File manager
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(September 2021) |
Afile managerorfile browseris acomputer programthat provides auser interfaceto managefilesandfolders.[1]The most commonoperationsperformed on files or groups of files include creating, opening (e.g.viewing,playing, editing orprinting), renaming,copying,moving,deletingand searching for files, as well as modifyingfile attributes,properties andfile permissions.Foldersand files may be displayed in ahierarchical treebased on theirdirectory structure.
Features
[edit]File transfer
[edit]Graphicalfile managers may support copying and moving of files through "copy and paste"and" cut and paste "respectively, as well as throughdrag and drop,and a separate menu for selecting the target path.[2]
While transferring files, a file manager may show the source and destination directories, transfer progress in percentage and/or size, progress bar, name of the file currently being transferred, remaining and/or total number of files, numerical transfer rate, and graphical transfer rate. The ability to pause the file transfer allows temporarily granting other software full sequential read access while allowing to resume later without having to restart the file transfer.[3]
Some file managers move multiple files by copying and deleting each selected file from the source individually, while others first copy all selected files, then delete them from the source afterwards, as described incomputer file § Moving methods.
Conflicting file names in a target directory may be handled through renaming, overwriting, or skipping. Renaming is typically numerical. Overwriting may be conditional, such as when the source file is newer or differs in size.[4]Files could technically be compared withchecksums,but that would require reading through the entire source and target files, which would slow down the process significantly on larger files.
User interface
[edit]Some file managers contain features analogous toweb browsers,including forward and backnavigational buttons,an address bar,tabs,and a bookmark side bar.
Networking
[edit]Some file managers providenetworkconnectivity viaprotocols,such asFTP,HTTP,NFS,SMBorWebDAV.This is achieved by allowing the user to browse for afile server(connecting and accessing the server's file system like a local file system) or by providing its own full client implementations for file server protocols.
Directory editors
[edit]A term thatpredates[citation needed]the usage offile managerisdirectory editor.An early directory editor,DIRED,was developed circa 1974 at theStanford Artificial Intelligence LaboratorybyStan Kugell.[5][6]
A directory editor was written forEXEC 8at the University of Maryland, and was available to other users at that time. The term was used by other developers, includingJay Lepreau,who wrote thediredprogram in 1980,[7]which ran onBSD.This was in turn inspired by an older program with the same name running onTOPS-20.Diredinspired other programs, includingdired,the editor script (foremacsand similar editors), andded. [8]
File-list file manager
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/10/Alto_Neptune_Filemanager.gif/220px-Alto_Neptune_Filemanager.gif)
File-listfile managers are lesser known and older than orthodox file managers.
One such file manager wasneptune.It ran on theXerox Altoin the 1973-1974 time frame. It had some of the same features that would end up in orthodox file managers.
Another such file manager is flist, which was introduced sometime before 1980 on theConversational Monitor System.[9][10][11] This is a variant of FULIST, which originated before late 1978, according to comments by its author, Theo Alkema.[12]
The flist program provided a list of files in the user's minidisk,[13]and allowed sorting by any file attribute. The file attributes could be passed to scripts or function-key definitions, making it simple to use flist as part ofCMS EXEC,EXEC 2orXEDITscripts.
This program ran only on IBM VM/SP CMS, but was the inspiration for other programs, including filelist[14][15][16](a script run via theXediteditor), and programs running on other operating systems, including a program also called flist, which ran onOpenVMS,[17]and FULIST (from the name of the corresponding internal IBM program),[18]which runs onUnix.[19]
Orthodox file managers
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Midnight_Commander_4.7.0.9_on_Ubuntu_11.04.png/220px-Midnight_Commander_4.7.0.9_on_Ubuntu_11.04.png)
Orthodox file managers (sometimesabbreviatedto "OFM" ) or command-based file managers are text-menu based file managers that commonly have three windows (two panels and one command line window). Orthodox file managers are one of the longest running families of file managers, precedinggraphical user interface-based types. Developers create applications that duplicate and extend the manager that was introduced byPathMinderandJohn Socha'sNorton CommanderforDOS.[citation needed]The concept dates to the mid-1980s—PathMinder was released in 1984, and Norton Commander version 1.0 was released in 1986. Despite the age of this concept, file managers based on Norton Commander are actively developed, and dozens of implementations exist for DOS, Unix, and Microsoft Windows.Nikolai Bezroukovpublishes his own set of criteria for an OFM standard (version 1.2 dated June 1997).[20]
Features
[edit]An orthodox file manager typically has three windows. Two of the windows are called panels and are positioned symmetrically at the top of the screen. The third is the command line, which is essentially a minimized command (shell) window that can be expanded to full screen. Only one of the panels is active at a given time. The active panel contains the "file cursor". Panels are resizable and can be hidden. Files in the active panel serve as the source of file operations performed by the manager. For example, files can be copied or moved from the active panel to the location represented in the passive panel. This scheme is most effective for systems in which the keyboard is the primary or sole input device. The active panel shows information about thecurrent working directoryand the files that it contains. The passive (inactive) panel shows the content of the same or another directory (the default target for file operations). Users may customize the display of columns that show relevant file information. The active panel and passive panel can be switched (often by pressing thetab key).
