File management apparatus, method for controlling file management apparatus, computer program, and storage medium

Abstract

In order to read data from an external storage medium and automatically sort the data into a plurality of folders to manage the data, a plurality of files sorted into a plurality of folders are read from a plurality of external storage media, file attribute information of the files is extracted, and the read files are sorted into a plurality of folders based on the extracted file attribute information and stored in a storage unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A file management apparatus comprising:
 a reading unit configured to read a plurality of files from a first storage medium and a second storage medium;   an acquiring unit configured to acquire a first folder structure of the first storage medium and a second folder structure of the second storage medium, wherein the folder structures indicate a hierarchy of folders and a type of file attribute information corresponding to the hierarchy, and the first folder structure is different from the second folder structure;   a selecting unit configured to select one of a plurality of folder structures including the first and second folder structures;   a sorting unit configured to sort, among the plurality of files read by the reading unit, the files read from the storage medium having the non-selected folder structure into folders having the selected folder structure, such that each file is sorted into a folder corresponding to its file attribute information; and   a storage control unit configured to control to store the sorted files in a third storage medium having the selected folder structure.   
     
     
         2 . The file management apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the selecting unit performs the selection in response to a user operation.   
     
     
         3 . The file management apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a setting unit configured to set whether or not the sort by the sorting unit should be performed,   wherein:   the sorting unit performs the sort if it is set by the setting unit to perform the sort; and   the sorting unit does not perform the sort if it is set by the setting unit not to perform the sort, and the storage control unit controls to store the files read from the first and second storage media in the third storage medium with the first and second folder structures, respectively.   
     
     
         4 . The file management apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 each of the plurality of files is an image file; and   the file attribute information includes at least one of camera model information, a shooting parameter, shooting date/time information, shooting mode information, event tag information, text information, and created date/time information.   
     
     
         5 . The file management apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of folder structures for the selection by said selecting unit further include a predetermined folder structure. 
     
     
         6 . The file management apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a detecting unit configured to detect a free space of the third storage medium;   a calculating unit configured to calculate a total volume of the plurality of files; and   a dividing unit configured to divide the plurality of files into a plurality of groups, if the free space is smaller than the total volume,   wherein the storage control unit controls to store one of the plurality of groups in the third storage medium.   
     
     
         7 . A method of controlling a file management apparatus, comprising:
 a reading step of reading a plurality of files from a first storage medium and a second storage medium;   an acquiring step of acquiring a first folder structure of the first storage medium and a second folder structure of the second storage medium, wherein the folder structures indicate a hierarchy of folders and a type of file attribute information corresponding to the hierarchy, and the first folder structure is different from the second folder structure;   a selecting step of selecting one of a plurality of folder structures including the first and second folder structures;   a sorting step of sorting, among the plurality of files read in the reading step, the files read from the storage medium having the non-selected folder structure into folders having the selected folder structure, such that each file is sorted into a folder corresponding to its file attribute information; and   a storage control step of controlling to store the sorted files in a third storage medium having the selected folder structure.   
     
     
         8 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon a computer program that causes a computer to execute the method according to  claim 7 .