Block Search for macOS

A specialized document search tool for debaters to efficiently search, manage, and organize debate blocks and evidence files.

Features

• Search through Word documents (.docx) for specific content
• Convert between JSON and Word document formats
• Process and organize debate files into structured sections
• Intuitive GUI interface built with Tkinter
• macOS optimized with native support

Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• macOS operating system
• Pandoc (version 2.11 or later recommended)
• Python packages listed in requirements.txt

Installation

1. Clone this repository

2. Install the required dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

3. Install Pandoc:

   • When running the Python script directly, Pandoc must be installed on your system
   • Install Pandoc via Homebrew: brew install pandoc
   • Or download from the official Pandoc website
   • Ensure Pandoc is available in your system PATH

   Note: When built as a macOS application with PyInstaller, Pandoc is typically bundled with the application

Usage

Run the application:

python BlockSearch-Mac.py

The application provides a GUI interface for:

• Selecting documents to search through
• Converting between document formats
• Managing debate blocks and evidence

Building a macOS Application

This repository includes the necessary files for packaging the application as a macOS app:

• tk_runtime_hook.py: Fixes Tkinter GUI issues specific to macOS packaged applications
• block_sender_icon.ico: Application icon file