TCMSearch

Quick-search launcher for Total Commander button bars. Hit a hotkey, type a regex, press Enter — the matched command runs instantly.

Features

• Parses all .bar files from your TC directory automatically
• Real-time regex (or plain substring) search across button name, command, and tooltip
• Executes external programs and TC internal commands (cm_/em_) via the /C= API
• Frameless overlay centered over the TC window, closes on Escape or focus loss
• System tray with Reload / Settings / Exit
• Global hotkey (default Ctrl+Space, TC window only)

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• Python 3.11+ with pip
  (not needed if you use the compiled .exe)
• Total Commander installed

Installation

Option A — run from source

pip install -r requirements.txt
python main.py

Option B — compile to a single EXE

1. Put your icon at app.ico next to main.py (optional but recommended)
2. Run:

build.bat

Output: dist\TCMSearch.exe
Copy it anywhere; config.ini is created next to it on first run.

Smaller binary with UPX

Download UPX and set UPX_DIR in build.bat. The build script picks it up automatically.

Usage

Action	Result
Ctrl+Space (in TC)	Toggle search overlay
Type	Filter by regex or substring
↑ / ↓	Navigate results
Enter or double-click	Execute and return focus to TC
Escape or click away	Close overlay
Tray → Reload Bars	Re-parse all .bar files
Tray → Settings	Open config.ini in default editor

Configuration

config.ini is created next to the executable on first launch.

[App]
tc_path    = C:\totalcmd          ; TC installation directory (auto-detected if not set)
tc_only    = true                 ; only trigger hotkey when TC is foreground
hotkey_mod = 2                    ; modifier bitmask (2 = Ctrl, 1 = Alt, 4 = Shift)
hotkey_vk  = 32                   ; virtual key code (32 = Space)
window_width  = 660
window_height = 440
window_x = 1057
window_y = 722

Hotkey examples

Hotkey	hotkey_mod	hotkey_vk
Ctrl+Space	2	32
Alt+Space	1	32
Ctrl+Alt+F	3	70

Button bar format

TCMSearch reads standard TC .bar files (INI format):

[Buttonbar]
Buttoncount=3

menu1=Notepad
cmd1=C:\Windows\notepad.exe
param1=
path1=
tooltip1=Open Notepad

menu2=New Folder
cmd2=cm_MkDir
param2=
path2=
tooltip2=TC internal command

menu3=Edit Here
cmd3=C:\tools\editor.exe
param3=%COMMANDER_NAME%
path3=%COMMANDER_PATH%
tooltip3=Open selected file in editor

Buttons pointing to other .bar files (sub-toolbars) are excluded from results.

How commands are executed

Command type	Detection	Method
External program	anything not starting with cm_/em_	subprocess.Popen
TC internal	starts with cm_ or em_	totalcmd.exe /O /S /C=<cmd>, falls back to WM_COPYDATA

License

MIT