The following features describe the class of orthodox file managers.
- They present the user with a two-panel directory view with a command line below. Either panel may be selected to be active; the other becomes passive. The active panel becomes the working area for delete and rename operations, while the passive panel serves as a target for copy and move operations. Panels may be shrunk, exposing the terminal window hidden behind them. Normally, only the last line of the terminal window (the command line) is visible.
- They provide close integration with an underlyingOSshell viacommand line,using the associated terminal window that permits viewing the results of executing shell commands entered on the command line (e.g., via Ctrl-O shortcut in Norton Commander).
- They provide the user with extensive keyboard shortcuts.
- The file manager frees the user from having to use the mouse.
- Users can create their own file associations and scripts that are invoked for certain file types and organize these scripts into a hierarchical tree (e.g., as a user script library or user menu).[citation needed]
- Users can extend the functionality of the manager via a so-calledUser menuorStart menuand extensions menu.
Other common features include:
- Information on the "active" and "passive" panels may be used for constructing commands on the command line. Examples include current file, path to left panel, path to right panel, etc.
- They provide a built-in viewer for (at least) the most basic file types.
- They have a built-in editor. In many cases, the editor can extract certain elements of the panels into the text being edited.
- Many support virtual file systems (VFS) such as viewing compressed archives, or working with files via an FTP connection.
- They often have the wordcommanderin the name, afterNorton Commander.
- Path: shows the source/destination location of the directory in use
- Information about directory size, disk usage and disk name (usually at the bottom of the panels)
- Panel with information about file name, extension, date and time of creation, last modification, and permissions (attributes).
- Info panel with the number of files in directory, and the sum of the sizes of selected files.
- Tabbed interface (usually in GUI file managers)
- Function keys: F1–F10 have all the same functions under all orthodox file managers. Examples: F5 always copies file(s) from the active to the inactive panel, while F6 moves the file.
Tabbed panels
[edit]The introduction of tabbed panels in some file managers (for exampleTotal Commander) made it possible to manipulate more than one active and passive directory at a time.
Portability
[edit]Orthodox file managers[21]are among the most portable file managers. Examples are available on almost any platform, with both command-line and graphical interfaces. This is unusual among command line managers in that something purporting to be a standard for the interface is published. They are also actively supported by developers. This makes it possible to do the same work on different platforms without much relearning of the interface.
Dual-pane managers
[edit]Sometimes they are calleddual-pane managers, a term that is typically used for programs such as theWindows File Explorer(see below). But they have three panes including a command line pane below (or hidden behind) two symmetric panes. Furthermore, most of these programs allow using just one of the two larger panes with the second hidden. Some also add an item to the Context Menu in Windows to "Open two Explorers, side by side".
Notable ones include:
- Altap Salamander
- Commander One
- Demos Commander
- Directory Opus
- DOS Navigator(DN) and derivatives
- Double Commander
- emelFM2
- Far Manager
- ForkLift
- GNOME Commander
- Krusader
- Midnight Commander(MC)
- muCommander
- Norton Commander(NC)
- PathMinder
- Ranger
- SE-Explorer
- Total Commander
- Volkov Commander(VC)
- WinSCP
- XTree
- ZTreeWin
Navigational file manager
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Winfile_20210710_10_10_22.png/220px-Winfile_20210710_10_10_22.png)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Nemo_4.0.6_screenshot.png/220px-Nemo_4.0.6_screenshot.png)
Anavigational file manageris a newer type of file manager. Since the advent ofGUIs,it has become the dominant type of file manager for desktop computers.[22][better source needed]
Typically, it has two panes, with the filesystem tree in the left pane and the contents of the current directory in the right pane. For macOS, theMiller columnsview inFinder(originating inNeXTStep) is a variation on the navigational file manager theme.[dubious–discuss]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/GNUstep-liveCD.png/220px-GNUstep-liveCD.png)
Concepts
[edit]- Thewindowdisplays the location currently being viewed.
