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linuxmint / nemo

File browser for Cinnamon
GNU General Public License v2.0
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Columns view (NeXT/macOS style) #2485

Open knghtbrd opened 4 years ago

knghtbrd commented 4 years ago 
 * Nemo version 4.6.4
 * Pertains to windowed nemo
 * Distribution Mint 20 (Ulyana)
 * AMD Radeon RX580 using amdgpu driver
 * 64 bit

Fully an enhancement request: macOS (NeXT) column-style browsing is very fast and (at least in current iterations) very keyboard friendly, and few GUI file managers attempt to implement this mode. On the Mac, as currently implemented, it's generally regarded as the most n00b-friendly default view option, and I've never had a user complain they want the "traditional" icon or list view once they've tried it out for themselves.

If I had a Mac handy, I'd get you some screenshots rather than blathering on about how this works. Since I don't, I'll offer just one I find on teh webz:

The main file-browsing area contains a pane that scrolls right and left. inside this is are n ≥ 3 vertically-scrolling views. Each of these views (columns) represents an element of the window's current path, shown as a flat, tiny-icon-and-filename-only list view, save the last two. Directories in columns to the left of the current path showing the ancestor directories are shown as selected but inactive.

To the right of the current directory are two panes. The first is an info pane showing icon/preview and other information about the currently selected item unless it is a directory with suitable read permissions, in which case what's shown is a column like all the rest with nothing selected.

Pressing the right arrow will descend into this directory and create a new column view, descending deeper into the filesystem tree, pressing left will take you up to the parent directory. Arrows and typing the first letters of a filename navigate. Sorting is done by locale. Two options exist: The column view opened is the "root" of the tree with titlebar displaying whatever's appropriate for that ("Home" in that case) or / is always the root and (at least on the Mac) the full path is always displayed. (On the Mac, the name in the titlebar is an interactive element.)

The rightmost column is a stretch-to-fill spacer. If you open / in a wide window, you'll see it. 😀 Otherwise probably no.

Might be useful to navigate into the details view to copy something or for Orca to be able to speak the information or whatever. Nemo isn't macOS Finder, after all. It's just a very fast and friendly way to get around your filesystem by mouse, and even faster by keyboard. I'd love to see it if a couple of people become interested in implementing it at about the same time.

silocoder commented 4 years ago

I would pay for a Mac Pathfinder on Linux. https://cocoatech.com

tripleo1 commented 4 years ago

I think this is a nice option. Also implementing search as seen in the picture. Theres baloo (KDE) nad tracker (GNOME) and recoll.

knghtbrd commented 4 years ago

Elementary OS has io.elementary.files which offers a column browser. I don't think it's packaged in Ubuntu ("Files" lends itself to searching sooo well) and it might be the only way to get it on anything else is to build from source.

In appearance it's very much like a Finder/Explorer hybrid. I don't know if it has any nautilus heritage.