Feature request: limit number of files shown per directory in tree mode
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- Rust
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Description
Feature Request
When using lsd --tree, directories with many files dominate the output and make it hard to get a quick overview of the directory structure. I'd love an option to limit the number of files displayed per directory (e.g., --max-items 4 or a max_items config option).
Use Case
I use lsd in tree mode to get a quick sense of what's in a folder structure. My goal is to see enough of each directory's contents to decide whether it's worth drilling into — not to see every file. When a folder has dozens or hundreds of files, the tree becomes unwieldy and the useful signal from other directories gets buried.
A truncation limit (e.g., show the first N files and then something like ... and 42 more) would let me scan the tree, spot folders with relevant-looking contents, and then explore those specifically.
Proposed Behavior
$ lsd --tree --depth 2 --max-items 4
project/
├── src/
│ ├── index.ts
│ ├── config.ts
│ ├── utils.ts
│ ├── router.ts
│ └── ... (12 more)
├── tests/
│ ├── index.test.ts
│ └── config.test.ts
└── node_modules/
├── express/
├── lodash/
├── typescript/
├── eslint/
└── ... (847 more)
This could be a CLI flag (--max-items N) and/or a config.yaml option (max_items: N).
Prior Art
- eza has a similar request: https://github.com/eza-community/eza/issues/1103
- pandas uses a "first N / last N" display pattern for large datasets
Contributor guide
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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.
Research direction
No files or tests are named. Start by tracing the existing lsd --tree entry point and how command-line and configuration options are defined. Done means a per-directory limit is supported, excess items are represented clearly, and the requested --max-items N and/or max_items: N behavior is covered by tests.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- rust
- Domain
- cli
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 38/100