- The location being viewed (the current directory) can be changed by the user by opening directories, pressing aback button,typing a location, or using the additional pane with the navigation tree representing all or part of the filesystem.
- Iconsrepresent files, programs, and directories.
The interface in a navigational file manager often resembles aweb browser,complete withbackandforwardbuttons, and oftenreloadbuttons. Most also contain an address bar into which the file or directory path (orURI) can be typed.
Most navigational file managers have two panes, the left pane being atree viewof the filesystem. This means that unlike orthodox file managers, the two panes are asymmetrical in their content and use.
Selecting a directory in the Navigation pane on the left designates it as the current directory, displaying its contents in the Contents pane on the right. However, expanding (+) or collapsing (-) a portion of the tree without selecting a directory will not alter the contents of the right pane. The exception to this behavior applies when collapsing a parent of the current directory, in which case the selection is refocused on the collapsed parent directory, thus altering the list in the Contents pane.
The process of moving from one location to another need not open a new window. Several instances of the file manager can be opened simultaneously and communicate with each other viadrag-and-dropandclipboardoperations, so it is possible to view several directories simultaneously and perform cut-and paste operations between instances.
File operations are based on drag-and-drop and editor metaphors: users can select and copy files or directories onto the clipboard and then paste them in a different place in the filesystem or even in a different instance of the file manager.
Notable examples of navigational file managers include:
- Directory Opus
- DolphininKDE
- DOS ShellinMS-DOS/PC DOS
- File Managerin Windows
- macOS Finder
- NautilusinGNOME(default since v2.30)
- File Explorer(Windows Explorer)
- PC ShellinPC Tools
- ViewMAXinDR DOS
- XTree/ZTreeWin
Spatial file manager
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Nautilus-spatial.png/220px-Nautilus-spatial.png)
Spatial file managersuse a spatialmetaphorto representfilesanddirectoriesas if they were actual physical objects. A spatial file manager imitates the way people interact with physical objects.
Some ideas behind the concept of a spatial file manager are:
- A singlewindowrepresents each opened directory
- Each window is unambiguously and irrevocably tied to a particular directory.
- Stability: files, directories, and windows go where the user moves them, stay where the user puts them ( "preserve their spatial state" ), and retain all their other "physical" characteristics (such as size, shape, color and location).
- The same item can only be viewed in one window at a time.
As in navigational file managers, when a directory is opened, theiconrepresenting the directory changes—perhaps from an image showing a closed drawer to an opened one, perhaps the directory's icon turns into a silhouette filled with a pattern—and a new window is opened to represent that directory.
Examples of file managers that use a spatial metaphor to some extent include:
- Apple'sFinder5 to 9
- Konquerorhas the option to turn into spatial mode
- RISC OSFiler
- Amiga'sWorkbench
- GNOME'sNautilusfrom version 2.6 (default until 2.29, completely removed in 3.0)
- MATE'sCaja(though the default mode is navigational)
- BeOS'sTracker
- Haiku'sTracker
- OS/2'sWorkplace Shell
- Digital Research'sGEM(implemented in Atari TOS and as a somewhat reduced version for PCs)
- ROX-Filer file manager (ROX Desktop)
- E17file manager
Dysfunctional spatial file managers:
- Windows ExplorerinWindows 95was set as a spatial file manager model by default; because it also worked as a navigational file manager, directories could be opened in multiple windows, which made it fail all the above criteria. Later versions gradually abandoned the spatial model.
- Apple'sFinderinmacOSwas designed with a similar integration of spatial and navigational modes, meaning that the spatial mode did not actually work.[23]
3D file managers
[edit]![]() |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/FSV-OSX-screenshot.png/220px-FSV-OSX-screenshot.png)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Cubix_3D_Filer_Screenshot.png/220px-Cubix_3D_Filer_Screenshot.png)
Some projects have attempted to implement athree-dimensionalmethod of displaying files and directory structures. Three-dimensional file browsing has not become popular; the exact implementation tends to differ between projects, and there are no common standards to follow.
Examples of three-dimensional file managers include:
- File System Visualizer,or fsv, an open-source clone of fsn for modernUnix-likesystems.
