FOSSPicks
Terminal file explorer
xplr
Despite all the command-line file managers we've looked at, and the venerable Midnight Commander created by Miguel de Icaza, it still feels like there's space for improvement. xplr could be the tool that makes the difference, not because it's more powerful than Midnight Commander, but because it does file management differently and not in a way that tries to replicate a desktop file manager. xplr is primarily minimal and very fast. It will launch in about the same time it takes to peruse the output from the ls -al
command, and the default view shows the same information. You can then use the cursor or Vim navigation keys to move up and down through the file and directory list, pressing right to enter a directory and left to leave for the parent directory. Other Vim bindings, such as the top and bottom, will also work, and there's also an equivalent command mode that's opened by pressing :
.
But you don't need to be a Vim user, or have an incredible memory for shortcuts, to use xplr. A small pane in the bottom right shows all the important keyboard shortcuts, and pressing ?
will always show a complete list of which commands are available and what they do. What makes xplr powerful is that it easily lets you perform actions that might take longer on the command line. You can use the spacebar to select files and directories, for example, and selected items appear in a pane in the top right. You can then issue further commands to move (m
) or copy (c
) these to a different location. If you need more than this, such as a custom layout or new commands, it's also eminently hackable, with a plugin system, well-commented code, and even a hacking document to help you on your way.
Project Website
Python shell
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