DotNetCommander

DotNetCommander is a two-pane file manager in the style of Total Commander / Norton Commander / Double Commander on Windows Forms and .NET 8.

About the Project

A functional Windows-first file manager with its own Quick View, built-in editors, asynchronous file operations, and commander-style hotkeys.

Current active build:

• Commander.NET.csproj
• net8.0-windows10.0.22621.0
• version 1.9.0

Key Features

• Local AI folder organizer (Tools -> AI folder organizer...): processes files with configurable packages, requires OpenAI API key for each operation;
• Two file panels with address bar, disk panel and commander-style navigation;
• Search Alt+F7 by mask/regex and content in background; results open directly in active panel, API tags, completions and capabilities accessible via copilot move/skip/need_content, persistent console for commands, background mode for API, and capability filtering;
• Column sorting with persistent first .. and optional Options -> View mode where directories and files sort together and read-only/hidden files also sort together;
• Quick View (F2 / Ctrl+Q) for text, Markdown, images, RTF and small CSV-like files;
• Built-in file compare via Shift+F3: text diff, CSV diff, image compare and binary summary;
• Streaming RAW/Hex viewer for viewing signatures and arbitrary offsets without loading the entire file; F3 is fallback for binary, XML declaration encoding="windows-1251" encoding detection for XML-based text files like .fb2; BOM takes priority, read-only DataSet panels with directory tables and relations, arbitrary columns and row preview;
• Open CFBF/OLE2 containers (.doc, .xls, .ppt, .msg, .msi and others) via Ctrl+PgDn as read-only hierarchy storages/streams with Quick View, RAW and copy-out; Word Binary F3 Quick View main document for plain text fallback; Declaration <?xml encoding detection for XML-based text files like .fb2; BOM takes priority, read-only DataSet panels with directory tables and relations, arbitrary columns and row preview;
• Open .ged as read-only GEDCOM directory with sections persons (INDI), families (FAM), notes (NOTE) and other tags of zero depth; Quick View shows full text of selected record, F3 Quick View main document for plain text fallback; Declaration <?xml encoding detection for XML-based text files like .fb2; BOM takes priority, read-only DataSet panels with directory tables and relations, arbitrary columns and row preview;
• Shared system icon cache by extension/type, so directories and files have the same icons in the file panel and other UI;
• Commander-style command line below panels for running programs, scripts and shell commands with parameters in panel directory;
• Shell integration: Open, Open with..., Properties;
• Shift+Enter to run .bat/.cmd/.exe/.com/.ps1 or entered command in a persistent console;
• Ctrl+R to manually refresh the active file panel;
• Ctrl+N to create a new file via SaveFileDialog;
• Shift+F4 for commander-style create new file in active panel;
• Shift+F5 for copy with new name in same panel;
• Shift+F6 for inline rename;
• F7 for commander-style create directory, including nested paths, with option to immediately go to new folder;
• Live bottom F-panel with separate Shift / Alt / Ctrl indicator, empty unsupported combinations and visible Ctrl+F3 RAW/Hex;
• Customizable fonts for standard dialogs with separate roles header/body/emphasis/caption and live preview in Options;
• Interface language settings with Auto mode or explicit choice EN/DE/UK;
• Optional auto-refresh panel on external changes in open directory;
• Save window position, size and maximized state with check against current monitor configuration;
• Localization EN, DE, UK;
• Centralized error logging alongside user config.

Key Components

Core project parts:

• Application/ — main window and commander command coordination;
• Browsers/ — base contract, physical file panel, archive-, GEDCOM- and DataSet-providers;
• Controls/ — breadcrumb navigation and Quick View controls;
• Dialogs/Common/, Dialogs/Operations/, Dialogs/Legacy/ — service, operational and compatible legacy dialogs;
• Editors/Text/, Editors/RichText/ — built-in text and RTF editors along with their resources;
• Viewers/Csv/, Viewers/Compare/, Viewers/Images/ — CSV viewer, compare and image/EXIF viewer with dependent files;
• Services/ — archives, file classification, icons, operations and shared UI style;
• ThirdParty/OpenMcdf/ — locally pinned source snapshot CFBF library, compiles directly into DotNetCommander.dll as NuGet DLL or Word Binary F3 Quick View main document for plain text fallback;
• Infrastructure/ — logging, performance trace, localization, settings and platform code.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• F2 / Ctrl+Q — Quick View
• F3 — view
• Ctrl+F3 — force RAW/Hex view
• Shift+F3 — compare with counterpart in passive panel
• F4 — edit
• Ctrl+R — refresh active panel
• Shift+F4 — create new file in active panel
• Ctrl+N — create new file via system dialog
• F5 — copy to passive panel
• In open archive F5 — extract selected entries to passive file panel
• In GEDCOM panel F3 — show full text of selected record, F5 — export all selected records to passive panel
• Ctrl+PgDn — open .ged, archive/CFBF signature or try to read selected file as DataSet XML regardless of extension
• Backspace — return to previous panel list, including moving back to another drive or archive
• Ctrl+PgUp — go strictly to parent directory and select directory from which return was made
• Shift+F5 — create copy in same panel
• Alt+F5 — pack selected items into archive
• F6 — move to passive panel
• Shift+F6 — rename
• F7 — new folder
• F8 — delete
• Alt+F9 — extract selected archive
• Ctrl+L — go to command line
• Ctrl+Enter — insert element name under cursor into command line
• Enter in command line — execute command in active panel directory
• Up / Down in command line — view command history
• Shift+Enter — run selected .bat/.cmd/.exe/.com/.ps1 or entered command in persistent console

Build

Requirements

• Windows
• .NET SDK 8+

Command

• dotnet build Commander.NET.csproj

Active build targets AnyCPU/x64 and no longer depends on x86-only IWshRuntimeLibrary.

Documentation

• CHANGE.md — change history
• ROADMAP.md — current development plan
• AGENTS.md — current code technical state and working rules
• COMMENTS.md — architectural explanations and fixed technical guidelines