- tdfsb,[24]an open-source 3D file browser, where one enters directories by flying into them (usingWASD). Runs on Linux, FreeBSD and BeOS.
- BumpTop,a file manager using a three-dimensional representation of a desktop with realistic physics, intended for use with a stylus andtouchscreen.
- Real Desktop,[25]a desktop replacement with similarities to BumpTop.
- Cubix 3D Filer[26]is a Windows file manager which organizes files according to different attributes.
- GopherVR,a 3D visualisation of networkedGopherresources.
Web-based file managers
[edit]Web-based file managers are typically scripts written in eitherPHP,Ajax,Perl,ASPor anotherserver-side language.When installed on a local server or on a remote server, they allow files and directories located there to be managed and edited, using a web browser, without the need forFTP Access.
More advanced, and usually commercially distributed, web-based file management scripts allow the administrator of the file manager to configure secure, individual user accounts, each with individual account permissions. Authorized users have access to documents stored on the server or in their individual user directories anytime, from anywhere, via a web browser.
A web-based file manager can serve as an organization's digital repository. For example, documents, digital media, publishing layouts, and presentations can be stored, managed, and shared between customers, suppliers, and remote workers, or just internally.
Web-based file managers are becoming increasingly popular due to the rise in popularity of dynamic webcontent management systems(CMS) and the need for non-technical website moderators to manage media on their websites powered by these platforms.
An example isnet2ftp,a PHP- and JavaScript-based FTP client.
File picker
[edit]Operating systems typically ship afile picker,which allows specifying in which location to save a file (usually accessed through the "Save as" option in software), and where to open a file from. Sometimes, a folder is selected instead of a file or destination path.
Some file pickers also allow file management to some degree, such as searching, moving, copying, renaming, and copying the path to clipboard.
Some software might have a customized file picker.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Definition: File manager".Computer Language Encyclopedia.RetrievedJune 9,2023.
- ^"6 Ways to Copy Files Faster in Windows 10".MakeUseOf.15 December 2019.Retrieved13 March2022.
- ^"All About Windows 8 FileName Collisions And Copy/Move Dialog Box".2012-03-06. Archived fromthe originalon 5 January 2014.Retrieved2022-03-13.
- ^TheFTPfile manager "FileZilla"includes the options" Overwrite if the source is newer "," Overwrite if different size ", and" Overwrite if differenz size or source newer ".
- ^Kugell, Stanley G. (1974)."SAILDART/1974-08".Stanford Artificial Intelligence LabDART (Dump and Restore Technique) Archive.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-09-03.Retrieved2014-02-19.
- ^SAILDART Username key for aboveArchived2015-09-03 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Abstract for dired 3.05".
- ^"DED - Directory Editor".
- ^Daney, Charles (1983),"CMS Architecture and Interactive Computing"(PDF),Proceedings of SHARE 61,vol. 1, SHARE Inc.,archived(PDF)from the original on 2015-04-22
- ^"Discussion of VM/CMS FLIST showing screenshot".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-08-31.Retrieved2007-08-20.
- ^"Textual description of VM/CMS FLIST".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-01-30.Retrieved2007-08-20.
- ^"email by Theo Alkema to Lynn Wheeler".1978-10-10.Retrieved2008-01-31.
- ^"FLIST - IBM".
- ^"Comment on original author of FULIST".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-09-27.
- ^"Description of FILELIST".8 February 1999.
- ^"User comparing FLIST to FILELIST".
- ^"FLIST - file manager for VAX/VMS".
- ^"User comparing FULIST and FLIST".
- ^"FULIST for Unix".Archived fromthe originalon 2001-04-29.
- ^"OFM standards".
- ^"Home of the OFM standard".
- ^"File Managers to Fit Your Every Need".Techopedia.Retrieved2020-05-23.
- ^Siracusa, John (2007-10-28)."Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: the Ars Technica review: The Finder: An application divided against itself".Retrieved2008-04-20.
- ^tdfsb
- ^"Real Desktop".RetrievedAugust 25,2010.product homepage
- ^"Cubix 3D Filer".RetrievedMay 28,2013.The Cubix Project Homepage
External links
[edit]- About the Finder,by John Siracusa,Ars Technica,2003. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
- The Spatial Way,by Colin Charles, 2004. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
- dired - directory editor.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
- 4.3.2.2.3. FLISTat theWayback Machine(archived February 15, 2003) inIntroduction to IBM/CMS, Users' Manual,Department of Computer Science,University of Regina,Saskatchewan, Canada.