Browsers and Layouts
4. The Browsers and Layouts
The browsers are divided into three main panes (see screenshots below):
- Navigation Pane: Shows all attached and mapped drives as a series of Miller columns that allow you to navigate up and down the folder trees for each drive. Toggle navigation pane with
button in the top-right. - Current Folder Pane: Shows the contents of the folder that is currently selected in the Navigation Pane.
- Details Pane: Shows details of the folder or file that is currently selected in the Current Folder Pane. If a file is selected, this pane shows a preview of the contents of the file if it can (not all file types are supported).
Layouts
OneCommander provides 3 layouts: Standard, Columns, and Classic (single pane).
Switch by using layout button in the Main Toolbar. In brief, the Standard Layout shows one or both Browsers side-by-side and a set of Folder Columns at the top of the Browser with the Current Folder below them, while the Columns Layout sets the Browsers one above the other, with the Current Folder to the right, as the final column in the Folder Column display. Classic layout is single browser layout made to look similar to Explorer, with single large files-list pane and preview on the right.
Path selection is slightly different in each display, but other than that it is entirely a matter of personal preference as to which you use.
The layout is saved between sessions if the window has a name (creating a new window without giving it a name creates a window that doesn't save layout or tabs)
The Browsers
Some other file managers call these "Panes", as in "Dual-Pane file manager" but due to everyhing in UI world being considered a "Pane" or "Panel" we are using here the term "Browser".
You can resize either browser (in dual-pane layouts only) by dragging their borders, or the Browser Divider separating them. Some borders have a drag handle surrounded by arrows:
. The drag handle isn't strictly speaking necessary; it serves as a reminder that the divider can be dragged. The arrows jump the divider to the end of its travel.
If you try to reduce the width of a browser below a certain point it tells you that it's about to collapse, meaning that it's about to disappear from view so that you see a single-browser view. You can restore the dual-browser view by dragging the border or Browser Divider back again (or use the drag handle or arrow). The browser will be restored exactly as it was before.
If the Main Window is too narrow to show both Browsers in the Standard Layout, one Browser will be closed. It will be re-opened if you make the Main Window wide enough.
You can create background images for the Folder Panes — click here for how to do it.
