The Orthodox File Manager Philosophy
Captain's Deck follows the "orthodox file manager" design pioneered by Norton Commander in the 1980s. This two-panel layout shows source and destination side-by-side, making file operations intuitive and fast.
- Left Pane: Source or working directory
- Right Pane: Destination or comparison directory
- Active Pane: The pane with focus (highlighted border)
Interface Layout
Top: Tab Bar
Each pane can have multiple tabs, letting you keep several locations open:
- Cmd+T - New tab in active pane
- Cmd+W - Close current tab
- Cmd+] / Cmd+[ - Switch between tabs
Middle: File Panels
The two file panels show directory contents with columns for:
- Name (with icon)
- Size
- Date Modified
- Permissions (optional)
Right-click any column header to show/hide columns.
Bottom: Function Key Bar
Quick reference for F1-F10 function keys:
| F1 | Help | F6 | Move |
| F2 | Rename | F7 | Make Directory |
| F3 | View | F8 | Delete |
| F4 | Edit | F9 | Visual Diff |
| F5 | Copy | F10 | Quit |
Switching Between Panes
The active pane is indicated by a highlighted border. Switch focus with:
- Tab - Toggle between left and right panes
- Click - Click anywhere in a pane to activate it
Navigating Files
Captain's Deck supports both Vim-style and traditional navigation:
Movement
| Action | Vim Keys | Arrow Keys |
|---|---|---|
| Move down | j | Down |
| Move up | k | Up |
| Enter directory | l | Right or Enter |
| Go to parent | h | Left or Backspace |
| Jump to top | gg | Cmd+Up |
| Jump to bottom | G | Cmd+Down |
| Page up | Ctrl+U | Page Up |
| Page down | Ctrl+D | Page Down |
Selecting Files
Select files for batch operations:
- Space - Toggle selection on current file and move down
- Cmd+A - Select all files
- Cmd+Option+I - Invert selection
- Shift+navigation - Extend selection while moving
Selected files are highlighted. The status bar shows the count and total size of selected items.
Quick Filter
Press / to activate the quick filter. Type to filter the current directory view:
- Only matching files are shown
- Press Escape to clear the filter
- The filter is case-insensitive
Showing Hidden Files
Toggle hidden files (dotfiles) with Cmd+. (period).
Sorting
Click any column header to sort by that column. Click again to reverse the sort order.
The Terminal Panel
Press ` (backtick) to toggle the integrated terminal at the bottom of the window. The terminal automatically syncs to the active pane's directory.