lla - Blazing Fast ls Replacement with Superpowers

Overview

lla is a high-performance file explorer written in Rust that enhances the traditional ls command with modern features, rich formatting options, and a powerful plugin system.

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Features
  • Display Formats
  • Core Features
• Usage
  • Command Reference
  • Filter System
  • Plugin System
• Configuration
• Theming
• Development
  • Plugin Development
  • Contributing
• License

Installation

# Using Cargo
cargo install lla

# On macOS
brew install lla

# On Arch Linux
paru -S lla

# On NetBSD
pkgin install lla

# Manual - Example is for amd64 GNU, replaces the file names if downloading for a different arch.
wget -c https://github.com/triyanox/lla/releases/download/v0.3.4/lla-linux-amd64 -O lla
sudo chmod +x lla
sudo chown root:root lla
sudo mv lla /usr/local/bin/lla

After installation, initialize your setup:

# Create default config
lla init

# View your config
lla config

Features

Display Formats

Default View

Quick and clean directory listing

lla

Long Format

Detailed file information with metadata

lla -l

Tree View

Hierarchical directory visualization

lla -t

Table View

Structured data display

lla -T

Grid View

Organized layout for better readability

lla -g

Git-Aware View

Repository status and insights

lla -G

Timeline View

Group files by dates

lla --timeline

Sizemap View

Visualize file sizes relative to each other

lla -S

Icons support

Icons are supported in all formats simply by using the --icons flag.

lla --icons

Core Features

Display Options

• Long format (-l, --long): Detailed file information with metadata
• Tree view (-t, --tree): Hierarchical directory visualization
• Table view (-T, --table): Structured data display
• Grid view (-g, --grid): Organized layout for better readability
• Size map (-S, --sizemap): Visual representation of file sizes
• Timeline view (--timeline): Group files by time periods
• Git-aware view (-G, --git): Repository status and information
• Icons (--icons): Show icons for files and directories

Organization & Sorting

• Sort files (-s, --sort):
  • By name (default)
  • By size
  • By date (modification time)
• Sort modifiers:
  • Reverse order (-r, --sort-reverse)
  • Directories first (--sort-dirs-first)
  • Case-sensitive (--sort-case-sensitive)
  • Natural number sorting (--sort-natural)
• Recursive listing with depth control (-d, --depth)
• Performance optimization for large directories:
  • Configurable maximum entries for tree view (default: 20,000)
  • Configurable maximum entries for recursive listing (default: 20,000)

File Filtering

• Filter by pattern (-f, --filter)
• Case-sensitive filtering (-c, --case-sensitive)
• Support for complex filter patterns:
  • Simple text matching
  • Regular expressions
  • Glob patterns
  • Logical operators (AND, OR, NOT, XOR)

Plugin System

• Enable/disable plugins (--enable-plugin, --disable-plugin)
• Custom plugin directory support (--plugins-dir)
• Plugin action support (--plugin-arg)

Usage

Command Reference

Basic Usage

lla                     # List current directory (default view)
lla /path/to/dir       # List specific directory
lla -l                 # Long format with detailed information
lla -t                 # Tree view
lla -T                 # Table view
lla -g                 # Grid view
lla -G                 # Git-aware view
lla -S                 # Size map view
lla --timeline         # Timeline view
lla --icons           # Show file/directory icons

Sorting & Organization

lla -s name            # Sort by name (default)
lla -s size            # Sort by size
lla -s date            # Sort by date
lla -r                 # Reverse sort order
lla --sort-dirs-first  # List directories before files
lla --sort-case-sensitive # Case-sensitive sorting
lla --sort-natural     # Natural number sorting (2.txt before 10.txt)

Depth Control

lla -d 2               # List directory tree with depth 2
lla -t -d 3           # Tree view with max depth 3

Filter System

Basic Filtering

lla -f "test"              # Find files containing "test"
lla -f "test" -c          # Case-sensitive search
lla -f ".rs"              # Find files with .rs extension

Advanced Filters

Pattern Filters

lla -f "test,spec"         # OR operation
lla -f "+test,api"         # AND operation

Regular Expression Filters

lla -f "regex:^test.*\.rs$"   # Rust files starting with "test"
lla -f "regex:\d{4}"          # Files containing 4 digits

Glob Pattern Filters

lla -f "glob:*.{rs,toml}"     # Match .rs or .toml files
lla -f "glob:test_*"          # Files starting with test_

Composite Filters

lla -f "test AND .rs"         # AND operation
lla -f "test OR spec"         # OR operation
lla -f "NOT test"             # NOT operation
lla -f "test XOR spec"        # XOR operation

Plugin System

plugins-use.mp4

Installation

# From Git repository
lla install --git https://github.com/user/plugin

# From local directory
lla install --dir path/to/plugin

Management

You can use the following commands to manage plugins:

lla use                    # Interactive plugin manager
lla --enable-plugin name   # Enable plugin
lla --disable-plugin name  # Disable plugin
lla update                 # Update all plugins
# You also update a single plugin
lla update file_tagger

Plugin Actions:

Plugin actions are the functions which a given plugin can perform.

lla plugin --name file_tagger --action add-tag --args README.md "important"

Creating Shortcuts

Shortcuts allow you to save frequently used plugin commands with simpler aliases:

# Add a shortcut
lla shortcut add find file_finder search -d "Quick file search"
lla shortcut add hash file_hash calculate -d "Calculate file hashes"
lla shortcut add todos keyword_search find-todos -d "Find TODO comments"

# List all shortcuts
lla shortcut list

# Use shortcuts (remaining arguments are passed to the plugin)
lla find pattern           # Equivalent to: lla plugin --name file_finder --action search --args "pattern"
lla hash filename         # Equivalent to: lla plugin --name file_hash --action calculate --args "filename"
lla todos                # Equivalent to: lla plugin --name keyword_search --action find-todos

# Remove a shortcut
lla shortcut remove find

Configuration

The configuration file is located at ~/.config/lla/config.toml. You can modify it directly or use the lla config command.

