Quick Start

Get up and running with Termix in minutes! This guide covers the essentials to help you become productive with Termix right away.

First Launch

After installing Termix, launch it from your terminal:

termix

You'll see Termix's two-pane interface:

• Left pane: File and directory listing
• Right pane: File preview (shows content of selected file)
• Bottom: Status bar with keyboard shortcuts and current mode

Basic Navigation

Moving Around

Key	Action
↑ / ↓	Move selection up/down
J / K	Vim-style movement (up/down)
Home / End	Jump to first/last item

Opening Files and Directories

Key	Action
Enter or L	Open selected file or enter directory
Backspace or H	Go to parent directory

Try navigating through your file system using these keys. Notice how the right pane updates to show a preview of the selected file!

Essential File Operations

Creating Files and Folders

Press A to create a new file or folder:

1. Press A
2. Type the name (add / at the end for folders)
3. Press Enter

Examples:

• README.md - Creates a file
• new-folder/ - Creates a directory
• script - Creates script.txt (auto-adds .txt extension)

Renaming

1. Select the file/folder you want to rename
2. Press R
3. Edit the name
4. Press Enter

Copying and Moving

Copy a file:

1. Select the file
2. Press C (copy to clipboard)
3. Navigate to destination
4. Press P (paste)

Move a file:

1. Select the file
2. Press X (cut to clipboard)
3. Navigate to destination
4. Press P (paste)

Deleting

1. Select the file/folder
2. Press D
3. Confirm with y or cancel with n

Search and Filter

One of Termix's most powerful features is real-time search:

1. Press S to enter search mode
2. Start typing to filter files instantly
3. Press Esc to apply the filter and navigate results
4. Press Esc again to clear the filter

The search is recursive, meaning it searches through all subdirectories automatically!

Search Tips

• Search is case-insensitive
• Matches partial file names
• Works across your entire directory tree
• Results update in real-time as you type

Preview Pane

The right pane shows previews of your files:

• Text files: Content with syntax highlighting
• Images: Terminal-friendly image preview
• Directories: Shows as directory (no preview)

Scrolling Previews

For large files, you can scroll the preview:

Key	Action
Alt + ↑/↓	Scroll vertically
Alt + ←/→	Scroll horizontally

Working with the Clipboard

Termix has a smart clipboard system:

1. Copy (C) or Cut (X) a file
2. The bottom status bar shows what's in your clipboard
3. Navigate anywhere and Paste (P)
4. Clear clipboard anytime with Esc

The clipboard remembers whether you copied or cut, so pasting will either copy or move the file accordingly.

Quick Reference

Here are the essential shortcuts you'll use daily:

Navigation

• ↑↓ or JK - Move selection
• Enter or L - Open/Enter
• Backspace or H - Go up
• Q - Quit

File Operations

• A - Add (create file/folder)
• R - Rename
• D - Delete
• C - Copy
• X - Move/Cut
• P - Paste

Search

• S - Start search
• Esc - Apply filter / Clear filter
• B - Return to search results (when navigating from filtered results)

Common Workflows

Organizing Files

1. Create a new project folder:

   • Press A, type my-project/, press Enter

2. Move files into it:

   • Select file, press X (cut)
   • Enter the folder, press P (paste)

Finding Files

1. Search for a specific file:

   • Press S, type part of the filename
   • Press Esc to navigate results
   • Use arrow keys to select, Enter to open

2. Return to search results:

   • After opening a file from search results, press B to go back

Code Exploration

1. Navigate to a code project:

   • Use normal navigation to find your project

2. Search for specific files:

   • Press S, type .cs to find C# files
   • Or type controller to find controller files

3. Preview files:

   • Select files to see syntax-highlighted previews
   • Use Alt + ↑/↓ to scroll long files

Tips for Success

Smart Ignoring

Termix automatically respects .gitignore files and ignores common build directories like node_modules, bin, and obj. This keeps your search results clean and relevant.

Vim Users

If you're comfortable with Vim, you'll feel right at home with J/K for movement and H/L for navigation.

Large Directories

Termix handles large directories efficiently. The recursive search works even with thousands of files, updating results in real-time.

Next Steps

Now that you know the basics:

• Learn more about Navigation techniques
• Master File Operations
• Explore Search & Filter in depth
• Memorize Keyboard Shortcuts

Ready to become a Termix power user? Let's dive deeper into each feature!