A terminal-based file browser, built with C++17 and FTXUI. Features a three-column layout (parent / current / preview), vim-like keybindings, syntax-highlighted file preview, and a rich theme system.

Features

Three-Column Layout

• Left: Parent directory listing
• Center: Current directory with file icons and type-based coloring
• Right: Context-aware preview panel (file metadata, text with syntax highlighting, image rendering, directory contents)

File Operations

• Copy (y), Cut (x), Paste (p)
• Delete (Delete / Ctrl+D)
• Create new file / folder (via command mode)
• Rename (via command mode)
• Clipboard management with visual indicator
• Open files with default system program (Enter)
• Configurable openers with rules-based matching (Ctrl+B → op/ow)

Vim-Like Keybindings

• j/k or Arrow keys to navigate
• h to go to parent directory, l to enter directory
• / to search, Ctrl+B prefix mode for commands
• Built-in Vim-like text editor with undo/redo, search/replace, and Markdown preview

Syntax Highlighting

• Built-in keyword-based highlighter supporting 40+ languages (C/C++, Python, Rust, Go, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, etc.)
• 16 token types: keyword, string, comment, number, function, type, operator, preprocessor, and more
• Optional tree-sitter backend for advanced parsing (build with -DFTB_ENABLE_TREE_SITTER=ON)
• Theme-aware colors that adapt to the active theme

Image Preview

• Renders JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF images in the terminal using Unicode half-block characters
• Optional libchafa backend for better quality (build with -DFTB_ENABLE_LIBCHAFA=ON)

Theme System

18 built-in themes with full syntax color support:

Theme	Style	Theme	Style
default	Catppuccin Mocha	yazi	Yazi-inspired
dark	High contrast dark	light	Light background
colorful	Vibrant colors	minimal	Monochrome
dracula	Dracula	nord	Nord
tokyo-night	Tokyo Night	gruvbox	Gruvbox
solarized	Solarized Dark	one-dark	One Dark
rose-pine	Rose Pine	kanagawa	Kanagawa
everforest	Everforest	monokai	Monokai
ayu	Ayu Dark	poimandres	Poimandres
material	Material Dark	horizon	Horizon
melange	Melange	solarized-light	Solarized Light
...	...	...	...

• Real-time theme switching via command mode (:theme)
• JSON config file (~/.ftb) for persistent customization
• Per-theme syntax highlighting colors

Command Mode (nvim-style)

Press Ctrl+B to enter prefix mode, then type commands:

Command	Alias	Action
:theme	:th	Open theme selector
:rename	:rn	Rename selected item
:newfile	:nf	Create new file
:newfolder	:nd	Create new folder
:preview	:p	Full file preview
:details	:d	Folder details
:jump	:j	Jump to directory
:vim	:v	Open in Vim editor
:search	:s	Enter search mode
:calendar	:cal	Calendar panel
:layout	:lo	Layout settings
:help	:h	Help panel
:plugin	:pl	Plugin manager
:ssh	-	SSH connection (if enabled)
...	...	...

Performance

• Asynchronous file I/O for non-blocking UI
• LRU cache for directory contents
• Object pooling for Vim editor instances
• Lazy loading for preview content
• Configurable refresh intervals

Plugin System

• TypeScript/JavaScript plugins with sandboxed execution
• Permission-based API (fs, clipboard, env, subprocess)
• Plugin manager panel (:plugin)
• Auto-discovery from ~/.config/ftb/plugins/
• Hot reload support
• See Plugin Guide for details

Build

Dependencies

Library	Purpose	Required
FTXUI	Terminal UI framework	Yes
nlohmann-json	JSON config parsing	Yes
libssh2	SSH connections	No (-DFTB_ENABLE_SSH=ON)
tree-sitter	Advanced syntax highlighting	No (-DFTB_ENABLE_TREE_SITTER=ON)
libchafa	Image preview	No (-DFTB_ENABLE_LIBCHAFA=ON)
QuickJS	Plugin system runtime	No (plugins require qjs)

Install dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y \
    libftxui-dev nlohmann-json3-dev cmake g++

Build

mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make -j$(nproc)

Build options

# Disable Nerd Font icons (use ASCII fallback)
cmake .. -DFTB_ENABLE_ICONS=OFF

# Enable SSH support
cmake .. -DFTB_ENABLE_SSH=ON

# Enable tree-sitter syntax highlighting
cmake .. -DFTB_ENABLE_TREE_SITTER=ON

# Enable libchafa image preview
cmake .. -DFTB_ENABLE_LIBCHAFA=ON

# Disable plugin system
cmake .. -DFTB_ENABLE_PLUGINS=OFF

# Use interactive script for building
chmod +x ./build.sh
./build.sh

Usage

# Launch in current directory
./FTB

# Launch in specific directory
./FTB /path/to/directory

# With performance logging
./FTB -l

# Specify config file
./FTB --config /path/to/config.ftb

Keybindings

Key	Action
j / Down	Move down
k / Up	Move up
h / Left	Parent directory
l / Right / Enter	Enter directory / open file with default program
/	Search
Ctrl+B	Command mode
y	Copy
x	Cut
p	Paste
Delete / Ctrl+D	Delete
Alt+J / Alt+K	Preview scroll down / up
Alt+H / Alt+L	Preview scroll left / right
Ctrl+R	Reload config
Ctrl+C	Quit
Escape	Close panel / clear search
Home / End	Jump to first / last item
PageUp / PageDown	Scroll pages

See Keyboard Shortcuts for the full reference.

Configuration

Copy the template and edit:

cp config/.ftb.template ~/.ftb

The config file uses JSON format. Key sections:

• colors - UI colors (main, files, status, search, dialog, syntax)
• style - Icons, file size, mouse support, hidden files
• layout - Column ratios and items per page
• theme - Active theme name
• ssh - Default SSH port and timeout
• bookmarks - Named directory bookmarks

See Configuration Guide for details.

Documentation

• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Configuration Guide
• Plugin Guide

License

MIT