xplorer2 suggestion box

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nikos
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xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by nikos »

as I have almost completed version 4.1 update, I realize that I have ran out of ideas on future updates. What more is left to add to a mature xplorer2?

here's where you come in, you can send in your ideas for things (preferably) big and some small for future additions. If you are using some other file manager in parallel (shame on you :P) and can think of a big thing they have over xplorer2, you can ask for it too!

thanks
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pschroeter
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by pschroeter »

I'll give you the list I sent you last year that was an update of a list I first sent you in 2007. I repeat what I said then, that I am an interface usability freak. I went through my old list of suggestions and I was delighted to see several of them were implemented. This list is loosely organized by my priorities and how hard I think they would be to implement.


When I am in a folder and have no folders selected, Browse flat should flatten the folder that is currently open. I’m constantly deciding I want to flatten a folder I’m browsing only to remember I have to go up one folder first to do it.

Dynamic slider to control thumbnail size

Thumbnail view with the details underneath. The recently added Detailed thumbs is a list view and the details take a lot of room. I want a grid of thumbnails with details underneath so I can use xplorer² like most photo cataloging software.

Single Pane View: Alt- key is a modifier that makes double/single clicking a folder (or breadcrumb) starts Dual pane and opens a second pane if one isn't already open. Focus stays on the original folder. Basically any action that opens a folder, Alt-clicking opens it in a second pane.

Single Pane View: Alt-double/single clicking the blank area (similar to the go to parent folder mouse double click shortcut) in the pane should open Dual pane mode with the current open pane contents repeated.

Dual bookmarks have a checkbox option to open a second pane if only one pane is currently open. Focus should remain in the first pane as that pane is usually the source. I don't use tabs very often.

Mass rename - Case changing – Trim function – I bet you can think of more.

The Move/Copy To dialogs maintain a list of recently used folders and their paths, I would like an option that only shows the last destination folder. I personally don’t need to see the full path, plus it makes the destination at the end of a long path hard to find anyway.

Shift Clicking opens a folder in a new tab.

Right-click menu on a toolbar button includes change icon command. I keep seeing Customize when I occasionally want to do this and then forgetting it applies to the entire toolbar and I have to go elsewhere to change the icon.

Menu: View>Visual Filter>Folders (only) (New menu item) I see Hide folders and this command feels missing. I know it’s already under the Autofilter button.

Option to put thumbnails in Details pane

The following are ambitious.

I think I would be really nice if xplorer² could at least undo some simple one-step actions like moving a few files, or simple renames. It wouldn't bother me to see "Can't Undo" most of the time in the Edit menu.

The xplorer² right-click context menu item should someday be context sensitive according to whether it a file, folder, or nothing is selected. Nothing selected already has its own context menu, but I would like to add things like my own visual filters to it.

Tools > Advanced options … Make this available while xplorer² is running and not require leaving the program and restarting to see the changes, at least for those commands that can handle it. The others should say this change requires a restart.

I know it is possible to edit the Details pane, but it really isn’t easy.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed I don’t use that accursed Ribbon.
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nikos
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by nikos »

thanks for your feedback. I am looking for "big" additions rather than micro-improvements here and there. I suppose your UNDO request is such a big thing, which I will start considering, at least partially. Furthermore some of your requests are already available in v4:

Dual bookmarks have a checkbox option to open a second pane
they already open the dual pane if it isn't there

The xplorer² right-click context menu item should someday be context sensitive
use xplorer2 > organize to add commands to the context menu
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kunkel321
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by kunkel321 »

pschroeter wrote: 2018 Aug 25, 04:53...Dual bookmarks have a checkbox option to open a second pane if only one pane is currently open. Focus should remain in the first pane as that pane is usually the source. I don't use tabs very often. ...
Yea, this is a no-brainer.
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pschroeter
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by pschroeter »

I don't know if you can perform magic, but having "Calculate subfolders size automatically" on really slows down the program loading. On my last computer it slowed the program down so much it would give up trying to calculate it and I'm surprised by how long it takes on my new computer too (like half a minute). I am completely aware there is a lot of work it has to do an do and why it takes so long, I just wonder if their might be some programming tricks available to improve the situation. The words cacheing and background process come to mind, but I'm not a programmer.

