lf File Manager

Features

• Cross-platform: Supports Linux, macOS, BSDs, and Windows.
• Single binary: No runtime dependencies.
• Performance: Fast startup and low memory footprint.
• Asynchronous IO: Prevents UI locking during operations.
• Architecture: Server/client architecture allowing remote commands to manage multiple instances.
• Extensibility: Highly configurable via shell commands and customizable keybindings (defaults include vi and readline).

Non-Features (External tools required)

• Tabs/Windows: Handled by your terminal multiplexer or window manager.
• Pager/Editor: Use your preferred external editor/pager.
• File Operations: Relies on underlying shell tools (e.g., mkdir, touch, chmod, ln) rather than built-in commands.

You can build and install lf using Go. It is recommended to set CGO_ENABLED=0 to produce a static binary. Use the following commands based on your operating system:

# On Unix
env CGO_ENABLED=0 go install -trimpath -ldflags="-s -w" github.com/gokcehan/lf@latest

# On Windows cmd
set CGO_ENABLED=0
go install -trimpath -ldflags="-s -w" github.com/gokcehan/lf@latest

# On Windows PowerShell
$env:CGO_ENABLED = '0'
go install -trimpath -ldflags="-s -w" github.com/gokcehan/lf@latest

To allow lf to change your shell's working directory upon exit, use the -print-last-dir flag. This prints the last directory to stdout, which can be captured by a shell command.

cd "$(lf -print-last-dir)"

Use the % prefix to run a shell command that pipes its stdin, stdout, and stderr to the lf statline at the bottom of the UI. This prevents the UI from flickering and allows users to see brief error messages or prompts without dropping to a full shell.

Example: Rename with overwrite prompt in statline

cmd rename %mv -i $f $1

Locate files using search, find, or filter commands:

• Search (pattern matching):
  • /: Search forward.
  • ?: Search backward.
  • n: Next match.
  • N: Previous match.
• Find (filename matching):
  • f: Find forward.
  • F: Find backward.
  • ;: Next match.
  • ,: Previous match.
• Filter:
  • filter <pattern>: View only files matching the pattern.
  • setfilter <pattern>: Immediately set the filter using an argument.

LF provides several commands to select, copy, and move files:

• Selection:
  • v: Enter Visual mode to select files.
  • toggle: Toggle selection of current file or arguments.
  • u: Unselect all files in all directories.
  • invert: Reverse selection of all files in the current directory.
  • glob-select / glob-unselect: Select/unselect files matching a glob pattern.
• Clipboard Operations:
  • y (copy): Save paths of selected files to the clipboard for copying.
  • d (cut): Save paths of selected files to the clipboard for moving.
  • p (paste): Copy/move files from the clipboard to the current directory.
  • c (clear): Clear the clipboard.

Icons can be configured using the LF_ICONS environment variable or an external icons file. The syntax follows the same pattern as LS_COLORS or LF_COLORS, but instead of colors, you use single characters or symbols as values.

Key features:

• The ln entry supports the special value target, which uses the link target to select an icon (mirroring GNU ls behavior).
• An icons file consists of whitespace-separated arrays. Each line can contain 1-3 columns: file type/pattern, icon, and an optional icon color.
• Using only one column disables all rules for that type or name.
• Important: You must add set icons true to your lfrc to enable icon display.

You can use lf to select files and pass them to another program by using the -print-selection flag.

1. Select the files you want.
2. Confirm the selection by opening a file.
3. lf will quit and print the newline-separated list of selected files to stdout.

The on-load command can be used to fetch metadata (like Git status or image dimensions) and display it in the lf info column using the addcustominfo command sent via lf -remote.

# Example: Displaying image dimensions in the info column
cmd on-load &{{
    cmds=""

    for file in "$@"; do
        mime=$(file --mime-type -Lb -- "$file")
        case "$mime" in
            # vector images cause problems
            image/svg+xml)
                ;;
            image/*|video/*)
                dimensions=$(exiftool -s3 -imagesize -- "$file")
                cmds="${cmds}addcustominfo \"${file}\" \"$dimensions\"; "
                ;;
        esac
    done

    if [ -n "$cmds" ]; then
        lf -remote "send $id :$cmds"
    fi
}}

You can run shell commands directly from LF using modal commands:

• $: Execute a shell command (modal).
• %: Execute a shell command and pipe its standard I/O to the bottom statline.
• !: Execute a shell command and wait for a key press at the end.
• &: Execute a shell command asynchronously without standard I/O.

To interrupt a running shell-pipe command, use <c-c>.