https://github.com/sophec/cfm
🌵 Simple and fast TUI file manager with no dependencies.
https://github.com/sophec/cfm
c cactus file-manager tui
Last synced: about 1 month ago
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🌵 Simple and fast TUI file manager with no dependencies.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/sophec/cfm
- Owner: sophec
- License: mpl-2.0
- Archived: true
- Created: 2020-01-21T16:29:12.000Z (almost 6 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2022-04-28T13:45:20.000Z (over 3 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-10-25T06:57:56.941Z (about 2 months ago)
- Topics: c, cactus, file-manager, tui
- Language: C
- Homepage: https://cfm.atinycact.us
- Size: 497 KB
- Stars: 102
- Watchers: 4
- Forks: 6
- Open Issues: 5
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Funding: .github/FUNDING.yml
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
- awesome-ricing - cfm - Simple and fast TUI file manager with no dependencies. (C) (Packages / CLI Tools)
README
# Cactus File Manager
Cactus File Manager (cfm) is a TUI file manager with the goal of being simple,
easy, and bloat-free, utilizing Vi-inspired keybinds. Whether or not
you should use it depends on whether or not you like the name, dev, or
screenshot, just like with all software.
*Note: the screenshot above has a non-default pointer and no alternative
views enabled.*
[**Demo**](https://asciinema.org/a/297087) showing off deletion, undo, marks, and basic
navigation.
## Configuration
To configure cfm before building, you should copy `config.def.h` to `config.h`
and then modify it to suit your needs. Each option is explained within the file.
If you build cfm without creating a config, it will create a default one for
you.
There are some options which cfm will attempt to use environment variables for.
These are `$EDITOR`, `$SHELL`, and `$OPENER`. If you want to specify a specific
option just for cfm, it will first try to find these variables prefixed with
`$CFM_`. For example, if your `$EDITOR` is set to vim but you want to tell
cfm to use emacs, you could use `export CFM_EDITOR='emacs'`. If you installed
cfm via a package manager, or if you are using the default configuration, you
can specify these environment variables to configure cfm without rebuilding.
cfm uses a temporary directory for its deleted files (to enable undo and
cut/paste). If it's not set in `config.h`, then cfm will attempt to use the
`$CFM_TMP` environment variable. If this is not set either, then `/tmp/cfmtmp`
will be used. If a temporary directory is not specified in any way or it cannot
create the directory it is attempting to use, cfm will disable undo and
cut/paste. If `CD_ON_CLOSE` is not enabled at compile-time, cfm will look for
the `$CFM_CD_ON_CLOSE` environment variable, which should contain the path to a
file where cfm should write its current working directory when quit with
Q.
## Building
When building from source, you should get the source for the [latest
release](https://github.com/WillEccles/cfm/releases) and then run `make` inside
the extracted source.
## Installing
### From Source
First, download the [latest release](https://github.com/WillEccles/cfm/releases)'s source.
Then, use `sudo make install`. You can specify a `PREFIX` or `DESTDIR` like with many
makefiles. By default, `PREFIX` is `/usr/local/`, but if you wish to install
into `/usr`, you can do `sudo make install PREFIX=/usr`.
### With a Package Manager
At the moment, cfm is available from the following sources (not all maintained
by me):
[](https://repology.org/project/cfm/versions)
## Bugs
If you find a bug, please create an issue on GitHub.
## Usage
The functions of some keys may be dependent on values set in `config.h`.
| Key(s) | Function |
| ------ | -------- |
| q, Esc | Quit cfm |
| Q | Quit cfm, saving its working directory to the file specified in `CD_ON_CLOSE`, if enabled. Disabled by default. |
| h | Go up a directory[1](#1) |
| j | Move down[1](#1) |
| PgDn, J | Move down by one full screen |
| k | Move up[1](#1) |
| PgUp, K | Mode down by one full screen |
| ~ | Navigate to user home directory |
| / | Navigate to the system root directory |
| l | Enter directory, or open file in `EDITOR`[1](#1) |
| dd | Delete currently selected file or directory (there is no confirmation, be careful), backing it up to the `CFM_TMP` directory if one exists, such that it can be undone with u |
| Alt+dd | Works the same as dd, but is always permanent, even if a `CFM_TMP` directory exists. This is useful for huge files/directories that would take a while to copy. Be careful! |
| T | Creates a new file, opening `EDITOR` to obtain a filename[2](#2) |
| M | Creates a new directory, opening `EDITOR` to obtain a directory name[2](#2) |
| R | Renames a file, opening `EDITOR` to edit the filename[2](#2) |
| gg | Move to top |
| G | Move to bottom |
| m, Space | Mark for deletion |
| D | Delete marked files (does not touch unmarked files) |
| u | Undo the last deletion operation (if cfm was unable to access/create its trash directory `~/.cfmtrash`, deletion is permanent and this will not work) |
| X | Cut the current file or directory (to be pasted again with p) |
| yy | Copy the current file or directory (to be pasted again with p) |
| p | Paste the previously copied or cut file or directory |
| e | Open file or directory in `EDITOR` |
| o | Open file or directory in `OPENER` |
| S | Spawns a `SHELL` in the current directory |
| r | Reload directory |
| . | Toggle visibility of hidden files (dotfiles) |
| Return | Works like o if `ENTER_OPENS` was enabled at compile-time, else works like l |
| Tab | Switches to the next view |
| \` | Switches to the previous view |
| 1...0 | Switches to view N, up to the number specified by `VIEW_COUNT` (default 2) |
---
1 The arrow keys work the same as
hjkl.
2 The available characters for filenames are `A-Za-z
._-` by default, which is POSIX "fully portable filenames" plus spaces. If
you wish, you can disable spaces by setting `ALLOW_SPACES` to 0.
## Scripting
If `stdin` or `stdout` are not attached to a TTY, cfm will read commands from
`stdin` until either EOF is reached or it does not read any more data. This can
be used to script operations. All errors will be printed to `stderr` and are
fatal. In scripting mode, cfm will never draw to the screen. Note: in
non-interactive mode, cfm will NOT backup files on deletion. This means that you
cannot use dd followed by u! All deletions made in
non-interactive mode will be final.
Example:
```
$ cat script.txt
jjljjjkyyhp
$ cfm j
2. Go into the currently selected directory with l
3. Go down three times with j and up once with k
4. Yank the current file with yy
5. Go back to the parent directory with h
6. Paste the yanked file with p