Folder View

A folder viewer widget that displays and manages files and directories on your screen.

Alternative features and customizations can be found in the derivative dms-conky fork by suruibin.

Install

Use the DMS CLI:

dms plugins install folderView

Or manually:

git clone https://github.com/hthienloc/dms-folder-view ~/.config/DankMaterialShell/plugins/folderView

Features

• Directory Switching: Switch between predefined system folders (Desktop, Downloads, Home, etc.) or any custom directory path.
• Multiple Layouts: Toggle between Grid View, List View, and Compact View (configured in settings; Compact View automatically wraps into columns based on widget width).
• Quick Controls: Search/filter items, sort files (by Name, Date, Size, Type), or trigger item creation directly from widget header controls.
• Adjustable Sizing: Customize item icon sizes (Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large) via the plugin settings panel.
• File Operations: Core file management actions including item creation (Folder/Document), renaming, copying paths, trashing, and system clipboard file copy.
• Multi-selection: Multi-select items using Ctrl and Shift modifiers for bulk operations.
• Visual Previews: Live image thumbnails and album art extraction for audio files.

Usage

Input Action	Result
Left Click Folder Title	Open directory selection dropdown (Desktop, Downloads, Trash, Home, Custom, etc.), including a Favorites section and an option to add/remove the current folder
Left Click + Icon	Open creation dropdown (New Folder, New Document)
Left Click Sort Icon	Open sorting options dropdown (Name, Date, Size, Type)
Left Click Search Icon	Expand/collapse search input to filter files instantly by name
Left Click File/Folder	Select individual item
Left Click Label of Selected Item	Rename the item in place (inline)
Ctrl + Left Click	Toggle selection on multiple items
Shift + Left Click	Select range of items
Double Click Item	Open folder or run file with system default application
Middle Click Item	Open context menu (Open, Float File, Copy, Copy Path, Rename, Add to Favorites for folders, Trash)
Left Click Empty Space	Clear current selection
Middle Click Empty Space	Paste files, folders, or clipboard screenshots into active folder

Note: Layout modes (Grid, List, Compact) and item icon sizing can be customized inside the plugin settings panel.

Pin-to-Desktop (Float File)

To pin your images or PDF files as borderless, floating desktop widgets (always-on-top picture-in-picture windows), you can use the companion dms-floaty plugin. Folder View integrates seamlessly with dms-floaty out-of-the-box, allowing you to float any image or PDF file directly from the middle-click context menu.

Requirements

• python3 - Required only for handling advanced clipboard paste operations (e.g., pasting images/screenshots from clipboard).
• wl-clipboard - Required for wl-copy (copying non-image files to clipboard) and wl-paste (reading clipboard during Paste).
• glib2 (or gio) - Required for trashing files cleanly (gio trash).

License

MIT

TODO / Roadmap

• Drag & Drop (Out): Drag files directly from the widget into external windows.
• Drag & Drop (In): Support dropping files from external windows into the widget.
• Inline Rename: Quick renaming by clicking the label of a selected item.
• Favorite Folders: Dedicated section for pinned/favorite directories for quicker access.
• Customizable Context Menu: Allow users to add, remove, or reorder actions in the middle-click menu.
• Multi-file operations: Select multiple items using Ctrl/Shift and perform bulk copies, moves, or trashing.
• File Search: Add a small integrated search field in the header to filter large directories instantly.
• Folder & File Creation: Add a quick action button to create new folders or empty text documents directly within the widget.
• Enhanced Info UI: Improved file/folder details dialog with structured data and copyable path.
• Folder Status: Display item counts and selection status in the header.
• Image & Audio Thumbnails: Show image previews and album art for music files.
• PDF Thumbnails: Show first page preview for PDF documents.
• Terminal Integration: "Open in Terminal" or "Open in VS Code" shortcuts for the active directory.
• Archive Support: Basic management (view/extract) for compressed files (.zip, .tar.gz).