xplorer2 update

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nikos
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xplorer2 update

Post by nikos »

i've started work on xplorer2 v5.1 but i'm short on ideas...
if you have any wishes, here's your chance :)
otlaolap
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by otlaolap »

(a) Add a command line option to specify the exact position (X, Y, W, H) of the window that will be opened by this execution of the command.

(b) Add a command line option to specify the icon that will be used by this execution of the command.

(c) Make the Mark Select Group (Gray +) and Mark Unselect Group (Gray -), and presumably the Mark Invert Selection (Gray *), apply to folders as well as to files in the current pane -- they are after all operating on the contents of the pane and omitting folders seems very strange (to me). They should operate on scrap frames as well -- files and folders both being affected.

Admittedly these are not big ideas but they would be helpful.
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nikos
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by nikos »

what do you mean "command line icon"?
gray select methods are just for files, if you need to apply to folders too use ALT+G, which has more options too

to be honest i need inspiration for a "biggish" feature, i have enough bits and bobs!
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vserghi
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by vserghi »

If you want inspiration, have a look at this application. Krusader; a *nix file manager. To quote it;
Krusader is an advanced twin panel (commander style) file manager for KDE Plasma and other desktops in the *nix world, similar to Midnight or Total Commander. It provides all the file management features you could possibly want
https://krusader.org

The User Actions stuff is interesting, but I think you have a version of this already
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by nikos »

when in doubt copy/ape somebody else :)
are you using this krusader? does it have interesting features that x2 doesn't?
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by Gandolf »

The one thing that catches me out is when I open x² and one, or more, of the tabs points to a removable drive that is not there. I then have to kill x² (closing it does not work), mount the drive, and then open x² again.
Can you enable x² to remember removable drives that do not exist? Rather than displaying the contents of the Desktop, I would prefer a message of some sort - "The drive does not exist" or something similar and the drive/path name remain on the tab. Mount the drive, and it would appear in x².

The other thing is - I duplicate a file, it appears at the bottom of the list (detail view, sorted by modified). It then takes forever (or so it seems) to jump to the top of the list. Ctrl+R does it. I've tried every time setting I can think of, am I missing something or is 330ms the fastest it will autorefresh?

For us poor old folks, make the Quick start text larger. I know I can zoom the browser, but then everything else is too big!
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by nikos »

for unavailable drives either use /N command line switch or press ESC key while xplorer2 appears stuck

about duplicating files, use option automatically resort contents from window property page
for v5.1 i am making all dialog boxes a bit larger for us older folks :)
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by Gandolf »

nikos wrote: 2021 Sep 28, 11:36 for unavailable drives either use /N command line switch or press ESC key while xplorer2 appears stuck ...
It is not "stuck" waiting for a network drive.
These are removable SCSI drives in a caddy, /N has no effect.
The tab displays the Desktop then, if I close x², the Desktop is displayed the next time I start x². If I don't check every tab to make sure that it is not displaying the Desktop, then I loose the drive listing for the removable drive I didn't realise wasn't mounted.
nikos wrote: 2021 Sep 28, 11:36 ... about duplicating files, use option automatically resort contents from window property page
for v5.1 ...
Automatically re-sort contents... is checked and has been as long as I can remember.
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by nikos »

/N is not for network only but also for removable drives. When connected do they have an EJECT menu command or not?

i'll see what i can do about new files and re-sorting
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by Gandolf »

The SCSI drives have a button on the front of them "Un-mount". Pressing it spins down the drive, releases the handle lock, which then enables the drive to be pulled out of the caddy.

If /N is for removable drives, then it doesn't seem to work for the USB drives. They are not shown if the drives are not powered.

I can see the information in the registry - szLeftTabs & szRightTabs. Can that information not be read and, if the drive is not available, retained for when the drive is available? As it is, that information is lost, as far as I can see, if the drive is not available. Another file manager, which I don't use because it's too unstable, displays "Location currently not available and the drive:\directory". When I re-mount the drive, either SCSI or USB, the directory contents are listed. I don't even have to do a refresh of the pane.
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by nikos »

in xplorer2 you can get the original tabs using CUSTOMIZE > FOLDER GROUPS > STARTUP menu command
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by vserghi »

I know you can activate the command line via F10, instead of having only one line to look at, why not add a dockable console window that can be activated like the details pane.

Redo your options, and add in all of those registry tweaks and the advanced settings dialogue into one single Options dialogue.

There are at least two commands that are useful, but not in the menu unless you know the shortcut keys; Select files the same extension (Ctrl+Alt+Num plus) and Select files with the same base name (Alt+Shift+Num plus). There may be many more. Why not bring them out into the menu system for all to see.
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nikos
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by nikos »

I was thinking about reorganizing the options, but I can't decide whether that would be a good or bad thing, and it will end up confusing old users and making them learn new tricks (we aren't getting any younger :))

on the other hand having options that are searchable (like the advanced settings editor) could be a good thing and mitigate the confusion of options being rearranged
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by Gandolf »

nikos wrote: 2021 Sep 28, 15:45 in xplorer2 you can get the original tabs using CUSTOMIZE > FOLDER GROUPS > STARTUP menu command
Thank you for that. I would never in a month of Sundays, have thought of trying "Custoimze|Folder Groups|Startup". Even the tip in the status bar "... present at program startup" would make me think it would restore the tabs to Desktop, that is what they displayed when I started x², without the SCSI drives mounted, or the USB drives powered.

I still think it would be better to display, rather than Desktop, the drive\path information in the tab, and a message that the drive is not available in the pane.

nikos wrote: 2021 Sep 29, 04:39 I was thinking about reorganizing the options, but I can't decide whether that would be a good or bad thing ...
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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Re: xplorer2 update

Post by otlaolap »

otlaolap wrote: 2021 Sep 27, 11:51 (b) Add a command line option to specify the icon that will be used by this execution of the command.
You ask "what do you mean "command line icon"?". I mean a custom icon for X2. Provide a command line option like /K (for example below):
"E:\Explorer Squared\xplorer2_64.exe "/P /K"G:\Icons\X2special.ico" /S"something" /whatever other command line options you normally use

This in lieu of copying a custom icon into the X2 installation folder, thereby freezing it for all executions.
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