Enhancement: Add functions to folder structure

[matiasandina]

This package looks neat, I get that the main point is to parse data but I was actually looking to generate the structure from template, do you have plans to add this? Much in the same way R has {usethis} to create packages, it would be nice if this package could create template repositories for datasets that comply with BIDS standard.

It would be then nice to bidser::create_subject() to recreate whatever nested structure appears on a config.yaml (or a whatever.whatever file).

I'm happy to contribute

[bbuchsbaum]

Just to clarify, are you thinking, something like:

proj <- bidser::create_project("config.yaml")

?

Because creating a subject first needs a "project", etc.

[matiasandina]

Yeah, I guess it would be something like (not exhaustive list of things):

1. bidser::create_project_skeleton(config=NULL)
   if config==NULL then call bidser::create_config() which makes a template empty config and prompts the user to complete it before calling create_project_skeleton() again. This config would hold things like the naming conventions for the different levels according to BIDS.
2. bidser::create_animal() uses the config to create a new subject with selected subfolders. The function also adds the subject to participants.tsv

[bbuchsbaum]

OK, thanks, I will play around with the idea.

Could you also give me an idea of the use case? For example, It's straightforward to create an "empty" bids structure--just the folder nodes. One could create it "in memory" and then write the folder structure to disk when requested.

Adding files to the structure is perhaps more complicated -- i.e. must they exist? Are they copied from another location, etc.

[matiasandina]

Agreed, adding files is a much more complex problem. I was just going for the skeleton of the project at the "whole project" and "individual" levels, and adding the subjects to participants.tsv (at least their ID)