Introduction

• What is Multi Commander
• System Requirements
• Download and Installation
• Upgrading
• License

Overview / Layout

• Main Application Layout
  • Menu Bar
  • Standard Command Bar
  • File Commands
  • Drive Bar
  • Command line Bar
  • Quick Launch Bar
  • Status Bar
• Extensions and Plug-ins
• Favorites
• Button Panel
• Panel Tabs

Panels

• Explorer Panel
  • Layout
    • Path Field
  • Navigation
  • Customize Columns
  • Customize Column Layouts
  • Folder Tree
  • File Coloring
  • Pasting Clipboard Data into Explorer Panel
• File Search

FileSystem

• Multi Commander's Virtual FileSystem
• Archives (Zip, Rar, 7Zip)
• Network (NET:)
• Portable (WPD:)
• Registry (REG:)
• FTP (FTP:)
• Favorites (FAV:)

File Operations

• Copy/Move Operations
  • Copy/Move using Presets
  • Copy/Move using Filters
  • Copy/Move Progress Window
• Delete Operations
• Pack Files
  • Packer Profiles
  • External Packers
• Unpack Files

Extensions

• MultiRename
• File Checksum
  • Create
  • Verify
• MultiDataViewer - The File Viewer 
• Internal Picture Viewer
• Language Editor

Tools

• Select/Unselect files and folders
• Calculate Folder Size
• Change File Properties (Attributes, Date/Time)
• Create Folders
• Correct Folder Date/Time
• Find Opened/Locked Files
• Send to the Clipboard (Path, Filename, ... )
• Rename Tools
• Text Tools
  • Text Conversion Tools
  • Sort Lines in Files
  • Find and Replace in Files
• Base 64 Encoding/Decoding
• File Security
• File Checksum Tools
• Picture Tools
• Audio Tools
• Video Tools

Customization and Configuration

• Managing Aliases (Alias Editor)
• File Type Setup
• Button Editor
  • Button Panel - Wizard Mode
• User Menu Editor
• Keyboard Customization (Shortcuts)
  • Default Keyboard Shortcuts (Commander Style)
  • Default Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows Explorer Style)
• Custom ContexMenu Editor
• Filters

Configuring the Layout

• Core Settings
• Explorer Panel Settings 
• Change Look and Feel to Windows Explorer Mode

User Commands and Scripting

• User Defined Commands
  • Internal Commands
  • External Commands
  • Custom Commands
    • List of Custom Commands
    • Examples
  • Batch Script (.BAT)
  • MultiScript
    • Language Syntax
    • Script Functions
      • Type checks and type converters
      • Array functions
      • String functions
      • RowList functions
      • Date/Time functions
      • File System functions
      • Registry functions
      • Panel Selections and Paths
      • Tab Panel
      • Misc functions (Logging, Load/Save to file, Clipboard, MessageBox, ... )
    • Extension defined MultiScript functions
      • FTP functions
      • Checksum functions
    • MultiScript Debugger
    • Examples
  • MultiTags

Other

• Backup and Restore Configuration
• Cleanup User Data
• MultiUpdate
• Command Line Parameters
• Custom configuration paths, Additional script folders
• Credits and Acknowledgements

API

• Multi Commander Windows Message API

Troubleshooting

• Multi Commander Hangs and is Not Responding
• Multi Commander Crashes

FAQ (pages to follow)

• Favorites
• Show Hidden files/folders
• Customize Colors
• Enter folder on Single Click
• Save and Resize Columns

Index

• Content Index

Menu Bar

The default menu entries are: File, Edit, View, Configuration, Extensions, Tools and Help.
You can add additional menus and menu entries for user-defined commands by following the procedures outlined in Create User Defined Commands.
Clicking on any menu brings up a submenu, as described below.

Menus

• Menu - File
• Menu - Edit
• Menu - View
• Menu - Configuration
• Menu - Extensions
• Menu - Tools
• Menu - Help

Menu - File

displays a submenu of File-related items.

