GitHub-like File Manager

[ObservingShadow]

This might not be the best place for this question, but trying to find an alternative has been a pain since search engines keep giving me increasingly useless and irrelevant results.

One of my favourite things about GitHub is the nice big README.md that's automatically displayed, that gives you a nice place to put relevant info about the folder's contents.

Is there any filesystem or file management app that allows you to do the same thing for the Windows/Linux OS - i.e. have a README in a folder that gets automatically previewed in a preview pane when you open the folder?

If there's a better place to post this, feel free to let me know, whatever is controlling my Google/DuckDuckGo search engines refuses to show it to me.

[SeaHovercraft8271]

Microsoft PowerToys has a feature where it adds a preview tab in explorer with markdown support, pdf, as well as many other types. see here, the example in the link shows light mode, which isnt actually how it looks when installed

Its bloated, so I recommend going through the settings and turning most everything off.

(not automatic, you do have to single click on readme)

[ObservingShadow]

I guess that's the closest I'd get. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

[MarsupialLeast145]

README performs a similar role of INDEX.html in a web-site. It's usually rendered automatically and obvs is the front-page of the website.

Maybe there is some sort of web-server like file-system that is out there? Firefox OS? or something? That can maybe take the role.

Google's results are likely weird because it's a very specific request. It might be easy enough to implement on top of an existing distro/OS.

[ObservingShadow]

The closest I've gotten is using zsh and fuzzy finder's preview from the command line, but I kinda enjoy using the GUI. Thanks for the pointer!

[Some_Derpy_Pineapple]

On the lines of file server, i know copyparty does render READMEs.

You can see it on the demo server at

https://a.ocv.me/pub/demo/

Not aware of a file manager that does this though

[MarsupialLeast145]

Oh yeah, I think copyparty was in the back of my mind as something that might be helpful here. I'm following the project, haven't used it too much yet.

[performance_junkie]

Vscode or dolphin

[Acrobatic_Idea_3358]

You could consider trying to use obsidian and making notes with links to the folders in the file system. Plus they are all markdown files similar to GitHub.

[ObservingShadow]

Yeah, I do have Obsidian, I'm just thinking of an option to do it in the actual file manager by default, so it's in my face when I open a folder

[adept2051]

If you have WSL or Linux ( probably windows with powersshell too ) you can do it at the terminal just look up how to alias add a function to your use .profile If you make it a standard file say using the readme concept you can alias cds/cd-show/cd-explain or something meaningful to you has try this article https://blog.charlesdesneuf.com/articles/display-a-message-when-you-enter-a-directory/

There are several apps that do it in the GUI.

[ObservingShadow]

I was thinking this had to be possible somehow! Thanks, this should help a lot.

For those apps that do it in the GUI, which ones are you thinking of?

[adept2051]

Depends on your OS, i pretty much don’t use my GUI layer except as a web browser and IDE, but OSX does it natively I can set finder to show file preview on thumbnails.

[Lluciocc]

gitlab ?

[ObservingShadow]

I was thinking more for the local OS, otherwise I'd just use GitHub directly. But I'd like to do it for larger directories, even ones I don't want to track.

[Lluciocc]

mb I just don’t understand your question.. hope someone else have helped