Exotic and useful commands of TC
Moderators: Hacker, petermad, Stefan2, white
Exotic and useful commands of TC
Have you know a 'strange' or somehow 'bizarre' uncommon command, almost unknown in TC?
TC have a lot of functionality but most of them are hidden or covered by the new features of the new releases. The new users cannot view the real force of those commands. Maybe even old user never use such a command.
I will show you 3 exotics and lovely commands:
- Sort by additional columns: Ctrl+click on additional columns
- Remove unwanted entries from various comboboxes: Shift+Del
- Allow to set copy direction of equal files (via right click menu only!), for copying them to a different location in Synchronize dirs tool.
Let's see if you (new or old user) have another one...
PS I forgot:
1) cm_SyncChangeDir - Synchronous directory changing in both windows - for button bar.
2) Sorry if some of you (guru) will know all of those commands. Please add your own 'curious' TC commands.
TC have a lot of functionality but most of them are hidden or covered by the new features of the new releases. The new users cannot view the real force of those commands. Maybe even old user never use such a command.
I will show you 3 exotics and lovely commands:
- Sort by additional columns: Ctrl+click on additional columns
- Remove unwanted entries from various comboboxes: Shift+Del
- Allow to set copy direction of equal files (via right click menu only!), for copying them to a different location in Synchronize dirs tool.
Let's see if you (new or old user) have another one...
PS I forgot:
1) cm_SyncChangeDir - Synchronous directory changing in both windows - for button bar.
2) Sorry if some of you (guru) will know all of those commands. Please add your own 'curious' TC commands.
My Best Wishes,
Eugen
Eugen
<Shift+F6> on [..] to edit the path (in case you had not already defined a hotkey like <Alt+Up> for cm_editPath)
Regards
Holger
BTW: <Shift+Click> to remove additional sort columns. You can even remove the last sort column. Same as cm_SrcUnsorted <Ctrl+F7> "Unsorted (for FAT-formatted Drives)".Sort by additional columns: Ctrl+click on additional columns
Regards
Holger
There is a little more to it than that:- Sort by additional columns: Ctrl+click on additional columns
Other shortcuts:When you click on a header which is already used for sorting, the result depends on the modifier key: With Shift, the sort order of that header is removed. With Ctrl, the sort direction is reversed.
Alt+Enter in an FTP-session shows the raw file list sent from the server.
Holding down Shift when clicking various items, opens them in a new tab - works with:
- Drive buttons
- Drive select box (combobox)
- Search list
- Directory hotlist
- Current directory bar (Breadcrumb bar)
Define these Keyboard shortcuts:
Code: Select all
[Shortcuts]
CA+F5=cm_PackFiles
CAS+F5=cm_PackFiles
- Ctrl+Alt+F5 will copy files to an archive in the current file panel (in stead of the oposite panel)
- Crtl+Alt+Shift+F5 will move files to an archive in the current file panel (in stead of the oposite panel)
Note: On some keyboards (like Microsoft's) Crtl+Alt+Shift+F5 doesn't work, because only 2 modifier keys can be handled - in that case use Shift+AltGr+F5 if your keyboard has an AltGr key.
License #524 (1994)
Danish Total Commander Translator
TC 11.51 32+64bit on Win XP 32bit & Win 7, 8.1 & 10 (22H2) 64bit, 'Everything' 1.5.0.1391a
TC 3.60b4 on Android 6, 13, 14
TC Extended Menus | TC Languagebar | TC Dark Help | PHSM-Calendar
Danish Total Commander Translator
TC 11.51 32+64bit on Win XP 32bit & Win 7, 8.1 & 10 (22H2) 64bit, 'Everything' 1.5.0.1391a
TC 3.60b4 on Android 6, 13, 14
TC Extended Menus | TC Languagebar | TC Dark Help | PHSM-Calendar
- fenix_productions
- Power Member
- Posts: 1979
- Joined: 2005-08-07, 13:23 UTC
- Location: Poland
- Contact:
To get an idea of the full potential of TC, it can be an idea to try some of the extended menus that are available.TC have a lot of functionality but most of them are hidden or covered by the new features of the new releases
For example:
http://www.totalcmd.net/authors/1223914.html
http://www.totalcmd.net/plugring/TCExtMenu.html
http://www.totalcmd.net/plugring/Extended_German_Menu.html
http://www.totalcmd.net/plugring/exp_eng.html
It is not very hidden though: "Show" -> "Custom Columns Mode"For me, the best discovery (few years ago) was cm_srcCustomViewMenu.

License #524 (1994)
Danish Total Commander Translator
TC 11.51 32+64bit on Win XP 32bit & Win 7, 8.1 & 10 (22H2) 64bit, 'Everything' 1.5.0.1391a
TC 3.60b4 on Android 6, 13, 14
TC Extended Menus | TC Languagebar | TC Dark Help | PHSM-Calendar
Danish Total Commander Translator
TC 11.51 32+64bit on Win XP 32bit & Win 7, 8.1 & 10 (22H2) 64bit, 'Everything' 1.5.0.1391a
TC 3.60b4 on Android 6, 13, 14
TC Extended Menus | TC Languagebar | TC Dark Help | PHSM-Calendar
- Samuel
- Power Member
- Posts: 1930
- Joined: 2003-08-29, 15:44 UTC
- Location: Germany, Brandenburg an der Havel
- Contact:
Many people possibly don't know about:
- cm_CopyNamesToClip and its variations
- PreloadThumbnails=2
- DriveBarHide=efg
- using standalone sync to not have a modal sync window (call TC with params like "/S=S "%X%Z%P" "%T"")
- you can create more than one directory by using a string like: "a|b|c|d"
I really find my addons are great and less known
- QuickSearch eXtended - extend TCs QuickSearch by other Search methods like RegEx, similarity search and more flexible search methods allowing to omit chars...
