How to Configure Default Sort Type and Order in Superfile

Set default_sort_type and sort_order_reversed in ~/.config/superfile/config.toml to control whether file panels sort by name, size, date modified, type, or natural order, and whether the order is ascending or descending.

Superfile is a terminal-based file manager that stores user preferences in a TOML configuration file. To configure default sort type and order in superfile, you edit two fields defined in the ConfigType struct, which the application loads at startup and applies to every new file panel automatically.

Configurable Sort Fields in the Source Code

The available settings are declared in src/internal/common/config_type.go inside the ConfigType struct (see lines 81‑84). Superfile uses these two values to initialize sorting across all file panels.

default_sort_type

This integer field determines which attribute is used for sorting. The accepted values are mapped through the SortKind enum in src/internal/ui/sortmodel/types.go (lines 7‑12):

• 0 — Name
• 1 — Size
• 2 — Date Modified
• 3 — Type
• 4 — Natural (human‑friendly)

The default value is 0 (Name).

sort_order_reversed

This boolean field controls the direction of the sort. When set to true, items are displayed in descending order. When false, the order is ascending. The default is false.

How to Edit the Configuration File

During startup, common.LoadConfigFile() (see src/internal/common/load_config.go) reads ~/.config/superfile/config.toml, validates that default_sort_type falls within the allowed range, and populates the global common.Config object.

To change the defaults, add or update these lines in your TOML file:

# ~/.config/superfile/config.toml

default_sort_type = 2          # 0=Name, 1=Size, 2=Date Modified, 3=Type, 4=Natural

sort_order_reversed = true    # true = descending, false = ascending

Save the file and restart Superfile. The new values will be active on the next launch.

Runtime Code Path from Config to UI

Understanding how the setting travels from the config file to the rendered list helps confirm which files govern behavior.

Loading and Validation

The configuration loader in src/internal/common/load_config.go is responsible for parsing the TOML file and ensuring the sort type integer is valid. After parsing, the values live in common.Config.DefaultSortType and common.Config.SortOrderReversed.

Panel Initialization

When a file panel is created, the defaultFilePanel constructor in src/internal/ui/filepanel/model.go (lines 31‑33) passes the config values directly to New:

return New(
    panelPath,
    focused,
    targetFile,
    sortmodel.SortKind(common.Config.DefaultSortType), // ← sort kind
    common.Config.SortOrderReversed)                    // ← sort order

This ensures every panel starts with the user-defined defaults.

Sorting Logic Implementation

The actual comparator is built in src/internal/ui/filepanel/sort.go. It uses the SortKind selected from the config together with the reversed flag to construct the sort.Slice comparator that orders the items in the panel.

Programmatically Working with Sort Settings

If you are extending Superfile or writing a plugin, you can read the loaded config values or even construct a panel with explicit sort parameters that ignore the config file.

Verify Config Values at Runtime

The following snippet prints the current defaults after the TOML file has been loaded:

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"github.com/yorukot/superfile/src/internal/common"
)

func main() {
	fmt.Printf("Default sort: %d (%s)\n",
		common.Config.DefaultSortType,
		[]string{"Name","Size","Date Modified","Type","Natural"}[common.Config.DefaultSortType])

	fmt.Printf("Reverse order?: %v\n", common.Config.SortOrderReversed)
}

Running this after startup confirms the configuration has been parsed correctly.

Create a File Panel with Custom Sorting

You can also instantiate a panel programmatically with any SortKind and direction, bypassing the global config:

package main

import (
	"github.com/yorukot/superfile/src/internal/ui/filepanel"
	"github.com/yorukot/superfile/src/internal/ui/sortmodel"
)

func main() {
	// Force a panel to start sorted by Size, descending
	panel := filepanel.New(
		"/home/user/Documents", // location
		true,                   // focused
		"",                     // no target file
		sortmodel.SortBySize,   // sort kind
		true,                   // reverse order
	)
	// panel now uses the specified sort irrespective of the config file
	_ = panel
}

This is useful for custom workflows where a specific panel needs fixed sorting behavior.

Summary

• To change the default sorting, edit default_sort_type and sort_order_reversed in ~/.config/superfile/config.toml.
• default_sort_type accepts integers 0 through 4, mapping to Name, Size, Date Modified, Type, and Natural.
• sort_order_reversed accepts true (descending) or false (ascending).
• According to the yorukot/superfile source code, these fields are defined in src/internal/common/config_type.go and loaded by common.LoadConfigFile() in src/internal/common/load_config.go.
• Each new file panel receives the values in defaultFilePanel inside src/internal/ui/filepanel/model.go.
• The final comparator is built in src/internal/ui/filepanel/sort.go using the SortKind enum from src/internal/ui/sortmodel/types.go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Superfile store the default sort settings?

Superfile stores these settings in ~/.config/superfile/config.toml. The fields default_sort_type and sort_order_reversed are parsed at startup by common.LoadConfigFile() inside src/internal/common/load_config.go.

Can I sort files in descending order by default?

Yes. Set sort_order_reversed = true in the configuration file. This boolean is passed directly into the file panel constructor in src/internal/ui/filepanel/model.go and used to invert the comparator in src/internal/ui/filepanel/sort.go.

What happens if I set an invalid integer for default_sort_type?

The loader in src/internal/common/load_config.go validates the range of default_sort_type during initialization. You should keep the value between 0 and 4 to match the SortKind enum defined in src/internal/ui/sortmodel/types.go.

Do I need to restart Superfile after changing the sort config?

Yes. The TOML file is read once at startup. Changes take effect on the next launch because the configuration is loaded into the global common.Config object before any file panels are created.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}