🔪 NiFE - Nim File Explorer

A simple terminal file manager for Linux and MacOS inspired by Ranger FM, written in Nim.

Features

• Dual-pane interface - Navigate with two panels like traditional file managers
• Vim-like keybindings - Familiar navigation for vim users
• File type recognition - Different colors for directories, executables, and symlinks
• File preview - Preview text files with the spacebar
• Cross-platform - Works on both Linux and MacOS
• Lightweight - Fast and responsive terminal interface

Installation

Prerequisites

• Nim
• Git

Method 1: System-wide Installation (Recommended)

git clone https://github.com/ANSI-D/NiFE.git
cd NiFE
nimble installGlobal

This will install nife to /usr/local/bin/ and make it available system-wide.

Method 2: User Installation

git clone https://github.com/ANSI-D/NiFE.git
cd NiFE
nimble install

This installs to ~/.nimble/bin/. You'll need to add ~/.nimble/bin to your PATH.

Method 3: Build Only

git clone https://github.com/ANSI-D/NiFE.git
cd NiFE
nimble build
./nife  # Run from current directory

Usage

After installation, run the file manager:

nife

Or if you built locally without installing:

./nife

Keybindings

Key	Action
h, ←	Move to parent directory
l, →	Enter directory / Open file
j, ↓	Move down
k, ↑	Move up
Tab	Switch between panels
g	Go to top
G	Go to bottom
R	Refresh current directory
Enter	Open file with default application
Space	Preview file content
?	Show help
q	Quit

Window Example

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ /home/user/documents                ││ /home/user/documents/projects       │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ projects/                    <DIR>  ││ nife/                        <DIR>  │
│ notes.txt                      2K   ││ config.nim                     1K   │
│ backup/                      <DIR>  ││ main.nim                       5K   │
│ readme.md                      4K   ││ utils.nim                      3K   │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘└─────────────────────────────────────┘
File: projects | Files: 4 | Press ? for help

Architecture

The file manager consists of several components:

• FileItem: Represents individual files and directories with metadata
• Panel: Manages file listings and navigation state for each pane
• FileManager: Main application state and UI coordination
• Drawing System: Terminal-based UI rendering with borders and colors
• Input Handler: Keyboard input processing and command execution

Roadmap

• File operations (copy, move, delete)
• Search functionality
• Better file preview (images, binary files)
• File permissions editing

Dependencies

• terminal (built-in) - For terminal control and input handling
• Standard library modules: os, strutils, strformat, tables, sequtils, algorithm

File Access

The file manager respects system permissions. If you cannot access certain directories, check your user permissions.

Performance

For directories with thousands of files, initial loading may take a moment. Use R to refresh if needed.