New

displays a submenu where you can create a new:

• Multi Commander window
• Multi Commander window (as Administrator)
• Explorer Panel tab (in the active panel)

Tab

displays a submenu where you can:

• Close the current tab (in the active panel)
• Close all tabs but this one (in the active panel)
• Duplicate a tab
• Move a tab

  This displays another submenu where you can:

  1. Swap the location of the left/right panels
  2. Move the active panel to the other side
• Lock a tab

View file

allows you to view the selected file using the MultiDataViewer.

Edit file

allows you to edit the selected file(s) using your associated file editor (Notepad is the default).

Copy...

displays the Copy files and folders dialog. (See Copy/Move Operations.)

Copy (Quick)

creates a copy of the file/folder in focus in the same folder with a ".bak" extension added. Only the file/folder in focus is copied, even if there are other files/folders selected. (Default shortcut key is Shift+F5).

Move...

displays the Move files and folders dialog. (See Copy/Move Operations.)

Delete...

displays the Delete Files dialog. (See Delete Operations.)

Pack files...

displays the Pack files dialog. (See Pack Files.)

Unpack files...

displays the Unpack archives dialog (but only if the file in focus is an archive.)

Test packed files...

tests the selected packed files for certain types of errors.

Find Files...

displays the Find Files dialog.

Exit

closes Multi Commander.

Menu - Edit

displays a submenu of Edit-related items.

Cut

Designates the currently selected files/folders/text to be moved when Paste is selected.

Copy

Designates the currently selected files/folders/text to be copied when Paste is selected.

Paste

Copies or Moves the files/folders/text that were previously designated by Edit->Copy or Edit->Cut.

Delete

Deletes selected text.

Select

displays the Expand Selection dialog.

Unselect

displays the Shrink Selection dialog.

Select All

selects all files and folders in the active panel.

Unselect All

deselects all files and folders in the active panel.

Invert Selection

inverts all selections in the active panel, i.e. switches all selected files and folders to unselected, and all unselected files and folders to selected..

Select Same Extension

selects all files in the active panel having the same extension as the file currently in focus.

Unselect Same Extension

deselects all files in the active panel having the same extension as the file currently in focus.

Select Same Name

selects all files in the active panel having the same filename as the file currently in focus.

Unselect Same Name

deselects all files in the active panel having the same filename as the file currently in focus.

Save Selection to Memory

saves a list of the currently selected files/folders. The list is saved internally, and will be lost if Multi Commander is closed before the list is reloaded.

Load Selection from Memory

selects all files/folders designated in the currently saved selection list.

Save Selection to file...

displays a Save As dialog to let you designate a file to which to save a list of the currently selected files/folders.

Load Selection from file...

displays an Open dialog to let you choose a file from which to load a list of files/folders to select. The list can be one that was previously saved, or a manually-created list of file and folder specifications.

Compare folders should compare files

is a checkbox option that toggles whether compare folders functions should compare the files within the folders.  This option will be applied to all folder comparison functions.

Compare folders should compare folders

is a checkbox option that toggles whether compare folders functions should compare the subfolders within the folders.  This option will be applied to all folder comparison functions.

Compare folders, Select Newest/Missing

compares the folder open in the active panel with the one open in the opposite panel, and selects (depending on the current options) any files/folders in either panel that are either missing from the opposite panel, or have the same name as and are newer than the file/folder in the opposite panel.

Compare folders, Select Missing

compares the folder open in the active panel with the one open in the opposite panel, and selects (depending on the current options) any files/folders in either panel that are missing from the opposite panel.

Compare folders, Select Newest

compares the folder open in the active panel with the one open in the opposite panel, and selects (depending on the current options) any files/folders in either panel that have the same name as and are newer than the file/folder in the opposite panel.

Compare folders, Select Duplicates

compares the folder open in the active panel with the one open in the opposite panel, and selects (depending on the current options) any files/folders in either panel that are duplicates.

Compare folders, Select Selected

compares the folder open in the active panel with the one open in the opposite panel, and selects (depending on the current options) any files/folders in either panel that are selected in both panels.

Compare folders, Advanced ...

compares the folder open in the active panel with the one open in the opposite panel, and selects (depending on the combination of options selected) any files/folders in either panel that meet the comparison options.  Comparisons can be done using any combination of Date, File size and File content.  There is a dropdown of comparison Profiles to make the selection of commonly-used comparisons easier to select.

