create.py, create_tree.py, verify.py, verify_tree.py, and verify_single.py are complimentary scripts that help ensure fixity for the Hoover Institution Library and Archives.

The purpose of these scripts is to generate and verify an indexed sidecar MD5 checksum/hash file for each file in a targeted folder. If .md5 files already exist for a given file, neither create.py nor create_tree.py will not overwrite them.

create.py and verify.py, respectively, create and verify checksums in a single folder.

create_tree.py and verify_tree.py, respectively as above, process a folder and all its subfolders.

verify_single.py validates a single md5 file.

1. Download the scripts (see the big green button above, to the right). Save them somewhere convenient. For sake of example later, we'll say "c:\scripts".

2. Open your terminal or command prompt. Windows Mac

3. Navigate to the folder (or top-level folder) you want to process. Windows Mac (substitute folder for file)

4. Call the script with full path to the script: python c:\scripts\create.py. For verify_single, this will look like python c:\scripts\verify_single.py c:\path\to\fake_file.txt.md5 will verify fake_file.txt.