Software > File managers >

(on Wikipedia)
https://github.com/IgnorantGuru/spacefm
http://ignorantguru.github.io/spacefm/

The current god of file managers.

It's bloody amazing, and does so much "just right". I can tell that the author has his head on straight. It ought to be the default in every Linux distribution which uses GTK+.

Originally a set of modifications to PCManFM, called PCManFM-mod. It got a life of its own, and was rewritten.

-

• https://ignorantguru.github.io/spacefm/spacefm-manual-en.html

• thread on Arch Linux

--

• 2019-06-05 - 1.0.5 on Debian 9.9.0-i386

  • And for a long time earlier.
• 2016-03-28 - 1.0.4 on Slackware 14.1
• 2016-03-26 - 0.9.4 on Lubuntu 14.04.4 LTS
• 2015-04-25 - it's alive again.
• 2014-04-28 - was indefinitely suspended

• Earlier versions not recorded

2016-03-28 - 1.0.4 ∞

GTK2 UDEV INOTIFY DESKTOP SNOTIFY

Installed with slpkg with:

\slpkg  -s sbo  spacefm

• Icons for files are not properly appearing.

• Some files are not appearing correctly, as they have unusual fonts in them. My system can show them (revealed by charmap), so it's a SpaceFM (or dependency) issue.

  • This was my workaround for filenames to include a slash (/).
  • This problem also exists for rxvt-unicode
  • This worked as-expected for 2016-03-26 - 0.9.4.

• Bookmarks cannot have items named with an underscore (_) in their names. That underscore is not displayed.

  • This is exceptionally annoying.
  • Once I got Slackware working with UTF-8, I can use U+23BD HORIZONTAL SCAN LINE-9 (⎽)

--

• 2016-09-11 - I fixed its missing icon issue with lxappearance.

2016-03-26 - 0.9.4 ∞

GTK3 UDEV INOTIFY DESKTOP SNOTIFY

I had been using various versions of SpaceFM, for some time, on Lubuntu.

Earlier versions not recorded ∞

I had been using SpaceFM on Lubuntu and previous distributions.

I had compiled it from source for some time.

Though I have notes, I have not put them here. Obviously.

Usage ∞

Underscores in bookmark entries ∞

Trying to make a bookmark with the name that is a regular underscore character will result in a valid bookmark entry, but without a name. This is a problem introduced, I believe, in the 1.x versions.

As of 1.0.4 or so, there is a workaround:

• Try Unicode U+FF3F - FULLWIDTH LOW LINE: ＿

• You can also try U+0332 - COMBINING LOW LINE and then a regular underscore character.

Tested 2019-06-05 on 1.0.5

Hidden stuff ∞

Get the list of socket commands:

\spacefm  --socket-cmd help

Opening multiple panels ∞

\spacefm \
  --new-window \
  --panel=1  --no-saved-tabs \
    /top-left-panel-1 \
    /top-left-panel-2 \
&
# Make sure that multiple spacefm windows don't spawn.
\sleep  1
\spacefm \
  --panel=2  --no-saved-tabs  --reuse-tab \
    /top-right-panel-1 \
    /top-right-panel-2 \
&
\spacefm \
  --panel=3  --reuse-tab \
    /bottom-left-panel-1 \
    /bottom-left-panel-2 \
&
\spacefm \
  --panel=4  --reuse-tab \
    /bottom-right-panel-1 \
    /bottom-right-panel-2 \
&
# Make sure that everything is loaded up before these socket commands are sent.
\sleep  2
# I don't see how multiple socket commands can be sent in one line.  Bah.
# I don't know how to set the sizes of each panel.
\spacefm  --socket-cmd  set window_maximized true
\spacefm  --socket-cmd  set focused_panel 1
\spacefm  --socket-cmd  set focused_pane filelist
\spacefm  --socket-cmd  set panel1_visible true
\spacefm  --socket-cmd  set panel2_visible true
\spacefm  --socket-cmd  set panel3_visible true
\spacefm  --socket-cmd  set panel4_visible true

Removing "leftover" programs lingering around in the "run with" dialog ∞

Check out the files in:

• ~/.local/share/applications/

• /usr/share/applications/

Assign multiple hotkeys to the same command ∞

This example sets up control-tab to also emit control-pagedown

1) Tools > (right-click) > New > Command

2) Name: (arbitrary) e.g. Ctrl-PageDown

3) Command: (arbitrary) e.g.:

spacefm -s emit-key 0xff56 0x4

spacefm documentation on emit-key

4) Menu Item > Key: (arbitrary) e.g. Control-Tab

5) Options > [_] Run As Task

Some ideas:

On Pandora

Learning keys

Tools > Right-click (any) > Key shortcut

When typing a shortcut, its codes will appear.

Opening multiple tabs ∞

\spacefm \
  --new-window \
  --panel=1  --no-saved-tabs \
    /folder-top-left-1 \
    /folder-top-left-2 \
&

# Make sure that multiple SpaceFM windows don't spawn.
# Based on your computer/disk speed, you may need to increase this.
\sleep  1

\spacefm \
  --panel=2  --no-saved-tabs  --reuse-tab \
    /folder-top-right-1 \
    /folder-top-right-2 \
&

\spacefm \
  --panel=3  --no-saved-tabs  --reuse-tab \
    /folder-bottom-left-1 \
    /folder-bottom-left-2 \
&

\spacefm \
  --panel=4  --no-saved-tabs  --reuse-tab \
    /folder-bottom-right-1 \
    /folder-bottom-right-2 \
&

Outstanding issues ∞

• I see no way to send a socket command to change the size of a panel.

Perhaps these were problems with an earlier version.. I don't see them 2017-01-05 - 0.9.4 on Devuan beta1:

• I see no way to send a socket command to a specific window. A command seems to effect all windows currently open. Ugh.

• I can't set the number of displayed panels on one window without effective all windows. Ugh.

Last updated 2020-06-16 at 13:34:05