There are several dialog boxes I would love to be able to drag the edges of and make bigger, and have it remembered. (Example: Customize…)
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kunkel321
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by kunkel321 »

pschroeter wrote: 2018 Aug 25, 04:53...Dual bookmarks have a checkbox option to open a second pane if only one pane is currently open. Focus should remain in the first pane as that pane is usually the source. I don't use tabs very often. ...
Hey you added it! Thanks Nikos!
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by Tuxman »

nikos wrote: 2018 Aug 24, 08:33 What more is left to add to a mature xplorer2?
Built-in SFTP support without third-party plug-ins. Should be relatively easy with Windows 10's new(ish) SSH client. :)
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nikos
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by nikos »

I didn't know that, so i'll have a look. How does it work? not through windows explorer I take it?
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by Tuxman »

No, but it should come with all the necessary DLLs, so there's no need to bundle half of OpenSSH anymore. (I have not tried it yet.)
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nikos
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by nikos »

anyone using cloud drives (there are lots of them), would you have any recommendations for improvement within xplorer2?
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pschroeter
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Distiguish animated GIFs

Post by pschroeter »

I once tried an alternative file explorer that I immediately hated that had one good idea. It could tell the difference between a regular GIF and an animated GIF. What I think it did was put little frame count overlay over the lower right corner of the image. I haven't been able to search for or differentiate the two types other than to click on them and look at the preview.

I think there are now other animated image types.
EMathews3
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by EMathews3 »

Posting a suggestion here, about Actions / Folder Settings / Save, the dialog box "Apply the same folder settings for all subfolders?" Yes/No (default No).

The dialog appears only when the current folder has subfolders. The exception/bug seems to be ... immediately after creating or removing the only subfolder, the dialog's information about "does this folder have any subfolder" is out of date. The prompt fails to appear when the first subfolder is newly created, and the prompt improperly appears when the last subfolder is newly removed.

Anyway, suggest changing the logic so this dialog gets in the way less. Choices:
  • add a menu option like "Save to subfolders also", so that the existing Save option never considers subfolders. "Save to subfolders" would be available only when subfolders do exist, and greyed out when no subfolders exist.
  • Make the "Save" command sensitive to an option key, like holding down Shift while clicking "Save". Pressing Shift activates the subfolders feature and makes the prompt appear (only if subfolders exist). Not-pressing Shift (the default) just ignores subfolders.
Xavier
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by Xavier »

nikos wrote: 2018 Aug 25, 09:25 (...) I am looking for "big" additions rather than micro-improvements here and there.(...)
Well, will this one be big enough ? :wink:
Xplorer² may be single pane or dual panes, why not offer another "view" : cascade panes ! (column exploration like on macOS) ?
capture
Quite a revolution for a Windows File manager :party:


and amongts other minor (?) changes :
1 - color coding .. apply to the folder icon (yellow by default) and to the complete line (in detailed view) so a solid color in background
2 - real dark theme (I know the tips to darken the panes but all the rest stay the same bright color ...)


sorry if this was already asked
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pj
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Re: xplorer2 suggestion box

Post by pj »

Xavier wrote: 2018 Nov 12, 14:34 and amongts other minor (?) changes :
1 - color coding .. apply to the folder icon (yellow by default) and to the complete line (in detailed view) so a solid color in background
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Did you look at the add-on our long-lost Kilmatead created to easily change folder colors? It's in the Especially Useful Topics, at this location:
Setting Colored Folder Icons in x2 (Revisited)


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PJ in (sunny) FL
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