Command line TreeSize-like software?


Recommended Posts

Me again!  Last time I was here, I asked if there was a good command-line-based file management program, so that I could move and delete and rename files without having to type in cd and rm and ls all the time, and you guys reccomended Midnight Commander (mc), which works GREAT and was exactly what I was looking for!

 

Well now I'm looking for a program like Midnight Commander that also shows the total size of all the files in a folder, similar to how JAM Software's TreeSize works on Windows.  But it has to be command-line based, because this is all running on my OpenWRT router, which has no display, only SSH and WebUI access. 

 

If there isn't something as fancy and nice as MC, maybe just a simple command I can type to find out the total size of all the files in a folder, like how I can right click on a folder in Windows and click properties to find its size?  Because my router also has a USB HD NAS, and it's getting pretty cluttered and full, and it would be nice to be able to know which folders I should start deleting without having to guess, or add up the total file sizes, or unplug the hard drive and plug it into my other Linux PC (its EXT4) for running TreeSize.

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1179571-command-line-treesize-like-software/
Share on other sites

  On 29/09/2013 at 20:25, moeburn said:

Me again!  Last time I was here, I asked if there was a good command-line-based file management program, so that I could move and delete and rename files without having to type in cd and rm and ls all the time, and you guys reccomended Midnight Commander (mc), which works GREAT and was exactly what I was looking for!

If you're really liking Midnight Commander, then I'd probably just go with the Windows version of it.  Same program.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/mcwin32/

 

There's also a program called Total Commander which is a GUI version that's very similar, not a freebie though if I recall.

For directory sizes, how about "tree /Z"

Can also install the Gnu toolkit and do something like "du -h c:\whatever", as an example.

 

Powershell?  Try something like "Get-ChildItem -Recurse | Measure-Object -Sum Length"

Sure there's a bunch of other ways.

Edit : And bugger me, think I mis-read your question lol, saw Windows and didn't pay attention. But still, look into "du". It works the same. I'm tired, I'll just go away now.

  On 29/09/2013 at 20:28, Max Norris said:

If you're really liking Midnight Commander, then I'd probably just go with the Windows version of it.  Same program.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/mcwin32/

 

There's also a program called Total Commander which is a GUI version that's very similar, not a freebie though if I recall.

For directory sizes, how about "tree /Z"

Can also install the Gnu toolkit and do something like "du -h c:\whatever", as an example.

 

Powershell?  Try something like "Get-ChildItem -Recurse | Measure-Object -Sum Length"

Sure there's a bunch of other ways.

Edit : And bugger me, think I mis-read your question lol. But still, look into "du". It works the same.

 

du works great, thanks!  I've never heard of it, I didn't even know that this busybox came with it.  It certainly wasn't listed under the "built-in commands" after typing in 'help'.  But it works great, and accepts the same flags (like -h for human readable) as df!  

  On 29/09/2013 at 21:38, moeburn said:

I don't understand, who exactly are you making fun of?  I posted a question about Linux, in a Linux subforum.

Me and the other guy, who somehow saw a Linux question in the Linux forum and comes up with Windows answers.

If you just want the size of a single directory - not the size of every file and directory in the tree - you can pass du the flag --total and pipe its output to tail to get the size of that directory by itself. For example, I most frequently use du to get the size of the current directory using the following command:

du -h --total | tail -n 1

The du command is likely what you're after. Used like this it can give you the size of all files (and folders) inside a folder...

 

$ du -ah /opt/spotify
4.0K   /opt/spotify/libs
53M    /opt/spotify/spotify-client/libcef.so
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/linklibs.sh
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/unregister.sh
7.8M   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Data/apps.zip
2.3M   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Data/resources.zip
11M    /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Data
216K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/licenses.xhtml
3.1M   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/devtools_resources.pak
26M    /opt/spotify/spotify-client/spotify
648K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/chrome.pak
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/spotify.desktop
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/readme.fedora
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/changelog
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/register.sh
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/locales/en-US.pak
8.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/locales
12K    /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Icons/spotify-linux-128.png
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Icons/spotify-linux-48.png
56K    /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Icons/spotify-linux-512.png
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Icons/spotify-linux-24.png
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Icons/spotify-linux-32.png
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Icons/spotify-linux-22.png
24K    /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Icons/spotify-linux-256.png
8.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Icons/spotify-linux-64.png
4.0K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Icons/spotify-linux-16.png
124K   /opt/spotify/spotify-client/Icons
92M    /opt/spotify/spotify-client
92M    /opt/spotify
You can also use the --max-depth=1 option to prevent the command from descending into directories...

 

$ du -ha --max-depth=1 /opt/spotify
4.0K	/opt/spotify/libs
92M	/opt/spotify/spotify-client
92M	/opt/spotify
EDIT: Ninja'd by xorangekiller again :shiftyninja:.
  On 29/09/2013 at 22:08, Majesticmerc said:

EDIT: Ninja'd by xorangekiller again :shiftyninja:.

I noticed that in the "switch, no output" thread too. In both cases you posted exactly 2 minutes after me (according to the forum software), and we had more-or-less the same thing to say. Great minds think alike?

  On 29/09/2013 at 22:14, xorangekiller said:

I noticed that in the "switch, no output" thread too. In both cases you posted exactly 2 minutes after me (according to the forum software), and we had more-or-less the same thing to say. Great minds think alike?

Dang right they do! :D

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • I've been using Windows 11 since the day it was released. No complaints whatsoever from me but then again, I always like trying new things. It's been ROCK SOLID running my Dell XPS 8940 desktop.
    • So many things to unpack here I don't even know where to begin...
    • Cjam 1.9.9.0 by Razvan Serea Cjam is a lightweight and fast MP3 editor for Windows that lets you cut, join, and edit MP3 files without re-encoding. This means your audio quality remains untouched, and edits happen instantly. Cjam is ideal for quick, lossless edits—whether you're trimming music, combining tracks, or preparing audio for learning tools or podcasts. It features batch processing, scripting support, cue and playlist file handling, and a simple interface. Cjam is perfect for anyone who needs efficient MP3 editing without the complexity of full audio suites. Cjam requires a PC running Windows 10 or later and Microsoft .NET 6.0 or later. Key features for Cjam: No Re-encoding: Edit MP3 files without losing quality. Cut and Join MP3: Easily cut, trim, and combine MP3 tracks. Batch Processing: Edit multiple files at once for faster workflows. Scriptable Interface: Automate tasks with a custom command language. Cue and Playlist Support: Handle CUE and playlist files for seamless audio management. Fast and Lightweight: Quick processing with minimal system resources. Lossless Audio Editing: Ensure your edits don't affect audio quality. Simple User Interface: Clean, intuitive design for easy navigation. File Format Support: Works with MP3, Cjam-specific file formats (CJAMC, CJAMJ, CJAM). Cjam 1.9.9.0 fixes: Fixed a bug related to playback display on the main screen Download: Cjam 1.9.9.0 | 1.3 MB (Freeware) Links: Cjam Home Page | Cjam Manual | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • "Users may experience repeated KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE bugchecks after upgrading to this build." This "showstopper" bug/issue is still present for Dev 26200.5651, so NOT QUITE the June 2025 Snapshot for 26200 release but I think we are close to that release so should be within the next couple releases!
    • ah the "quest for more money" continues 🤣
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      jezzzy earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • First Post
      CSpera earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      MIR JOHNNY BLAZE earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Apprentice
      Wireless wookie went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • Week One Done
      bukro earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      635
    2. 2
      ATLien_0
      281
    3. 3
      +FloatingFatMan
      182
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      151
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      117
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!