[Feature Request] Add directory entries count (items count) and configurable secondary line metadata
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Assessment
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Newbie friendliness
- 48/100
Research direction
Start by locating the directory list item and its settings in the Android app. Read how directory metadata is loaded and displayed, then check how the list handles large directories before choosing which requested metadata options fit. Done means the chosen metadata can be enabled in settings and appears beside or under directory names as described.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Description
Problem Statement / Context
Currently, Material Files displays directories with just their name in the list view. Compared to other file managers (such as Samsung My Files), it lacks quick context on what a folder contains unless you open it or check its properties.
Proposed Solution
Add an option to display the entries count (number of items/children) for each directory directly on the right side of the list item, matching the clean layout seen in Samsung's file manager.
Reference Screenshots:
Current Material Files: Shows folder name only.
Desired / Samsung Style: Shows item count (e.g., 11 items, 0 items) next to each folder.
Advanced Expansion: Configurable Line-Mode
To make this feature flexible for all types of users (especially power users who love Material Files for its Linux-aware design), it could be implemented as a fully configurable secondary text line/metadata mode under settings.
Options for the secondary metadata line could include:
Entries / Children count (e.g., 5 items)
File / Folder Size (calculated or listed)
Modification time (mtime)
Birth time / Creation time (btime)
Permissions / SELinux context (leveraging the app's robust Linux syscall backend)
Additional Context
App Version: Latest stable / F-Droid release
Why this helps: It significantly improves scanning efficiency when browsing large directory structures without needing long-press details or opening every folder.
- Dominant language
- Kotlin
- Stars
- 9.3k
- Forks
- 773
- PR merge metrics
- No merged PRs in 30d
Getting set up
- No Dockerfile or Docker Compose file
- Has a pull request template
- No contributing guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
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