## nnn Noice is Not Noice, a noicer fork...

Latest release AUR Homebrew Debian Buster+ Fedora 27+ openSUSE Leap 15.0+ Ubuntu Artful+

License Build Status

[![nnn screencast](https://i.imgur.com/wNtI24c.jpg)](https://vimeo.com/233223942 "Click to see nnn in action!")

nnn in action! (click to play video)

`nnn` is probably the [fastest and most resource-sensitive](#performance) (with all its capabilities) file manager you have ever used. It's extremely flexible too - integrates with your DE and favourite GUI utilities, works with the desktop opener, supports bookmarks, has smart navigation shortcuts, [navigate-as-you-type](#navigate-as-you-type-mode) mode, disk usage analyzer mode, comprehensive file details and much more. `nnn` was initially forked from [noice](http://git.2f30.org/noice/) but is significantly [different](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki/nnn-vs.-noice) today. If you want to edit a file in vi with some soothing music in the background while referring to a spec in your GUI PDF viewer, `nnn` got it! [Quickstart](#quickstart) and see how `nnn` simplifies those long desktop sessions... `nnn` supports as many scripts as you want to run! So you can [integrate utilities](https://github.com/jarun/nnn#sample-scripts) like sxiv (to view images in a directory) or fzy (to fuzzy find files in a directory tree) easily. Have fun with it! Missing a feature? Want to contribute? Head to the rolling [ToDo list](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/issues/110). *Love smart and efficient utilities? Explore [my repositories](https://github.com/jarun?tab=repositories). Buy me a cup of coffee if they help you.*

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### Table of Contents - [Features](#features) - [Performance](#performance) - [Installation](#installation) - [Dependencies](#dependencies) - [From a package manager](#from-a-package-manager) - [Release packages](#release-packages) - [From source](#from-source) - [Shell completion](#shell-completion) - [Usage](#usage) - [Cmdline options](#cmdline-options) - [Keyboard shortcuts](#keyboard-shortcuts) - [Filters](#filters) - [Navigate-as-you-type mode](#navigate-as-you-type-mode) - [File indicators](#file-indicators) - [File handling](#file-handling) - [Help](#help) - [Quickstart](#quickstart) - [How to](#how-to) - [add bookmarks](#add-bookmarks) - [use cd .....](#use-cd-) - [cd on quit](#cd-on-quit) - [copy file paths to clipboard](#copy-file-paths-to-clipboard) - [copy file paths when X is missing](#copy-file-paths-when-x-is-missing) - [run custom scripts](#run-custom-scripts) - [sample scripts](#sample-scripts) - [dual-pane or multi-pane](#dual-pane-or-multi-pane) - [change dir color](#change-dir-color) - [file copy, move, delete](#file-copy-move-delete) - [work faster at rename prompt](#work-faster-at-rename-prompt) - [set idle timeout](#set-idle-timeout) - [show hot plugged drives](#show-hot-plugged-drives) - [tmux config](#tmux-config) - [Why fork?](#why-fork) - [Mentions](#mentions) - [Developers](#developers) ### Features - Modes - basic, detail, disk usage analyzer (du) - Navigation - Familiar, easy shortcuts (arrows, `~`, `-`, `&`) - *Navigate-as-you-type* mode with dir auto-select for the maverick - Handy bookmarks, start at bookmark, pin and visit directory - chdir prompt with tab completion (interprets cd ..... too!) - Roll-over at edges, page through entries - Show directories in custom color (default: enabled in blue) - Sorting - Directories always listed on top - Sort by file name, modification time, size - Numeric order (1, 2, ... 10, 11, ...) for numeric names - Search - Superfast directory content filtering with *search-as-you-type* - Desktop search (gnome-search-tool, catfish) integration - Mimes - Open with desktop opener (default) or specify a custom app - Create, list and extract archives (needs atool) - Optionally open text files in EDITOR (fallback vi) - Customizable bash script [nlay](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki/all-about-nlay) to handle actions - Information - Detailed stat-like file information - Media information (needs mediainfo or exiftool, if specified) - Convenience - Create, rename files and directories - Batch rename/move/delete current directory entries in vidir (from moreutils) - Spawn SHELL (fallback sh) in the current directory - Run custom scripts in the current directory - Copy absolute file paths with/without X (*easy* shell integration) - Change directory at exit (*easy* shell integration) - Open any file in EDITOR (fallback vi) or