Configuration File Format:

# LLA Configuration File
# This file controls the behavior and appearance of the lla command

# Default sorting method for file listings
# Possible values:
#   - "name": Sort alphabetically by filename (default)
#   - "size": Sort by file size, largest first
#   - "date": Sort by modification time, newest first
default_sort = "name"

# Default format for displaying files
# Possible values:
#   - "default": Quick and clean directory listing
#   - "long": Detailed file information with metadata
#   - "tree": Hierarchical directory visualization
#   - "grid": Organized grid layout for better readability
#   - "git": Git-aware view with repository status
#   - "timeline": Group files by time periods
#   - "sizemap": Visual representation of file sizes
#   - "table": Structured data display
default_format = "default"

# Whether to show icons by default
# When true, file and directory icons will be displayed in all views
# Default: false
show_icons = false

# List of enabled plugins
# Each plugin provides additional functionality
# Examples:
#   - "git_status": Show Git repository information
#   - "file_hash": Calculate and display file hashes
#   - "file_tagger": Add and manage file tags
enabled_plugins = []

# Directory where plugins are stored
# Default: ~/.config/lla/plugins
plugins_dir = "~/.config/lla/plugins"

# Maximum depth for recursive directory traversal
# Controls how deep lla will go when showing directory contents
# Set to None for unlimited depth (may impact performance)
# Default: 3 levels deep
default_depth = 3

# Sorting configuration
[sort]
# List directories before files
# Default: false
dirs_first = false

# Enable case-sensitive sorting
# Default: false
case_sensitive = false

# Use natural sorting for numbers (e.g., 2.txt before 10.txt)
# Default: true
natural = true

# Filtering configuration
[filter]
# Enable case-sensitive filtering by default
# Default: false
case_sensitive = false

# Formatter-specific configurations
[formatters.tree]
# Maximum number of entries to display in tree view
# Controls memory usage and performance for large directories
# Set to 0 to show all entries (may impact performance)
# Default: 20000 entries
max_lines = 20000

# Lister-specific configurations
[listers.recursive]
# Maximum number of entries to process in recursive listing
# Controls memory usage and performance for deep directory structures
# Set to 0 to process all entries (may impact performance)
# Default: 20000 entries
max_entries = 20000

# Command shortcuts
# Define custom shortcuts for frequently used plugin commands
[shortcuts]
extract={ plugin_name = "code_snippet_extractor", action = "extract", description = "Extract code snippets"}

Configuration Commands:

# Initialize config
lla init                  # Create default config file

# View current config
lla config               # Display current configuration

# Modify settings
lla config --set default_sort size
lla config --set default_format long
lla config --set show_icons true
lla config --set sort.dirs_first true
lla config --set sort.case_sensitive true
lla config --set filter.case_sensitive true

# Manage shortcuts
lla shortcut add NAME PLUGIN ACTION [-d DESCRIPTION]  # Add shortcut
lla shortcut remove NAME                             # Remove shortcut
lla shortcut list                                    # List all shortcuts

CLI Configuration:

lla config --set default_sort size
lla config --set default_format long

Theming

LLA includes a powerful theming system that allows you to customize the appearance of your file listings. Themes are defined in TOML files and stored in ~/.config/lla/themes/.

Theme Structure:

# Theme metadata
name = "my_theme"
author = "Your Name"
description = "A description of your theme"

# Core colors
[colors]
file = "#FFFFFF"        # Regular files
directory = "#89AFFF"   # Directories
symlink = "#89DBFF"     # Symbolic links
executable = "#5DE4B3"  # Executable files

# Special files
[special_files]
folders."node_modules" = "#666666"
dotfiles.".env" = "#FFFFC2"
exact_match."README.md" = "#FFFFC2"
patterns."*.min.*" = "#282E30"

# Extension-based colors
[extensions.groups]
rust = ["rs", "toml"]
web = ["html", "css", "js"]

[extensions.colors]
rust = "#FF5733"
web = "#61AFEF"

Built-in Themes:

• default: Traditional terminal colors optimized for visibility
• dark: Modern dark theme with enhanced visibility
• light: Clean theme optimized for light terminals
• ayu_dark, ayu_light, ayu_mirage: Inspired by the Ayu color scheme
• catppuccin_mocha: Soothing pastel theme with warm colors
• dracula: Classic Dracula scheme with vibrant colors
• gruvbox_dark: Retro groove theme with earthy tones
• material_ocean: Deep blue Material Design theme
• nord: Arctic, north-bluish color palette
• one_dark: Atom-inspired balanced dark theme
• poimandres: Deep space aesthetic theme
• tokyo_night: Vibrant dark theme inspired by Tokyo nights
• vesper: Minimalist dark theme with warm accents

Using Themes:

Copy the theme you want to use to your ~/.config/lla/themes/ directory.

and then set the theme in your config or use the command line:

# Set theme in config
lla config --set theme dark

# Disable colors
lla config --set theme none

also you can disable colors all together by using the --no-colors flag:

lla --no-colors # works with all listing commands

For more detailed information about theming, see the themes documentation.

Development

Plugin Development

Develop custom plugins using the Plugin trait from lla_plugin_interface. More details in the plugin development guide.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/new-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some new-feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/new-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

If you want to add a new theme, please add it to the themes/ directory.

If you want to add a new plugin, please add it to the plugins/ directory or you can use your own repo to host it.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.