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 (optional setting)
Tip: Enable "Click to Switch Panes" in Settings > General if you prefer to activate panes by clicking, in addition to using the Tab key.
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 / Insert - 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.
Note: Selection persists during navigation - arrow keys and other cursor movements do not clear your selection. Press Escape to clear selection explicitly.
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.
View Modes
Switch between different view modes using the View menu or keyboard shortcuts:
- Ctrl+Cmd+1 - List view (default, shows detailed columns)
- Ctrl+Cmd+2 - Icon view (thumbnail grid)
- Ctrl+Cmd+3 - Column view (Miller columns)
You can also access these from View > View Mode in the menu bar, which is useful when the toolbar is hidden (e.g., in Norton Commander theme).
Trackpad Navigation
If you have a trackpad, use gestures for quick navigation:
- 3-Finger Swipe Right - Go back (same as h or Backspace)
- 3-Finger Swipe Left - Go forward
Note: Requires "Swipe between pages" enabled in System Settings > Trackpad > More Gestures.
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.