File Browser
This content is for the 1.0.0 version. Switch to the latest version for up-to-date documentation.
The SFTP file browser shows a server’s files and runs every file operation over SFTP. It is available for SSH, Mosh and Eternal Terminal servers; Telnet servers have no SFTP and their server sheet shows Needs SSH.
Open the browser
Section titled “Open the browser”Open a server’s sheet on the home screen and tap Files, or open the server’s files from the command palette. The browser opens as a session of its own: it appears in the session switcher, stays open while you move around the app, and can sit in a split-screen pane next to a terminal.
If a session to the server is already open, the browser shares its SSH connection. Otherwise PocketCmd connects with the server’s saved credentials, including two-factor prompts. Each server reopens in the folder you last left it in.
All other actions sit in the action menu behind the round button at the bottom: Upload, Transfers, New folder, Sort, Bookmarks, Search server, Show hidden files, Grid view or List view, Watch this directory, Open this folder as workspace, Refresh and Disconnect.
Move around
Section titled “Move around”- Breadcrumb. The current path is shown as a breadcrumb. Tap any segment to go to that folder.
- Type a path. Tap the path to type a destination. Suggestions list the subfolders of the current folder as you type; picking one opens it and keeps the field open so you can keep drilling down.
- Parent folder. The
..entry at the top of each listing goes up one level. - Hidden files. Dotfiles are hidden until you choose Show hidden files.
Tap a folder to open it. Tap a file to preview it.
View and sort
Section titled “View and sort”Choose Grid view or List view from the action menu. Sort orders the listing by Name, Size, Date modified or Type (file extension), Ascending or Descending. Folders are always listed before files.
Filter and search
Section titled “Filter and search”- Filter. Tap the search icon at the top of the browser (Filter files) and type to narrow the current folder to matching names.
- Search server. Searches file and folder names below the current folder, or from
/. Choose Substring (case-insensitive, anywhere in the name) or Glob (*and?, matched against the whole name). Results stream in as they are found. Each result offers Open preview, Download, Copy path and Reveal in browser.
Search runs the server’s own find (GNU, BSD and BusyBox variants are supported) and falls back to walking the folders over SFTP where find is not available. A very large result set is cut off with “Results truncated”, in which case narrow the search. Search matches names only, not file contents. To search inside files, open the folder as a workspace.
Bookmarks
Section titled “Bookmarks”Choose Bookmarks in the action menu, then Bookmark current folder to save the folder you are in. Tap a bookmark to go there, or remove it from the same list. Bookmarks are kept per server and are included in sync.
The file menu
Section titled “The file menu”Long-press a file or folder, or tap its menu button, to open its actions:
| Action | Applies to | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Folders | Opens the folder |
| Open as workspace | Folders | Opens the folder as a workspace |
| Preview | Files | Opens the preview |
| Edit | Text files | Opens the text editor |
| Download | Files | Downloads the file |
| Copy | Both | Copies to a folder you pick |
| Move | Both | Moves to a folder you pick |
| Rename | Both | Renames in place |
| Permissions | Both | Shows and changes the mode bits |
| Copy Path | Both | Copies the full remote path |
| Create Symlink | Files | Creates a symbolic link to the file |
| Extract | Archives | Unpacks the archive on the server |
| Select | Both | Starts multi-selection |
| Delete | Both | Deletes after confirmation |
File Operations covers what each operation does on the server.
Select multiple items
Section titled “Select multiple items”Choose Select in the file menu, then tap more items. The toolbar offers Delete, Copy, Move, Download and Compress for the selection, plus Select all and Deselect all.
Previews
Section titled “Previews”Tapping a file opens a preview that loads only what it needs:
| File | Preview |
|---|---|
| Text and code | Syntax-highlighted text with find, word wrap, font size and line count. Edit opens the editor. |
Images (jpg, jpeg, png, gif, webp, bmp) |
Pinch to zoom, double-tap to reset |
| A prompt to download the file and open it in a PDF reader | |
| Anything else | File details, with an on-demand hex dump of the first 512 bytes |
Previews refuse files that are too large to hold in memory and offer Load anyway where it is safe to try. The hard limit is 24 MB.
Symlinks
Section titled “Symlinks”Symbolic links carry a link badge on their icon and are listed with the size and times of their target. A link to a folder opens like a folder. Deleting a link removes the link only, never the target or its contents. Downloading a link, including from search results, downloads the file it points to.
Watch a folder
Section titled “Watch a folder”Watch this directory re-lists the current folder about every 10 seconds and updates the listing when files appear, disappear or change. The menu entry shows when the last change was seen. Watching pauses while you are in a preview or the editor.
Directory cache
Section titled “Directory cache”Listings are cached in the app’s encrypted database. Returning to a folder shows the cached listing at once and refreshes it in the background when it is older than five minutes; “updating…” is shown while the refresh runs.