicking files

• Verify files exist and haven't been moved/deleted
• Check that default applications are properly configured for PDF/EPUB files

Logs and Debugging

Pdfbar includes comprehensive logging. When running with --debug, you'll see detailed information about:

• File scanning progress
• Menu updates
• File opening attempts
• FSEvents callback activity

Code Structure

#!/usr/bin/env swift
import Cocoa
import Foundation
import CoreServices

// Main application structure
struct RecentFile {
    let path: String
    let name: String
    let lastModified: Date
    let lastAccessed: Date
    let sortDate: Date
}

class FileMonitor {
    // FSEvents monitoring implementation
}

class Pdfbar {
    // File management and menu updates
}

class MenuManager {
    // Menu bar interface creation
}

class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
    // Application lifecycle management
}

Changelog

v1.1.0

• Added ChatGPT integration
• Option + Click to send PDF/EPUB files to ChatGPT for analysis
• Automatic ChatGPT app activation and new chat creation
• Support for files with spaces and special characters
• Fallback mechanisms for robust operation

v1.0.0

• Initial release
• Real-time file monitoring with FSEvents
• Support for PDF and EPUB files
• Menu bar interface with 15 recent files
• Multi-directory monitoring
• One-click file opening
• Smart date sorting
• Debug mode support