emFileMan User Guide

Advanced Configuration

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Eagle Mode -
emFileMan User Guide

1 Introduction
2 Panel types
      2.1 Directory entry panels
      2.2 Directory panels
      2.3 File panels
      2.4 Control panel
3 Selection and commands
      3.1 Quick intro A: deleting a file
      3.2 Quick intro B: copying a file
      3.3 Selection basics
      3.4 Advanced selection
      3.5 Commands
      3.6 Default commands
4 Additional keyboard functions
      4.1 Selecting
      4.2 Executing a default command
      4.3 Navigating by entering names

1 Introduction

emFileMan is the file manager in Eagle Mode. By zooming and scrolling, you can browse the file system tree and see the contents of directories and files. With the view settings you can change the order of directory listings and enable or disable the showing of hidden entries. Finally, you can select files and directories for executing commands on them. The default command set is rich and has things like copy, delete, archive packing/unpacking, starting of applications and many more. But the command set is highly customizable (see emFileMan Customization for more).

Technically, emFileMan is a plugin application that provides a user interface for directories. The files are interfaced through other plugins, which are started by emFileMan as you zoom into the files. Thereby, it all makes up an integrated user interface.

The root directory of the file system is shown somewhere in the center of the virtual cosmos. But when Eagle Mode is started, you are brought to your home directory right away by default (this can be changed in the bookmarks).

2 Panel types

This chapter describes the different panel types in emFileMan. While reading, keep an eye on this picture:

2.1 Directory entry panels

As the name says, a directory entry panel interfaces an entry of a directory. Such an entry can be a file, a subdirectory, a device or another type. A directory entry panel shows the name, the path and the attributes of the entry, and it shows the content through an inner panel, which is called the content panel in general. In particular, the content panel is either a directory panel or a file panel, or it is an error message panel when the content cannot be shown. The content panel is not shown if it were too small on the screen.

In addition to the normal content panel, there are alternative content panels showing the content in a more general fashion. For files, the last alternative is a hex dump. The first alternative content panel can be found on the right side above the original content panel. Further alternatives are laid out in the same way relative to each other.

Directory entry panels can be selected, but this is described in another chapter.

For the question what's first - chicken or egg: There is one case of a directory entry panel where the entry is actually not an entry of any directory: The root of the file system, shown in the virtual cosmos.

2.2 Directory panels

A directory panel simply lists the entries of a directory. For each entry, it shows a directory entry panel. The directory panel itself has no border.

2.3 File panels

A file panel shows the content of a file. It is created by an appropriate plugin application. Some plugins even allow to modify the file (e.g. SilChess).

2.4 Control panel

The control panel of emFileMan is shown in the control view of Eagle Mode when either a directory panel or a directory entry panel is focused. The control panel has buttons and fields for the view settings, the selection, and the commands. Please zoom into these components for reading descriptions and help texts.

3 Selection and commands

For managing files and directories, you can select entries and execute commands.

3.1 Quick intro A: deleting a file

These are the steps for deleting a file:

Navigate to the file you want to delete.

Click with left mouse button on the directory entry panel of the file (it gets red).

Click on the Delete button in the control panel.

A dialog pops up and asks whether you are sure to do the deletion. Click OK if you are.

3.2 Quick intro B: copying a file

These are the steps for copying a file into a directory:

Navigate to the file you want to copy.

Click with left mouse button on the directory entry panel of the file (it gets red).

Navigate to the directory into which you want to copy the file.

Click with left mouse button on the directory entry panel of the directory (it gets red, and the previously red directory entry panel of the file gets green).

Click on the Copy button in the control panel.

A dialog pops up and asks whether you are sure to do the copy. Click OK if you are.

3.3 Selection basics

emFileMan has two selections: the source selection and the target selection. The meaning of "source" and "target" depends on the command you execute. The source selection is green, and the target selection is red. These colors are shown by the background of the directory entry panels according to the selection of entries.

To target-select an entry, simply click with the left mouse button on the directory entry panel. Thereby, any previously target-selected entry automatically gets source-selected.

There is no way to source-select directly. So if you want to source-select an entry, you will have to target-select it first, and then you have to target-select another entry for that the first gets source-selected.

Note: If you make a mistake in selecting a target and want to select another, keep in mind that an already correct source-selection is changed by another target-selecting. You may have to start from the beginning with selecting, or you could make use of the button Swap Selections - it can be seen as a kind of undo for such situations.

3.4 Advanced selection

It is possible to select multiple entries. For example, you could select multiple files for copying them at once into a directory. Therefore, you would have to target-select all the desired files first, and then you would have to target-select the destination directory, so that all the previously target-selected files get source-selected. Here is how to target-select multiple entries:

To select a range of entries in a directory, click on the first entry as usual, and then hold the Shift key while clicking on the last entry.

To select an entry in addition to one or more already selected entries (in any directory), or to deselect an entry, hold the Ctrl key while clicking on that entry.

Combinations are possible: To select an additional range, hold Ctrl while clicking on the first, and Shift while clicking on the last. To invert a range, hold Ctrl while clicking on the first, and Shift+Ctrl while clicking on the last.

All that is about target selection. The source selection is never changed as long as you hold the Shift or Ctrl key. And whenever you begin a new target selection by clicking without holding Shift or Ctrl, the whole old target selection gets the new source selection.

If you work with multiple Eagle Mode windows: The selection is common to all windows (except the windows come from different processes, e.g. through different users or hosts). So, for example, you could have one window for selecting sources, and one for selecting targets. It does not play a role in which window you execute a command. Only the view settings are per-window.

3.5 Commands

The commands are not described here in detail. Just zoom into the command buttons: Mostly, there is a description of what they do and which selection they require.

Some commands can be executed by entering hotkeys (even described in the buttons). For these hotkeys to work, any directory entry panel or directory panel must be focused, not the control panel.

3.6 Default commands

Some commands are configured as the default for certain file types or for directories. Typically, these commands are starting a foreign application like an editor or a viewer on the file. The default for directories is to open a terminal with the directory taken as the current working directory.

To execute the default command for an entry, simply double-click with the left mouse button on the directory entry panel. Thereby, the source selection is cleared, the entry is target-selected, and the default command is executed.

If you want to change the configuration of default commands, please read emFileMan Customization.

4 Additional keyboard functions

4.1 Selecting

For selecting a directory entry by keyboard, focus the corresponding panel and press the Space key. Thereby, you can use the modifier keys Shift and Ctrl in the same way as with selecting by mouse.

4.2 Executing a default command

For executing the default file manager command on a directory entry by keyboard, focus the corresponding panel and press the Enter key.

4.3 Navigating by entering names

If you know the name of a directory entry which you want to visit, then you could do the following:

First make sure to have the focus on any sister directory entry panel or on the directory panel itself. Then type the first characters of the name quickly without a break. On each character you type, the focus is set to the first entry whose name matches the typed characters so far. It is letter-case-insensitive. At the end you could press the Space key for selecting the found entry (without that, it is sometimes hard to find the focused panel on the screen).

Next Reading: emFileMan Customization

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