PAGER (fallback less) - Open current directory in a custom GUI file manager - Terminal screensaver/locker (default vlock, customizable) integration - Unicode support - Highly optimized code, minimal resource usage ### Performance `nnn` vs. ncdu memory usage in disk usage analyzer mode (401385 files on disk): ``` PID USER PR NI VIRT RES SHR S %CPU %MEM TIME+ COMMAND 5034 vaio 20 0 70360 58764 2244 S 0.0 0.7 0:00.80 ncdu / 4949 vaio 20 0 17520 4224 2584 S 0.0 0.1 0:00.54 nnn -S / ``` `nnn` vs. midnight commander vs. ranger memory usage while viewing a directory with 13790 files, sorted by size: ``` PID USER PR NI VIRT RES SHR S %CPU %MEM TIME+ COMMAND 16255 vaio 20 0 101392 59304 7928 S 0.0 0.7 0:00.68 /usr/bin/python -O /usr/bin/ranger 15971 vaio 20 0 65732 11784 6848 S 0.0 0.1 0:00.56 mc 16198 vaio 20 0 18520 4900 2536 S 0.3 0.1 0:00.14 nnn ``` Intrigued? Find out [HOW](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki/performance-factors). ### Installation #### Dependencies `nnn` needs libncursesw (on Linux or ncurses on OS X) and standard libc. #### From a package manager - [AUR](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nnn/) (`yaourt -S nnn`) - [Debian](https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=nnn&searchon=names&exact=1) (`apt-get install nnn`) - [Fedora](https://apps.fedoraproject.org/packages/nnn) (`dnf install nnn`) - [FreeBSD](https://www.freshports.org/misc/nnn) (`pkg install nnn`) - [Gentoo](https://packages.gentoo.org/packages/app-misc/nnn) (`emerge nnn`) - [Homebrew](http://formulae.brew.sh/formula/nnn) (`brew install nnn`) - [NixOS](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/tree/master/pkgs/applications/misc/nnn) (`nix-env -i nnn`) - [OpenBSD](https://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/ports/sysutils/nnn/) (`pkg_add nnn`) - [openSUSE](https://software.opensuse.org/package/nnn) (and packages for several other distros) (`zypper in nnn`) - [Slackware](http://slackbuilds.org/repository/14.2/system/nnn/) (`slackpkg install nnn`) - [Source Mage](http://codex.sourcemage.org/test/shell-term-fm/nnn/) (`cast nnn`) - [Ubuntu](https://packages.ubuntu.com/search?keywords=nnn&searchon=names&exact=1) (`apt-get install nnn`) - [Ubuntu PPA](https://launchpad.net/~twodopeshaggy/+archive/ubuntu/jarun/) (`apt-get install nnn`) - [Void Linux](https://github.com/voidlinux/void-packages/tree/master/srcpkgs/nnn) (`xbps-install -S nnn`) #### Release packages Packages for Arch Linux, CentOS, Debian, Fedora and Ubuntu are available with the [latest stable release](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/releases/latest). #### From source To cook yourself, download the [latest stable release](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/releases/latest) or clone this repository (*risky*). Then install the dependencies and compile (e.g. on Ubuntu 16.04): $ sudo apt-get install libncursesw5-dev $ make $ sudo make install `PREFIX` is supported, in case you want to install to a different location. ### Shell completion Search keyword and option completion scripts for Bash, Fish and Zsh can be found in respective subdirectories of [`scripts/auto-completion/`](scripts/auto-completion). Please refer to your shell's manual for installation instructions. ### Usage #### Cmdline options ``` usage: nnn [-b key] [-c N] [-e] [-i] [-l] [-p nlay] [-S] [-v] [-h] [PATH] The missing terminal file manager for X. positional args: PATH start dir [default: current dir] optional args: -b key specify bookmark key to open -c N specify dir color, disables if N>7 -e use exiftool instead of mediainfo -i start in navigate-as-you-type mode -l start in light mode -p nlay path to custom nlay -S start in disk usage analyser mode -v show program version and exit -h show this help and exit ``` `>` indicates the currently selected entry in `nnn`. #### Keyboard shortcuts ``` Key | Function - + - ↑, k, ^P | Prev entry ↓, j, ^N | Next entry PgUp, ^U | Scroll half page up PgDn, ^D | Scroll half page down Home, g, ^, ^A | First entry End, G, $, ^E | Last entry →, ↵, l, ^M | Open file/enter dir ←, Bksp, h, ^H | Parent dir ^O | Open with... Insert, ^I | Toggle nav-as-you-type ~ | Go HOME & | Start-up dir - | Last visited dir / | Filter entries ^/ | Open desktop search app . | Toggle show . files ^B | Bookmark prompt b | Pin current dir ^V | Go to pinned dir c | Change dir prompt d | Toggle detail view D | File details m | Brief media info M | Full media info n | Create new ^R | Rename entry r | Open dir in vidir s | Toggle sort by size S, ^J | Toggle du mode t | Toggle sort by mtime !, ^] | Spawn SHELL in dir R | Run custom script e | Edit entry in EDITOR o | Open DE filemanager p | Open entry in PAGER f | Archive entry F | List archive ^F | Extract archive Space, ^K | Copy file path ^Y | Toggle multi-copy ^T | Toggle path quote ^L | Redraw, clear prompt L | Lock terminal ? | Help, settings Q, ^G | Quit and cd q, ^X | Quit ``` Help & settings, file details, media info and archive listing are shown in the PAGER. Please use the PAGER-specific keys in these screens. #### Filters Filters support regexes to instantly (search-as-you-type) list the matching entries in the current directory. There are 3 ways to reset a filter: - pressing ^L (at the new/rename prompt ^L followed by Enter discards all changes and exits prompt) - a search with no matches - an extra backspace at the filter prompt (like vi) Common use cases: - to list all matches starting with the filter expression, start the expression with a `^` (caret) symbol - type `\.mkv` to list all MKV files - use `.*` to match any character (_sort of_ fuzzy search) If `nnn` is invoked as root or the environment variable `NNN_SHOW_HIDDEN` is set the default filter will also match hidden files. #### Navigate-as-you-type mode In this mode directories are opened in filter mode, allowing continuous navigation. Works best with the **arrow keys**. In case of only one match and it's a directory, `nnn` auto selects the directory and enters it in this mode. #### File indicators The following indicators are used in the detail view: | Indicator | File Type | |:---:| --- | | `/` | Directory | | `*` | Executable | | | | Fifo | | `=` | Socket | | `@` | Symbolic Link | | `@/` | Symbolic Link to directory | | `b` | Block Device | | `c` | Character Device | #### File handling | External dependency | Operation | | --- | --- | | xdg-open (Linux), open(1) (OS X) | desktop opener | | mediainfo, exiftool | multimedia file details | | gnome-search-tool, catfish | desktop search utility | | atool | create, list and extract archives | | vidir from moreutils | batch rename, move, delete dir entries | | vlock (Linux) | terminal locker | | $EDITOR ($VISUAL, if defined) | edit files (fallback vi) | | $PAGER | page through files (fallback less) | | $SHELL | spawn a shell, run script (fallback sh) | - To edit all text files in EDITOR (preferably CLI, fallback vi): export NNN_USE_EDITOR=1 - To enable the desktop file manager key, set `NNN_DE_FILE_MANAGER`. E.g.: export NNN_DE_FILE_MANAGER=thunar export NNN_DE_FILE_MANAGER=nautilus #### Help $ nnn -h $ man nnn To lookup keyboard shortcuts at runtime, press ?. ### Quickstart Add the following to your shell's rc file for the best experience: 1. Use a shorter and sweeter alias: alias n=nnn 2. Optionally open all text files in EDITOR (fallback vi): export NNN_USE_EDITOR=1 3. Set a desktop file manager to open directories with (if you ever need to). E.g.: export NNN_DE_FILE_MANAGER=thunar 4. Run `n`. 5. Press ? for help on keyboard shortcuts anytime. ### How to #### add bookmarks Set environment variable `NNN_BMS` as a string of `key:location` pairs (max 10) separated by semicolons (`;`): export NNN_BMS='doc:~/Documents;u:/home/user/Cam Uploads;D:~/Downloads/' The bookmark prompt also understands the ~ (HOME), - (last visited directory) and & (start directory) shortcuts. #### use cd ..... To jump to the nth level parent, use `n + 1` dots (the first `.` denotes PWD). For example, to jump to the 6 parent of the current directory, use 7 dots. If the number of dots would take you *beyond* `/` (which isn't possible), you'll be placed at `/`. #### cd on quit Pick the appropriate file for your shell from [`scripts/quitcd`](scripts/quitcd) and add the contents to your shell's rc file. You'll need to spawn a new shell for the change to take effect. You should start `nnn` as `n` (or modify the function name to something else). As you might notice, `nnn` uses the environment variable `NNN_TMPFILE` to write the last visited directory path. You can change it. #### copy file paths to clipboard `nnn` can pipe the absolute path of the current file or multiple files to a copier script. For example, you can use `xsel` on Linux or `pbcopy` on OS X. Sample Linux copier script: #!