Visual List Directory (VLS)

A lightweight command-line utility for Windows that displays directory trees with color-coded files and folders. Written in pure C with full Unicode support.

Features

• Tree-style directory visualization
• Color-coded output (folders, files, sizes)
• Full Unicode support (works with Cyrillic, CJK, Arabic, etc.)
• File size formatting (B, KB, MB, GB)
• Summary statistics (total files, folders, size)
• Works from any directory once installed
• Compatible with Windows XP through Windows 11

Installation

Quick Install

1. Download or clone this repository
2. Run build.bat to compile
3. Run setup.bat as administrator to install to System32
4. Use vls command from anywhere

Manual Installation

gcc vls.c -o vls.exe -O2 -s
copy vls.exe C:\Windows\System32\

Usage

vls              # List current directory
vls C:\path      # List specific directory
vls ..           # List parent directory

Requirements

• Windows XP or later
• GCC compiler (MinGW/MinGW-w64) for building

Building with CMake

VLS also includes a clean Windows-only CMake configuration.
It builds the same targets as build.bat:

• vls64.exe — Windows 64-bit
• vls32.exe — Windows 32-bit
• vls7.exe — Windows 7 (NT 6.1)
• vlsXP.exe — Windows XP (NT 5.1, static)

Requirements

• CMake 3.10+
• MinGW-w64 GCC toolchain (32-bit + 64-bit)
• Windows XP or later

Build Steps

cmake -B build
cmake --build build

Compatibility

Tested and working on:

• Windows 11
• Windows 10
• Windows 7
• Windows XP

Works with any GCC-compatible compiler, including old MinGW versions (GCC 6.3+).

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome. For major changes, open an issue first to discuss what you'd like to change.