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+# using the shell as a file picker for qutebrowser
+
+2023-06-28
+
+[Qutebrowser](https://github.com/qutebrowser/qutebrowser) is pretty great (thanks The-Compiler <3).
+For those who don't know about it, it's essentially a Vim-like browser:
+there's a bunch of cryptic shortcuts, but they maximize your efficiency.
+The best part of Vim, which is replicated in Qutebrowser,
+is the ability to do everything without taking your hands off the keyboard.
+
+Anyways, an issue I had was that when uploading a file in Qutebrowser is that it calls on a normal GUI file picker.
+This is probably a sane default, but the default file picker does not have Vim shortcuts (absolutely unusable!).
+Now, you *could* use [ranger](https://github.com/ranger/ranger), or [vifm](https://github.com/vifm/vifm)
+in the way described [here](https://reddit.baby/r/qutebrowser/comments/r9igqe/need_help_using_ranger_as_file_chooser/),
+but that's boring.
+Instead, as a masochist power user, I manage all my files exclusively in the shell,
+and I wanted to have that experience in Qutebrowser.
+So, I made a 25-line script `fish-fm` that does just that.
+
+## demonstration
+
+Here's an example usage of fish-fm.
+
+First, when a website asks you to upload a file, qutebrowser opens a terminal window with fish-fm.
+Then, you have a full fish shell in which
+you can run `sxiv`, `mpv`, or any other command to inspect your files first.
+This also includes all its features like history and autosuggestions.
+Once you figure out what you want to upload, you then run `sel [file paths]`.
+The great thing about this is that you can use any glob or even xargs with this command.
+As a demo:
+
+![](../public/img/fish-fm/term-thumb.jpg)
+![](../public/img/fish-fm/discord-thumb.jpg)
+
+### sxiv selection
+
+Optionally, you can run `ssel [directory or file paths]`,
+which uses sxiv to view your images.
+Then, you can mark the images (see sxiv's man page), and those will be uploaded.
+
+![](../public/img/fish-fm/sxiv.jpg)
+
+## installation
+
++ Install the dependencies: qutebrowser, fish
++ Copy [fish-fm](https://github.com/dogeystamp/dots/blob/main/src/.local/bin/fish-fm) somewhere in your PATH.
++ Create a qutebrowser [config.py](https://github.com/qutebrowser/qutebrowser/blob/master/doc/help/configuring.asciidoc#configuring-qutebrowser-via-configpy).
+Then, add these lines:
+
+```
+c.fileselect.handler = "external"
+c.fileselect.multiple_files.command = ["st", "-e", "fish", "-C", "set -x OUTPUT {}; source ~/.local/bin/fish-fm"]
+c.fileselect.single_file.command = ["st", "-e", "fish", "-C", "set -x OUTPUT {}; source ~/.local/bin/fish-fm"]
+```
+
+Depending on your terminal, you might have to edit these commands.
+I personally use `st`; yours may be different.
+The `{}` here is a placeholder for a temporary file where fish-fm writes its output.
+This is necessary because terminals don't forward the stdout of their commands,
+so fish-fm can't just print the files selected.
+
++ Your file picker is now a fish shell.