FAR Manager
The FAR Manager ( for english File and Archive Manager, "File and Archive Manager " ) is a clone of MS- DOS program Norton Commander for Microsoft Windows. As a file manager in the classic two-pane mode, it allows the convenient copy, delete, rename, edit, or search for files and directories in the Win32 console window.
History
The program was written from 1996 in C by Yevgeny Roshal, who previously created the file format RAR and RAR and WinRAR programs corresponding packing. From 2000, the development was taken over by the FAR Group. The versions prior to 1.80 are shareware and for citizens of the former Soviet Union can be used free for non- commercial purposes. Since 26 October 2007 the source code of the subsequent version 1.80, which was later renamed in 2.0, available as open source under the BSD license.
By 2011, the versions were maintained 1.75 and 2.0. Since version 3.0 is currently that does not support version 2 plugins. Here the Unicode support of the basic program has been completed, there is an additional 64- bit version and it also can with the improvements introduced since Vista UAC bypass. After Build 2798 ( September 2012 ) substantial parts of the API have been changed for the plugins, so many colors 3 plugins without adjustment does not continue to function. By shortly afterwards appeared Build 2851 macro language has been changed to the Lua scripting language.
Features
The built-in viewer and editor supports UTF -8 and other Unicode encodings, as well as numerous other code pages including IBM EBCDIC and Macintosh character encodings. It can be opened depending on the blocking state many files from other programs for writing open in viewer and editor of FAR. For example, a log file is opened in the viewer and to navigate to the end, then scroll automatically at the next enlargement. With the viewer files can be viewed almost any size, since only portions of the file are loaded into memory. So even files larger than 4 GiB are no problem, and the view is in stock. As a concession to this speed is no navigation by number of lines possible ( which should only be counted by the program), but about the search for strings and regular expressions, and absolute and relative ( / -) specifying the file location as a percentage or offset. In older versions, one to two character encoding but could already mixed with (UTF -8) and accordingly set view not the whole file can be searched, while looking at the OEM or ANSI mode ( where umlauts as two special characters occur ). The viewer can be the line length depending on the setting between 100 and 100,000 characters in word wrap turned off until a forced break is executed (up to version 2.0, there were immutable 2048 characters ).
The built-in screen switching allows any space-saving open many instances of the viewer and editor at the same time and quickly switch between them and the file manager to and fro. An integrated macro recorder allows recording and replaying keyboard sequences. By means of configurable shortcuts to file extensions can be external programs such as viewer, packers, and other easily integrated into the surface. Also noteworthy is the ability to create symbolic NTFS links.
The functionality of the program is expandable with numerous plug-ins. The package includes, among others, a full featured FTP client, network browser, a print management and a process list ( as an alternative to Windows Task Manager ). In addition installable plug-ins allow, among other extremely powerful syntax highlighting in the built-in editor, mail client, edit the registry, edit ID3 tags, etc.
Included with the versions before 1.80 two translations for the user interface and help texts in English and Russian were included. In the so-called Far plug ring, a well-maintained by independent developers collection of FAR plugins, additional language files can be downloaded. Since version 2.0 translations for German, English, Polish, Russian, Czech and Hungarian are included. There is both a 32 -bit and a 64 -bit version.
In the 32 - and 64- bit version of Far 3 each work only the matching plugins. It function plugins for Far 3 - where there was a large API change with Build 2798 ( September 2012 ) and as previously produced some plugins do not work anymore - and so some plugins for Far 1, this only with ANSI support. Therefore, there are some for as Far -1 plugins advancements and 64- bit versions.
So also, for example, the versatile MultiArc plugin, which can integrate additional formats, and it is by parsing the text output of called in the background command-line programs whose parameters are specified in an INI file. In the basic version of Far it was replaced by Arclite that does not support as many formats for unpacking and is limited when packing 7-zip and PKZIP. That's where the Observer, the Container supports some formats, such as MSI, ISO, UDF or vdisk and can be extended with modules WCX Total Commander. A MultiArc irreplaceable project NewArc has long been no longer being developed.
The settings of Far 3 and matching plugins are stored by default in the provided Windows APPDATA directories in SQLite databases. Alternate locations for a portable installation can be specified. Save old plugins their attitude as usual in the Windows registry database.
Compatibility
The FAR Manager works (apart from some image viewer plug- ins), an interactive console application with a character-based user interface in text mode and therefore acts as a PC-compatible DOS program, but is not under MS- DOS executable. He works very rarely used by application software console window in which cmd.exe for example, the 32 -bit programs or run Midnight Commander. As a 32 -bit program, the FAR Manager access to long file names, the Windows Recycle Bin, the Clipboard, and further more.