xplorer2 beta 3108

[nikos]

a new version is coming and here's a beta (test) version for the adventurous user
ultimate edition, choose 32/64 bit to match your system
www.zabkat.com/test/xplorer2_setup_ult_beta.exe (32 bit)
www.zabkat.com/test/xplorer2_setup64_ult_beta.exe (64 bit)

the most important addition is in place editing of file properties, see here for all the changes

any bugs, comments etc let me know

[FrizzleFry]

I've been checking out the beta and it looks good... I have not run into any issues yet... thanks for the "what to match" history in the mass renamer...

[Tuxman]

Again, no Unicode for the change log.

XPLORER² CHANGELOG

-- Testing the in-place editing. I wonder what I can type into the in-place attributes to make them work. At least, changing from "A" to "AD" apparently does not have any effects.

[nikos]

you can only change the basic AHSR attributes, anything else is ignored

[Kilmatead]

If you could turn a file into a folder, that would be impressive. Unfortunately we have to settle for less magical things like encrypting South African currency into the republic itself (SAR -> RSA), which would at least keep us amused for a short while.

A very short while, it must be said, since adding the "R" to a non-"R" item is a one-way trip. Once something becomes read-only, it can't be unset via this editing method. Can't decide if that's ironic or just unfair. Or, in this case, prejudiced against free-travel in and out of the RSA.

That said, the poor neglected 'I' attribute is feeling a little unloved.

[nikos]

small update beta version 3109, download links scroll to the top of the page
no bugs reported yet, i muat be very good!?

[Tuxman]

At least good enough to hide the 3.1.0.9 changes from the change log so we can't safely point at you.

[nikos]

here's an interesting statistic for code anoraks (source code vs versions)


the bumps are the major upgrades, and the intermediate rate of development has been fairly constant
of course adding code on top of a larger code base is much harder, so the effort is nonlinear, exponential

[Kilmatead]

Zipping my cagoule up all snug and tight, I seem to recall you saying that your source code is drowning in commented-code... in fact, the exact quote is:

my source code is buzzing with information and comments – the hope being that it will help me remember what’s happening for the inevitable upgrades

So, factoring in your advancing age (and the attending atrophying of brain-cells that attends not only that, but also the general stress of having children who are prone to sticking their fingers into power-sockets), we could also surmise that the code-size is increasing not so much from any fundamental precept of "more code does more stuff" but rather that you may simply need more help reminding yourself how your shoelaces are tied.



This is the problem with graphs - they'll show a correlation all right, but interpreting the precise nature of that correlation is a whole other aspect of divination, voodoo, and propaganda (see global-warming). Thus, "source-code in bytes" is perhaps not really the best arbiter of "progress" against which revisions and subversions ought be qualified.

[patlange]

the most important addition is in place editing of file properties, see here for all the changes
any bugs, comments etc let me know

I was excited to hear about the new in-place details editing! Less excited when I tried it out on my *.wtv details. I was only allowed to edit "Attributes."

Kilmatead: your comment on graphs struck a chord as I'm now reading Nate Silver's "The Signal and the Noise". Check it out. He has a lot to say about the global warming issue.

[mrhermit]

So I just bought xplorer2 ultimate 64 on Feb 23, 2016. (Version 3.1.0.2)

Will there be a charge for this new version when it becomes available?

Is this beta version a new program or it it just and update of what I already have?

[Bob James]

I use xplorer2 Professional. Will there be a beta version of that?

[Kilmatead]

Will there be a charge for this new version when it becomes available?

There will only be a charge for users who received a free key when updating to version 3 a year ago. See this for clarification.

For everyone else with a lifetime or current V3 (Pro/Ult) license, the update will be free.

Is this beta version a new program or is it just an update of what I already have?

It is the next update of what you have. See the changelog in the first post of this thread for details of what's in it.

I use xplorer2 Professional. Will there be a beta version of that?
Can I load this Ultimate beta in addition to my current Professional version?

When you view the changelog (above), any item prefixed with a "[P]" is specific to both the Professional as well as the Ultimate versions. Any item prefixed with a is Ultimate-only. In this particular update all the features are related to the Professional version, so they apply to anyone.

You may install it alongside the professional version, but it will share the same reg-key settings. You also cannot have both running at the same time, so if you normally use features such as "explorer replacement", etc, then some behaviour may not work as expected, and so sharing the two would best be avoided.

If in doubt, just wait for the regular update (it should be fairly soon). As with all software, only use beta-versions if you are confident that you know what you're doing and can restore your system properly if need be. Beta is beta.

[Kilmatead]

I was excited to hear about the new in-place details editing! Less excited when I tried it out on my *.wtv details. I was only allowed to edit "Attributes."

Editing metadata for codec-related formats has always been a hit-and-miss proposition. What works for FLV and MKV may not apply to AVI or MP4, vice-versa and all the variations in between. (You get the idea.)

As MS itself has completely abandoned Media Center (and, indeed, will actively uninstall it if you try to "update" to Windows 10), exactly how long the WTV extension will survive in the wild is anyone's guess. As it's also a proprietary format made to uphold the DRM of the original broadcasts, it could simply resist editing just as a matter of course (despite being a derivative of MPEG containers), and so will always require a dedicated editing-programme for direct access.

In general though, the property-editing feature only really applies - well, "generally". For example (as long as the Read-Only attribute of an object is not set), you may always directly edit some things such as the Comments, Attributes, and Modification/Creation dates for all files/folders much the same as you would edit their names - but when it comes to individual file-type properties... unfortunately, experimentation is the only viable litmus.

Which is the long way of saying: "If your PDF properties reject you and everything you stand for, Nikos probably can't save your mortal soul." Or something like that... we'll have a catchy parable made up later and put on some t-shirts...

[longfellow]

no bugs reported yet, i muat be very good!?

I've been using the beta since the weekend without problems. Nice. I like the drop-down in the mass rename dialog, very useful. The ability to safely remove hardware from the drivebar is very welcome.