 

Menu - View

displays a submenu of View-related items.

Split size

displays a dialog that lets you choose one of the following split-sizes for the two explorer panels: 0/100, 25/75, 50/50, 75/25, 100/0.

Full pane width

expands the currently active panel to full pane width. (Shortcut key is Ctrl+F11.)

Log window

is a checkbox option that toggles showing the Log window. (Shortcut key is Ctrl+L.)

Button window

is a checkbox option that toggles showing the Button window. (Shortcut key is Ctrl+B.)

Menu bar

is a checkbox option that toggles showing the Menu bar. (Shortcut key is Ctrl+M.)

Toolbars

shows a list of selectable toolbars. Some of these are not really separate lines, but are subsections of the tool list line. Uncheck the boxes of those you don't wish to have visible:

• Command Line Bar

  selects whether to display the Command Line toolbar. When present, this is a separate line. The tools shown here are Back, Forward, History, Command Line, and user-selected tools (if any). (For details, see Command Line Bar.)

  Standard

  selects whether to show the standard tools in the Tool Bar. These are Refresh, Cut to Clipboard, Copy to Clipboard, Paste from Clipboard, and Split. (See Standard Command Bar.)

  File Commands

  selects whether to show the file command tools in the Tool Bar. These are Copy Selected Files, Move Selected Files, Delete Selected Files, Pack Selected Files, Unpack Selected Files, View File, Edit File, Rename Current File/Folder,  Calculate folder size, Select, Unselect, and Copy the file/folder pathname to the clipboard. (See File Commands.)

  Drives

  selects whether to show the drives that are present on the system. (For details on the use of this subset, see Drive Bar.)

Vertical layout

toggles between vertical split and horizontal split.

Refresh

refreshes the display. (Shortcut key is F2 for Commander style, F5 for Windows Explorer style.)

Stop

stops the current activity. (Shortcut key is Esc.)

Explorer Panel

selects a format or mode to configure for the Explorer Panel. The choices are

1. Date format

   choices are: Standard, Week days, or File age.

   View Mode

   choices are: Details, List, or Thumbnail List.

Menu - Configuration

displays a submenu of Configuration-related items.

Manage Plug-ins and Extensions

displays the Extension Manager dialog. This lets you manage Application Extensions, File System Plug-ins, File Operations Plug-ins and File Properties Plug-ins.

Manage Aliases

displays the Alias Manager dialog. This lets you create and modify aliases. (See Managing Aliases.)

File Type Setup...

displays the File Type Setup dialog. This lets you configure viewers/editors/launchers to be used for various file types. (See File Type Setup.)

Button Editor

displays the Button Editor dialog. This lets you configure the Button Panel. (See Using The Button Editor To Customize The Button Panel.)

User Defined Commands

displays the User Commands dialog. This lets you define or modify User Commands. (See Create User Defined Commands.)

Menu Customization

displays the User Menu Editor dialog. (See User Menu Editor).

Keyboard Customization

displays the Customize Keyboards Setup dialog. This lets you modify the keyboard shortcut commands in the menu. (See Customize Keyboard Shortcuts.)

Quick Look'n'Feel Setup...

displays the Quick Look'n'Feel Setup dialog. This lets you quickly change the look and feel of the file manager. (See Change To Windows Explorer Look and Feel.)

Toggle Button Panel Wizard Mode

is a checkbox option that toggles whether the Button Panel is in Wizard mode. (See Button Panel - Wizard Mode.)

Core Settings...

opens a new tab that lets you modify the Multi Commander Core Settings. (See Core Settings.)

Explorer Panel Settings...

opens a new tab that lets you modify the Multi Commander Explorer Panel Settings. (See Explorer Panel Settings.)

Menu - Extensions

displays a submenu of Extensions-related items.

File Search

displays the Find Files dialog. (See File Search.)

Language Editor

opens a new tab that lets you edit various Multi Commander messages.

MultiRename

displays the MultiRename dialog. (See MultiRename.)

File Checksum

opens a new tab that lets you verify checksums. (See File Verifier (CRC/SFV/MD5).)

Menu - Tools

displays a submenu of Tools-related items.

