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File Explorer (FileExplorer.tsx) is the primary interface for navigating the NEX OS Virtual File System (VFS). Because browsers have no direct access to the host machine’s disk, the entire filesystem lives in memory — managed by FileSystemContext — and File Explorer provides the familiar folder-tree experience on top of it. It supports multiple view modes, clipboard operations, inline renaming, and the ability to launch .nex executables directly from the file grid.

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Key Features

  • Tree and list view modes — Switch between icon grid, compact list, and details views using the toolbar view switcher (Grid28Regular, List20Regular, TextColumnTwoLeft20Regular).
  • Drag-and-drop file and folder management — Move items between directories via the underlying FileSystemContext operations (cutItem, pasteItem).
  • Double-click to open — Folders navigate into the directory; .txt files open in Notepad; .jpg/.png files with an imageUrl open in the Photos viewer; .nex files launch their registered application.
  • Create, rename, delete — Use the ribbon toolbar or the right-click context menu (ContextMenu component) to create new folders and files, rename inline with keyboard confirm/cancel, or delete items.
  • Path breadcrumb navigation — The address bar renders the full path as clickable breadcrumb segments, computed from the VFS tree by walking parentId references up to the root.
  • Back / Forward / Up navigation — A local history stack (history, historyIdx) mirrors browser-style navigation for the folder path.
  • Sidebar quick links — One-click shortcuts to C: drive root, Desktop, Documents, and Pictures virtual directories.
  • Search bar — Inline search input in the navigation bar (integrated with the folder contents grid).

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How .nex Launching Works

.nex files are NEX OS virtual executables — they are VirtualFile entries in the filesystem with ext: 'nex' and a nexPayload metadata object. When the user double-clicks a .nex file in File Explorer, the handleDoubleClick handler reads nexPayload and calls openWindow() from useWindowManager: 
// FileExplorer.tsx — handleDoubleClick
} else if (item.ext === 'nex' && item.nexPayload) {
  const payload = item.nexPayload;
  const appIcon = NEX_ICONS[payload.appId] || <Flash20Regular style={{ color: '#00ffff' }} />;
  openWindow(payload.appId, payload.appId, payload.title, appIcon);
}
The NEX_ICONS map inside FileExplorer.tsx resolves icon components for known appId values (e.g., notepad, cmd, terminal, calculator, taskmanager). Unknown app IDs fall back to the Flash20Regular cyan icon — the standard NEX executable icon.

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Integration with VFS Context

File Explorer consumes the useFileSystem() hook from FileSystemContext. The full set of operations available to the component is: 
const {
  files,        // VirtualFile[] — flat list of all items in the VFS
  createFolder, // (parentId, name) => void
  createFile,   // (parentId, name, ext) => void
  deleteItem,   // (id) => void
  renameItem,   // (id, newName) => void
  copyItem,     // (id) => void
  cutItem,      // (id) => void
  pasteItem,    // (targetFolderId) => void
  clipboard,    // current clipboard item ID or null
} = useFileSystem();
The currentFolderFiles list is derived with useMemo by filtering all files where parentId === currentFolderId, making re-renders efficient even as the VFS grows. The breadcrumb path string is also memoized by walking the parent chain from the current folder to the root.

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File Type Icons

File Explorer renders contextual icons for each file type using the getFileIcon() helper:
Extension / TypeIconColor
folder / driveFolder20Filled / HardDrive20RegularYellow / Blue
.nexFlash20RegularCyan (#00ffff)
.pdfDocumentPdf20RegularRed
.xlsxTableSimple20RegularGreen
.jpg / .png (with URL)<img> thumbnail—
.mp3MusicNote220RegularPurple
.txt / defaultDocument20RegularGrey

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VFS Sandbox Note

The Virtual File System is entirely sandboxed in browser memory. No read or write operations touch the user’s real disk. All files and folders are stored as JavaScript objects in the FileSystemContext state tree and are reset on page reload (unless persistence is added via localStorage). This is by design — it is a core security boundary of running an OS in a browser context.

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Context Menu Operations

Right-clicking on a file or folder opens the ContextMenu component with the following options: On a file or folder:
  • Open
  • Cut (Cut20Regular)
  • Copy (Copy20Regular)
  • Delete (Delete20Regular)
  • Rename (Rename20Regular)
On empty space (background):
  • Paste (disabled when clipboard is empty)
  • New Folder
  • New File
After cutting or copying a file, navigate to the destination folder in the left sidebar and right-click the background to paste. The clipboard state is held in FileSystemContext and persists across folder navigation within the same session.

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