mcedit's features include syntax highlighting for many languages, macros, code snippets, simple integration with external tools, automatic indentation, mouse support, a clipboard and the ability to work in both ASCII and hex modes. Midnight Commander also includes an editor called mcedit, which can be executed as a standalone program or from Midnight Commander using the F4 key.
Midnight Commander's features include the ability to view the contents of RPM package files, to work with common archive formats as if they were simply another directory, and to function as an FTP or FISH client.
When running inside an X terminal, these versions can update the name of the window in which Midnight Commander runs (if allowed by the terminal emulator). Such versions are aware of GPM and X terminal emulators (such as GNOME Terminal or xterm) which support mouse reporting. Later versions of the Midnight Commander additionally have mouse support. File selection is done using arrow keys, the insert key is used to select files and the function keys perform operations such as renaming, editing and copying files. The main interface consists of two panels which display the file system. In the end, you can make mc an extremely productive file manager environment.Midnight Commander is a console application with a text user interface. You can hit and ‘do something with the current file’ – you’ll get a dialog asking for the command and parameters. There is also a user-editable popup menu under. Great stuff for quickly doing lots of interesting stuff to collections of files. %x gets you the extension of the currently highlighted item, %b will give you the name of the current highlighted item without the extension, %d will give you the currently selected directory name, %t will give you the currently tagged files in a list… the list goes on. For instance, ‘file %f ’ will run the command ‘file’ on the highlighted item in the panel. On top of all of that nifty stuff, it does ‘macro substitution’ this provides variables that you can use in command lines. tab does completion on the command line hit it twice you get a menu of possible commands. brings up the ‘directory hotlist’ (think favorites in IE… nice tool. ? brings up a ‘find’ dialog for finding files. h will bring up a menu of command history. On OS X I can’t make the alt key work this way and I figured out that - does work the same way. If you want to do something interesting to a file, like, say, grep it for something, you can position the cursor on the desired file and type “grep ‘some stuff’ this will copy the highlighted filename to the command line. I often use OS X and since iTerm 0.8.2 there is added support of xterm mouse reporting allowing to use the mouse in mc even when you work on your Mac. will switch between screens for you, will mark and unmark files or directories to which you can apply the commands in the menus or on the command bar. Both of these ‘bars’ respond to mouse commands if you have gpm ( GNU console mouse API ) or an XTERM with your TERM variable set properly (xterm, generically, eterm, aterm, rxvt, etc). It also has a ‘command bar’ at the bottom, listing the direct functions of the function keys. Mc has a ‘menu bar’ at the top, that you can access with /-9 and use the arrow keys to negotiate.
keystrokes are especially helpful under OS X / PowerBook because some function keys might be allready taken for exposure or other mac specific stuff. If it doesn’t, you’ll need a bit of ancient Unix lore, which is this: Most console/terminal based application understand escape sequences for keystrokes. Check and see if your key brings up help. If you just logged in, it will show you your home directory in two panels. Just a bit to get you started… type “mc ”, and you’ll find yourself in a twin-paned console based world of blue screens hearkening back to Norton’s System Commander.
If you add to that the fact that it supports mouse-interaction on an xterm, you have ‘the best of both worlds’. The GUI is not bad for manipulating filesystems in certain ways, but a competent mc jockey will smoke a gui-driver for almost any set of complex file manager tasks. Midnight Commander (mc on your linux console) is a good case study for console mode applications.