Calculate folder size

calculates folder sizes. (See Calculate Folder Size.)

Change Properties (Attributes/Time)

displays the Change attributes and/or time dialog. This allows you to change the properties and date/time of the selected files and folders.

Create folder...

displays the Create new folder dialog.

Rename current file/folder

lets you modify the name of the file or folder that is currently in focus.

Correct folder date/time...

displays the Correct Folder Date/Time dialog. (See Correct Folder Date/Time.)

Find opened/locked Files...

displays the Find opened/locked Handle/File/DLL dialog. (See Find Opened/Locked Files.)

Windows Control Panel

displays a submenu of commonly-used Windows Control Panel applets.

To Clipboard

displays a submenu of items that can be copied to the clipboard:

1. Files/Folders path and name
2. Files/Folders name
3. Files/Folders path
4. File version
5. File/Folder Date
6. Name, Size, Date
7. Path, Name, Size, Date
8. Comma-separated List
9. Comma-separated list, with full paths
10. File content as text

Special

lets you select the oldest duplicates based on version in the filename.

Rename

displays a submenu of renaming styles:

1. Uppercase
2. Lowercase
3. Capitalize
4. Replace text in name
5. Similar name, different extension

Text Tools

displays a submenu of text conversions:

1. To Unix format (LF)
2. To Windows Format (CRLF)
3. To Mac format (CR)
4. Tab to Space
5. Reformat XML to Structured
6. Reformat XML to Compact
7. Sort Lines...
8. Find and Replace...

Encoding / Decoding

displays a submenu of text encoding/decoding options:

1. Base64 Encode
2. Base64 Decode

File Security

displays a submenu of file security options:

1. Take Ownership (Admin)
2. Remove all file/folder permissions (Admin)
3. Add file/folder permissions for user (Admin)

File Links

displays the Create Links to File/Folder dialog.

Picture Tools

displays a submenu of Picture tools:

1. Convert picture format...
2. Rotate picture...
3. Resize picture...
4. Strip EXIF Metadata from pictures
5. Export EXIF Metadata from pictures
6. Adjust EXIF Date/Time Information...

For more information, see Picture Tools.

Audio Tools

displays a submenu of Audio tools:

1. Remove Metadata Tags from audio files
2. Export Metadata from audio files
3. Show MP3 File Information

For more information, see Audio Tools.

Video Tools

displays a submenu of Video tools:

1. Scan for Media Information

   displays the Scan Media Information dialog, which lets you scan the selected files/folders for media information. For more information, see Video Tools.

Menu - Help

displays a submenu of Help-related items.

Multi-Script Debugger...

opens an editing and debugging environment for the testing, running and debugging of MultiScripts. (This tool is functional but still in the Beta stage of development.)
See a screenshot here.

Multi Commander Homepage...

displays the Multi Commander Homepage in your default web browser.

Online Documentation...

displays the Multi Commander Documentation web page in your default web browser.

Online Support forum...

displays the Multi Commander Support Forum web page in your default web browser.

Report an Issue...

displays the Multi Commander Send Issue Report web page in your default web browser.

Send Feedback...

displays the Send Feedback dialog so that you can submit feedback about Bugs, Problems or Feature requests.

Donate...

Opens a web page in your default web browser where you may support the development of Multi Commander by donating.

Multi Commander on facebook...

Opens the Multi Commander Facebook web page in your default web browser.

Go to...

displays a submenu of places you can Go To:

1. Multi Commander Config folder
2. Multi Commander Log folder
3. Multi Commander Application folder

Backup/Restore ...

displays the Backup/Restore dialog, where you can backup or restore your Multi Commander configuration.

Cleanup user data...

displays the Cleanup leftover User Data dialog.

Check for Updates

checks to see if an updated version of Multi Commander is available.

Launch MultiUpdate...

prompts for execution of the MultiUpdate plug-in, which checks for the current version of Multi Commander. (See MultiUpdate.)

Tip of the Day...

opens the Tip of the Day window, where you can see the current Tip of the Day, and cycle through the complete set.

Register...

opens the Multi Commander - Register License dialog.

About Multi Commander

opens the About Multi Commander window. This contains Build information and links to Support websites.