- ButtonBar eXtended - extend TCs ButtonBar to be able to run macros, different commands if you hold down modifier keys like Ctrl, Alt and Shift when clicking on the same button...
- cm_CopyNamesToClip and its variations
- PreloadThumbnails=2
- DriveBarHide=efg
- using standalone sync to not have a modal sync window (call TC with params like "/S=S "%X%Z%P" "%T"")
- you can create more than one directory by using a string like: "a|b|c|d"
I really find my addons are great and less known

- QuickSearch eXtended - extend TCs QuickSearch by other Search methods like RegEx, similarity search and more flexible search methods allowing to omit chars...
- ButtonBar eXtended - extend TCs ButtonBar to be able to run macros, different commands if you hold down modifier keys like Ctrl, Alt and Shift when clicking on the same button...
Yours addons are wonderful, I work always with them.Samuel wrote:Many people possibly don't know about:
...I really find my addons are great and less known
- QuickSearch eXtended - extend TCs QuickSearch by other Search methods like RegEx, similarity search and more flexible search methods allowing to omit chars...
- ButtonBar eXtended - extend TCs ButtonBar to be able to run macros, different commands if you hold down modifier keys like Ctrl, Alt and Shift when clicking on the same button...
Here I can see another huge opportunity for TC users, most important, the bigest: they can develop and use their own plugins/addons/applications/settings closer of their needs with and through Total Commander.
And an old fashion: Shift+ESC - put TC in systray. Also I combine always this with Win+T (Windows shortcut) to open/reopen TC window.
My Best Wishes,
Eugen
Eugen
BTW, theese menus work in different way. E.g. in FS panel if you trying to switch to custom columns mode with generic columns (internal), second works fine but first opens configuration dialog instead.petermad wrote:It is not very hidden though: "Show" -> "Custom Columns Mode"For me, the best discovery (few years ago) was cm_srcCustomViewMenu.
- fenix_productions
- Power Member
- Posts: 1979
- Joined: 2005-08-07, 13:23 UTC
- Location: Poland
- Contact:
I know it's not hidden but using it through menu is not easier than having it assigned to keyboard shortcut. Long ago I knew nothing about TC and this was a great discovery to see that everything from menus can be used via keyboard.petermad wrote:It is not very hidden though: "Show" -> "Custom Columns Mode"For me, the best discovery (few years ago) was cm_srcCustomViewMenu.
BTW I assigned it to Ctrl+E. Together with Ctrl+D (cm_DirectoryHotlist) and Ctrl+S (cm_DirectoryHistory) I have very nice one-hand area for my favourite commands.
"When we created the poke, we thought it would be cool to have a feature without any specific purpose." Facebook...
#128099
#128099
Just for fun...
SHIFT is very often use to expand the functionality of some commands from menus, buttons, and so on.
Here is a list of (hidden) commands activated with SHIFT+...
+Feed to Listbox : new tab
+Go to file : new tab
+Brief mode : move inside the command line.
+Delete file(s) (Synchro) : No Recycle Bin
+DEL : Remove no longer wanted entries into a list.
+Change directory menu : move item using up and down arrow keys
+Change start menu : move item using up and down arrow keys
+File - D&D on button bar : the file will be inserted into the bar at this position.
+Ctrl - D&D with files on the Desktop, or Explorer folders : create links
+File - D&D to the command line : adds the name with full path
+ENTER - command line : leaves the window open after the program terminates
+Selection : Select Files+Folders
+F3 - View : select the alternative method for viewing multiple files
+F3+ALT - View : lister starts without loading any plugins or multimedia views.
+F10 (Files & Find Files): Contextual with internal association menu
SHIFT is very often use to expand the functionality of some commands from menus, buttons, and so on.
Here is a list of (hidden) commands activated with SHIFT+...
+Feed to Listbox : new tab
+Go to file : new tab
+Brief mode : move inside the command line.
+Delete file(s) (Synchro) : No Recycle Bin
+DEL : Remove no longer wanted entries into a list.
+Change directory menu : move item using up and down arrow keys
+Change start menu : move item using up and down arrow keys
+File - D&D on button bar : the file will be inserted into the bar at this position.
+Ctrl - D&D with files on the Desktop, or Explorer folders : create links
+File - D&D to the command line : adds the name with full path
+ENTER - command line : leaves the window open after the program terminates
+Selection : Select Files+Folders
+F3 - View : select the alternative method for viewing multiple files
+F3+ALT - View : lister starts without loading any plugins or multimedia views.
+F10 (Files & Find Files): Contextual with internal association menu
My Best Wishes,
Eugen
Eugen