blog: free form bookmarks

[nikos]

here's the comment area for today's blog article found at
http://zabkat.com/blog/27Mar11-creative-bookmarks.htm

[Kilmatead]

Create a root folder for all the bookmarks, e.g. C:\Users\<username>\Links (this folder already exists in windows 7 and stores the favorite folders that appear in system open/save dialogs.)

And if x2 were to actually use those new-style system modals (in scrap load/save commands), it would be even more useful.  As x2 uses the antiquated version, one must do this the hard way.

And for anyone interested in syncing x2's bookmarks into the (Vista/Win7 only) \Links\ folder automatically (instead of doing each one manually), they might look into this (I can provide a compiled EXE version without the fun latin references, for those who don't care to play with editing scripts themselves or who don't appreciate the fineries of historical metaphors in their utilities ).

[Kilmatead]

In my joyously continuing trend of creating utilities no one will ever use, the above referenced thread (to export x2 bookmarks directly to \Links) has been updated to include a download link for a proper EXE version - expanded for functionality, and unfortunately stripped of its historical charm:



; Changelog for 1.83 (27-March-2011)

; Took all the fun out of it by cleaning up the interface for those boring serious folk without an interest in the Punic Wars
; Added ability to Browse for or create a new Export Folder
; Added ability to assign a new default Export Folder by supplying the path on the command line
; For XP users who do not have a \Links folder by default, the Export folder becomes the Desktop unless otherwise assigned
; Expanded Right-Click context menus to include Delete, Rename, or match links to existing duplicates
; Improved generated link-name checking to remove all the bad elements which are legal in x2 Bookmark names

; Did I mention I took all the fun out of it?
; Hannibal committed suicide in 183/181 BC (hence the Version Number )
; The last Punic War ended in 146 BC (or in January 1985, depending on how you look at it)

[nikos]

the problem with this Links folder is that like xplorer2 bookmarks is flat. If you create subfolders they won't be picked up in open/save system dialogs...

[Kilmatead]

True, but in the tree part of the (new) Open Save modals, you can click on the actual "Favourites" label itself which then opens up the links folder itself, thus allowing direct access to its subfolders.

[RightPaddock]

You can also put in there folder junctions but you don't need to get too fancy!

A feature of using junctions (or symlinks) for this purpose is that the route via which you got somewhere is "remembered", so:-  

• if you navigate to a folder via a junction (or symlink) and then do a backspace you'll go back to location of the junction (or symlink);  
• if you navigate to a folder via a shortcut and then do a backspace you'll be taken to parent of the target folder.

I prefer the way navigation via a junction (or shortcut) responds to a backspace - I'm keyboard centric.

To create the junctions I use Hermann Shinagl's Link Shell Extension (LSE).  It does a lot more than junctions, and its kept up to date - latest release is dated March 14, 2011.  I've been using it with x2 for several years.  In this context the main features I use are:-

• right button drag&drop of target folder to location at which you want the junction
• if a junction gets broken then right button drag&drop of the target folder to the broken junction will provide the option to repair *

I seem to recall that nikos is wary of junctions, many people consider them as dangerous because they require special consideration when they're deleted, failure to do so will wedge Windows Explorer. But the deletion issues were resolved in Windows 7 (maybe even Vista ???), where you can delete a junction with impunity, i.e. via the delete key

The Shortcut To column for Junctions and Symlinks shows the target folder in the same way as a Shortcut.  Junctions and SymLinks will display the Contents & Comment columns of the target folder, a Shortcut won't show that information.  There are probably other differences, for me having the Contents & Comment columns of the target folder is very useful.

RP

* Michaels Elsdorfer's NTFS Link will track and repair junctions at the time they're broken, but it doesn't work under Win7 (not sure about Vista, probably not).  Michaels not intending to "fix it" any time soon.  The source is in the public domain, but it's written in Delphi, I might have a go at a rewrite in C.

ps: Hermann Shinagl's LSE is free, I don't think that's true of the other LSE (unless you're a Gaddafi perhaps)  8)

[Kilmatead]

Junctions and SymLinks will display the Contents & Comment columns of the target folder, a Shortcut won't show that information.

That's an excellent point - I rather shy away from them myself, but that alone might make me "dig up the King and and beg him to sing," to paraphrase Warren Zevon.

I don't think it's fair to say Nikos doesn't like junctions (they are supported, after all), it's just that they are a little hairy to suggest as a solution for more "casual" users - as you say, they do come with a little XP baggage (solved, finally, a few years back, in Vista [post Vista's SP1]).  Took MS awhile, but they got there in the end...

[rumsfeld]

In xplorer2, you can look at a panel on the left, select some items, and key a shortcut to copy or move them to the panel on the right.

Is there a way to select folders or files in the panel in left side and give a single command to paste links to each of the selected items on the panel on the right?

I would like to setup a network hierarchy into my picture collection of trains.  Copy, switch panel, and edit paste ink for each picture is a real pain.

If there is not a command, then I put in a request for one.

[Kilmatead]

Is there a way to select folders or files in the panel in left side and give a single command to paste links to each of the selected items on the panel on the right?

See the responses in this thread, where you asked the same question previously.

[RightPaddock]

I don't think it's fair to say Nikos doesn't like junctions (they are supported, after all), it's just that they are a little hairy to suggest as a solution for more "casual" users - as you say, they do come with a little XP baggage (solved, finally, a few years back, in Vista [post Vista's SP1]).  Took MS awhile, but they got there in the end...

I amended my original post to be a little less harsh on nikos  But I really came here to report something relevant to the gist of my earlier post.  

One of the virtues I touted for junctions was if you drilled into a junction, then backspace would take you back to the location of the junction.

Well the junctions that Windows 7 creates to "spoof" applications into thinking that the old Documents & Settings folder structure still exists don't seem do that, backspace takes you back up the target tree, not back to the junction location.  

The structures I use are simple e.g the junction E:\Rivers\McLeayRiver\Height\Tooroka\20110403 targets folder E:\RiverHeights\20110403_007.  

But the junctions Windows creates in the Users folder are a bit "tricky" because they target subfolders within the same Users folder, e.g the junction C:\Users\RightPaddock\NetHood targets C:\Users\RightPaddock\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts.  

I would guess the different behaviour is either due

• to the way Windows uses junctions, it has the target and junction paths intersecting within the same folder tree, whereas mine have the target and junction paths intersecting at the device;
• or because I use different software to create the junctions, I mainly use LSE, whereas the junctions in the Users folder are created within the Windows create new user code

I suspect its the first one, but I haven't the time nor the inclination to investigate further.  

RP

[FrizzleFry]

Playing around for a few minutes is seems to me that junctions that are Hidden+System send you to the actual folder; otherwise, they just act as a subfolder of the junction location.

I tested by setting a junction I created to HS and it's behavior changed... setting it back returned to previous behavior.

[tunghoy]

I just downloaded the Pro version today and am testing it out, and see there's one feature X2 doesn't have that would be a nice addition: to have favorites (i.e. the contents of c:\users\username\links) in the tree itself, the way Explorer does.

Although I added the Links folder to the Bookmarks menu, it means that instead of accessing favorites with a single click, it requires a click on the menu, a click on the favorites item in the menu, then a double-click on the link in the main part of the screen.

[Kilmatead]

Any bookmark may be added to a toolbar as a button by right-clicking on a toolbar, and selecting Customize.  Find the desired bookmark in the list on the left (repeatedly type the first letter of it's name to locate it quicker) and Add it to the column on the right.  Then it's a single-click action to access it.