How to fast browse folders on PowerShell/Prompt

I'm looking for a software, inside PowerShell or Prompt, which allows to browse folders rapidly, using arrow keys.

In Linux I use "Midnight Commander" with a trick, and I can easily navigate and quit the program on the current folder.

I'm looking something like that without leaving the PowerShell or Prompt window.

Far Manager ?

{
"commandline": "\"%ProgramFiles%\\Portable\\far\\far.exe\"",
"guid": "{1d11ffe9-ea19-53fd-a481-6e1a8e6c9911}",
"historySize": 1001,
"name": "Far Manager",
"startingDirectory": "%TEMP%",
"useAcrylic": false
},

Tell me if I'm wrong, but in the way you describe I'll create a profile for the Terminal, which will open immediately Far Manager and when I close it, the window itself will be closed.

Windows build of Midnight Commander:

Some other text based file managers:

If GUI file managers are something you'd consider, I recommend the 7-Zip file manager (7zFM.exe). It's tiny, fast, and has a clean no-nonsense interface with keyboard shortcuts for everything.

LesFerch said:

Windows build of Midnight Commander

Click to expand...

It's the first I tried because I use it on Linux.
It seem that it cannot quit on current folder as it does on Linux.

Far Manager is the second I tried, seem it cannot quit on current folder too. I can copy current path on clipboard as workaround but it doesn't use quotes on paths. So, it's even not a real workaround.

Basically the two above seem exactly what I need, they start on Powershell window without opening a separate window and their interface is perfect for my needs. Unluckily they both seem to miss the opportunity to quit in current folder when closed.

Dos Navigator, seem it cannot start from the opened window of PowerShell and then close and back to it.

Ranger, maybe is only for Linux?

Vifm, seem that cannot start from opened window of PowerShell too.

LesFerch said:

If GUI file managers are something you'd consider

Click to expand...

No, I'm looking something like Midnight Commander or Far Manager, which starts inside the PowerShell/CMD window where I'm actually work, let me browse to the folder I need, and then leave me in the current folder.

Maybe I have to use the Far Manager with SHIFT+ALT+INS hotkey to copy the current path, quit, write CD and then add quotes to the copied path or maybe Midnight Commander with some other even trickier hotkey.

Thank you all for your efforts.

Have you tried something like a "powershell equivalent of the mc_wrapper.sh script" shown here?

das10 said:

Have you tried something like a "powershell equivalent of the mc_wrapper.sh script" shown here?

Midnight Commander for Windows / Discussion / General Discussion (RO, see github): mc-wrapper.sh

sourceforge.net

Click to expand...

This suggestion looks cleaner:

garlin said:

This suggestion looks cleaner

Click to expand...

Looking for your second link,

I made a file called "mc-wrapper.ps1" and pulled on "C:\Program Files (x86)\Midnight Commander".

Then I pasted on it:

$mc_tmp_file = [System.IO.Path]::GetTempFileName()
& "${PSScriptRoot}/mc.exe" "--printwd=${mc_tmp_file}" "${args}"
$mc_path = get-content -Path "${mc_tmp_file}"
cd "${mc_path}"
remove-item -Force -Path "${mc_tmp_file}"

Then on Powershell as admin:

Set-Alias -Name mc -Value "C:\Program Files (x86)\Midnight Commander\mc-wrapper.ps1";

Unluckily after closing Midnight Commander the path is not the current but the same when I launched MC.

Maybe I wrong something (or miss something) on what I did above?

I just realized the Windows version of mc.exe doesn't appear to save anything to file using --printwd or -P.

If you look up the primary MC project page, it says they're not responsible for the Windows port. So you'd have to ping the GitHub dev.

@RiseFall
Try this.
Important: First set the alias for mc in your User Profile, so the alias is available whenever you launch Powershell.
Then place the following mc-wrapper.ps1 inside the mc program folder. It is the same one that I linked to earlier (just cleaned it up a little).
When you run mc in ps, then on exiting mc, when you are back at the powershell prompt, the directory should be set to the last active directory that you were browsing in mc (which I think is what you want). It appears to be working at my end.

mc-wrapper.ps1
Tested with mcwin32-build230-x64.
Good luck.

Thank you VERY much!

profile.ps1 on "C:\Users\<USER>\Documents\PowerShell" with the alias

and

mc-wrapper.ps1 on "C:\Program Files (x86)\Midnight Commander" with the script from your last post

Did the trick!