Tiny Commander (tnc)

A lightweight dual-pane file manager for Linux and macOS, inspired by Midnight Commander and FAR Manager.

Zero dependencies. Just Python 3.13+ standard library.

Why tnc?

• No dependencies — If you have Python 3.13+, you're ready to go
• Familiar — MC-style keybindings and workflow
• Simple — Does one thing well: manage files with two panels

Philosophy

tnc is not trying to be everything. Midnight Commander is a fantastic, feature-rich file manager — but that richness comes with complexity and dependencies.

tnc deliberately stays small:

• No VFS — We won't browse archives or remote filesystems
• No built-in editor — Your $EDITOR is better than anything we'd write
• No plugins — Complexity we don't need
• No Windows — Focus on doing Unix well

If you need those features, use mc. It's great. But if you want a simple, portable file manager that works anywhere Python runs, tnc is for you.

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/efimsky/tiny-commander.git
cd tiny-commander

# Run directly
python -m tnc

# Or make executable and add to PATH
chmod +x tnc
./tnc

Requirements

• Python 3.13 or later
• Linux or macOS (no Windows support)

Usage

Key Bindings

Key	Action
Tab	Switch active panel
↑ ↓	Navigate files
Enter	Enter directory / open file
F3	View file (pager)
F4	Edit file
F5	Copy to other panel
F6	Move to other panel
F7	Create directory
F8	Delete (with confirmation)
F9	Menu bar
F10	Quit
Insert	Toggle selection
+	Select by pattern
-	Deselect by pattern
*	Invert selection
/	Quick search
Alt+Enter	Insert filename into command line
Shift+F3	Cycle sort order (name/size/date/extension)
Ctrl+F3	Toggle reverse sort (terminal-dependent)
Shift+F4	Create new file (opens in editor)
Alt+F3	Calculate directory size (cached)

Command Line

The command line at the bottom runs commands in the active panel's directory:

/home/user/documents> ls -la

Press Alt+Enter to insert the currently selected filename.

Configuration

On first use, tnc creates ~/.config/tnc/config to store your preferences:

editor = nano
pager = less

Environment variables ($EDITOR, $PAGER) take precedence over config file settings.

Development

Requirements

• Python 3.13+
• No external dependencies (stdlib only)

Running Tests

python -m unittest discover -s tests -v

TDD Workflow

This project follows strict Test-Driven Development:

1. Red — Write a failing test
2. Green — Write minimum code to pass
3. Refactor — Clean up, keeping tests green

No implementation code without a test first.

Project Structure

tiny-commander/
├── tnc/                  # Main package
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── __main__.py       # Entry point for python -m tnc
│   ├── app.py            # Main application, event loop
│   ├── panel.py          # Panel class (navigation, selection)
│   ├── file_ops.py       # Copy, move, delete, rename operations
│   ├── menu.py           # Menu bar (F9)
│   ├── command_line.py   # Command line input
│   ├── config.py         # Configuration handling
│   ├── colors.py         # Color scheme management
│   ├── function_bar.py   # Bottom function key bar (F3-F10)
│   ├── status_bar.py     # Status line display
│   └── utils.py          # Utility functions
└── tests/                # Unit tests (500+ tests)

Contributing

1. Read CLAUDE.md for project guidelines
2. Write tests first, then implementation
3. Keep it simple — no external dependencies