/bin/sh # comment the next line to convert newlines to spaces IFS= echo -n $1 | xsel --clipboard --input export `NNN_COPIER`: export NNN_COPIER="/path/to/copier.sh" Use ^K to copy the absolute path (from `/`) of the file under the cursor to clipboard. To copy multiple file paths, switch to the multi-copy mode using ^Y. In this mode you can - select multiple files one by one by pressing ^K on each entry; or, - navigate to another file in the same directory to select a range of files. Pressing ^Y again copies the paths to clipboard and exits the multi-copy mode. To wrap each file path within single quotes, export `NNN_QUOTE_ON`: export NNN_QUOTE_ON=1 This is particularly useful if you are planning to copy the whole string to the shell to run a command. Quotes can be toggled at runtime using ^T. Note that the filename is not escaped. So copying may still fail for filenames having quote(s) in them. #### copy file paths when X is missing A very common scenario on headless remote servers connected via SSH. As the clipboard is missing, `nnn` copies the path names to the tmp file `/tmp/nnncp$USER`. `nnn` needs to know X is unavailable: export NNN_NO_X=1 Use ^Y and/or ^K to copy file paths as usual. To use the copied paths from the cmdline, use command substitution: # bash/zsh ls -ltr `cat /tmp/nnncpuser` ls -ltr $(cat /tmp/nnncpuser) # fish ls -ltr (cat /tmp/nnncpuser) An alias may be handy: alias ncp='cat /tmp/nnncpuser' so you can - # bash/zsh ls -ltr `ncp` ls -ltr $(ncp) # fish ls -ltr (ncp) Note that you may want to keep quotes disabled in this case. #### run custom scripts `nnn` can invoke custom scripts with the currently selected file name as argument 1. Export the path to the custom executable script: export NNN_SCRIPT=/usr/local/bin/nscript Press R to run the script in the current directory. It's possible to run multiple scripts with `nnn` as long as the scripts are in the same location and share the same prefix. To enable multiple scripts, export NNN_MULTISCRIPT=1 With the example of `NNN_SCRIPT` above, some more scripts could be: /usr/local/bin/nscript1 /usr/local/bin/nscript2 /usr/local/bin/nscriptcustom1 /usr/local/bin/nscriptcustom2 and so on... Type the correct suffix when prompted on pressing the keybind R. To use the base script (`NNN_SCRIPT`), just press Enter. ##### sample scripts - Open image files in current dir in **sxiv**: #!/usr/bin/env sh sxiv -q * >/dev/null 2>&1 - Fuzzy find files in **fzy** and open with xdg-open: #!/usr/bin/env sh xdg-open $(find -type f | fzy) >/dev/null 2>&1 #### dual-pane or multi-pane `nnn` doesn't have a native dual-pane or multi-pane mode. Use it with tmux, GNU Screen, Terminator or Tilix. #### change dir color The default color for directories is blue. Option `-c` accepts color codes from 0 to 7 to use a different color: 0-black, 1-red, 2-green, 3-yellow, 4-blue, 5-magenta, 6-cyan, 7-white Any other value disables colored directories. #### file copy, move, delete `nnn` doesn't support file copy, move, delete natively. However, it simplifies the workflow: 1. copy the absolute paths using ^Y and/or ^K 2. spawn a shell in the current directory (!) 3. while typing the desired command, copy the file paths (usually ^-Shift-V) In addition, `nnn` integrates with vidir. vidir supports batch file move and delete. #### work faster at rename prompt The rename prompt supports some bash-like command-line shortcuts - ^A, ^E, ^U. ^L clears the name. #### set idle timeout The terminal screensaver is disabled by default. To set the wait time in seconds, use environment variable `NNN_IDLE_TIMEOUT`. #### show hot plugged drives Enable volume management in your DE file manager and set removable drives or media to be auto-mounted when inserted. Then visit the usual mount point location (`/mnt` or `/media/user`) in `nnn`. #### tmux config `nnn` might not handle keypresses correctly when used with tmux (see issue #104 for more details). Set `TERM=xterm-256color` to address it. ### Why fork? I chose to fork because: - one can argue my approach deviates from the goal of the original project - keep the utility `suckless`. In my opinion evolution is the taste of time. - I would like to have a bit of control on what features are added in the name of desktop integration. A feature-bloat is the last thing in my mind. Check out [nnn design considerations](https://github.com/jarun/nnn/wiki/nnn-design-considerations) for more details. ### Mentions - [FOSSMint](https://www.fossmint.com/nnn-linux-terminal-file-browser/) - [It's FOSS](https://itsfoss.com/nnn-file-browser-linux/) - [LinuxLinks](https://www.linuxlinks.com/nnn-fast-and-flexible-file-manager/) - [Ubuntu Full Circle Magazine - Issue 135](https://fullcirclemagazine.org/issue-135/) ### Developers 1. Copyright © 2014-2016 Lazaros Koromilas 2. Copyright © 2014-2016 Dimitris Papastamos 3. Copyright © 2016-2018 [Arun Prakash Jana](https://github.com/jarun)