Simple file manager app wanted.

B

balanga

I'm looking for a simple file manager that I can run from the directory it is installed in without the need for any additional libs.

ie I would like to run fmx even from a network drive just by going to the directory where it is installed eg /root and typing fmx and it starts.

As an alternative how would I create an environment where I run fmx if the required libs are not on the libpath.

Hope someone understands where I'm coming from...
 
It must be text-based? I don't think there are real filemanagers that don't rely on anything at all. There's always a front-end that needs some lib to display things.
Ofcourse you can create a non-graphical file selector with copy and move functions and even limited mouse support but is that a filemanager?
 
If I understand correctly, you're looking for something portable — a file manager that can run from its own directory (even from a network mount) without relying on system-wide libraries.

Since you’re looking for a simple portable file manager that you can run from wherever it lives (even a network drive) without pulling in extra libs, and you’ve mentioned tools like fmx, the closest matches on FreeBSD right now are small terminal-based managers that can be built with minimal dependencies.

Here are good options:
  • nnn – very lightweight, minimal deps, fast
  • lf – simple, keyboard-oriented, few deps
  • vifm – more capable vi-like interface
  • mc – the classic, but larger than nnn/lf
  • ranger – Python based (more deps)
If you need the file manager to be truly self-contained and not installed into system paths, there are two practical approaches.

First option is building with static linking, if the port supports it. From the ports tree you can try running:

make clean
make LDFLAGS=-static

Not all ports support fully static builds, but with smaller tools like nnn or lf this is often possible depending on the selected options.

Second option is to ship the binary together with its required shared libraries and use a small wrapper script. If the program is dynamically linked, place the executable and a "lib" directory (containing the needed shared libraries) in the same folder, then create a wrapper script like this:

#!/bin/sh
DIR=$(dirname "$0")
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$DIR/lib"
exec "$DIR/nnn" "$@"

Make the script executable and run it from that directory. This allows you to launch the tool even from a network drive without installing it system-wide.

If you want the smallest possible footprint with minimal dependencies, start with nnn or lf, build them locally with minimal options (make config in ports), and use the wrapper approach so the tool runs independently of the system library path.

That should meet both your previous and current requirement: a lightweight terminal file manager that can run from a local or network directory without needing a traditional installation.
 
Kai Burghardt said:
Text‐based has probably been answered in Thread 91397.​
Click to expand...
Not text-based but without dependencies. Quite a challenge. Maybe something that's based on the idea of showing a graphical mouse pointer in a vt terminal. No idea how that works but it doesn't need a graphics library and framebuffer. Must be direct memory access via something in the kernel.
 
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