How-to guide
Browse a directory
Open a directory as a tree in the viewer, find a file in it, and open the file in a tab.
A directory opens in the viewer as a tree of its contents, which you move through, fold and search with the same keys as a document.
Open a directory #
Name it, or name nothing for the current directory:
aless ~/projects
aless
Directories are folds and files are leaves, each showing its size and the format its extension implies. A directory's contents are listed when you unfold it (l or Space), one level ahead, so a folded directory's preview already shows how many entries it has and their first names.
Find and open a file #
/ searches the names listed so far, and n and N move between matches. Enter opens the focused file in a new tab, with its format taken from its extension; on a directory, Enter folds or unfolds it. Tab and Shift-Tab move between the tabs, and q closes the focused one.
Move around the file system #
| Keys | Do |
|---|---|
- |
go up: the parent directory becomes the root, with your folds and focus kept |
:cd DIR |
change the root, relative to the current one |
:explore DIR |
open another directory in a new tab |
:set hidden |
show dot-files (nohidden hides them, hidden! toggles); --hidden shows them from the start |
yp |
copy the focused entry's path on disk |
An explorer tab watches its directories as a file tab watches its file, so files added or removed show on the next tick, with your folds and focus kept. One explorer lists at most 2,000 directories.