zabkat support forum

Any particular reason for the non-standard placement of the menus in xplorer2?

To quote from the xplorer2 website:

"xplorer² is a file and information manager that adheres to the philosophy "efficiency through simplicity". Without reinventing the wheel, it integrates the best features of Windows' shell architecture in a small, resource efficient package that's instantly familiar to work with."

To live up to the "instantly familiar to work with" part, may I suggest the menus be re-ordered to standard Windows conventions? Something like:

File | Edit | View | Bookmarks | ... | Tools | ... | Window | Help

"Go to", "Mark", "Actions", and "Customize" could be placed somewhere within the | ... | sections.

You could go one step further and rename Bookmarks to "Favorites". Also, "Customize" could become a sub-menu entry within the Edit menu (e.g. Mozilla) or the Tools menu (e.g. MS Word).

I believe this would make your product easier to learn and work with.

Overall, a great product, nevertheless. Thank you!

Daniel

danielrod wrote:I believe this would make your product easier to learn and work with.

Yes, I agree.

No neeed to be different from common usage, nikos -- even if it means breaking with 2x:x2 tradition.

I agree. Changing the manual for that is a 15 minutes job; so that's not an issue.

what about all those users that are already accustomed to this unorthodox scheme?

as i see it (except for the File menu) items are arranged as your work mode: you first get there, then select, and then do a command. Very logical!

I don't find anything illogical with the menus. "Shred" is the only command I look for in the "File" menu expecting it to be with "Delete". As for putting the "Customize" menu as a sub-menu, as danielrod has pointed out, there is no standard for that and it is most annoying in other applications to have to search every menu to find where they have hidden it. NO "FAVORITES" PLEASE. I find the term most annoying, what is there favorite about a list of files?

it'd be extremely nice if everything was customizable (like xtreme toolkit style)

I agree ... I really miss the std F5 for refresh ala Windows/Internet Explorer, etc.

Here's another vote for the standard menu bar order (File, Edit, View...), and for the <F5> refresh shortcut.

The menu order was a bit jarring the first time I used xplorer2... I had the passing thought that xplorer2 was possibly a program transplanted from a different operating system. A silly thought. When I found the key command for refreshing the display, I realized that xplorer2 simply has its excentricities like every other program I know. At least <F2> works the same way as everywhere else

What I wanted and found in xplorer2 were functional or ease-of-use improvements on the standard Windows product. I don't, however, see the menu order and refresh key assignment as having functional or productivity implications. They are basic and frequently used elements of the Windows interface. So changing them actually decreases xplorer2's ease of use and add slightly to the learning curve.

These are not important issues, and interface choices always involve a pretty high quotient of arbitrariness (why <F5> for refresh?). But I don't see why xplorer2 should expose itself to nitpicking criticism (like this), or should risk annoying users for differences from common interface behavior which don't really add much to the program's very fine features.

Enak, Paris[/u]

explorer has under 50 menu items, x2 over 150
there are bound to be differences!
all the extra main menus aren't present in windows anyway

I wouldn't mind a rearranging of the menu, but I'm not sure the F5 reassignment is a good idea.

Besides, the refresh is still available as Ctrl+R and that's the same in explorer. I admit that at first I used to hit F5 to refresh, but I learned quickly to use it for what it does.

Also, I can't readily think of a good alternative to move the copy/move related functions.

mimeryme wrote:I wouldn't mind a rearranging of the menu, but I'm not sure the F5 reassignment is a good idea.

Besides, the refresh is still available as Ctrl+R and that's the same in explorer.

They keyword here is standards and Microsoft has defined F5=Refresh in both explorers within Windows.

If Xplorer is to be a successful replacement for Windows Explorer it should either a) honour this standard or b) allow one to easily make it behave like it's namesake.

Rhino wrote:They keyword here is standards and Microsoft has defined F5=Refresh in both explorers within Windows.

Ah, but F5 has been the copy key since dual pane file managers were invented, so there's a standard for F5=copy, as well. It's the clash of the interface standards!

danielrod wrote:You could go one step further and rename Bookmarks to "Favorites". Also, "Customize" could become a sub-menu entry within the Edit menu (e.g. Mozilla) or the Tools menu (e.g. MS Word).

Customize as a submenu is not good, user commands would be less accessibile as you would have to go to a sub-submenu (or perhaps even a sub-sub-submenu) to get to them.

And please, no renaming "Bookmarks" to "Favorites". Yuck!

longfellow wrote:

Rhino wrote:They keyword here is standards and Microsoft has defined F5=Refresh in both explorers within Windows.

Ah, but F5 has been the copy key since dual pane file managers were invented, so there's a standard for F5=copy, as well. It's the clash of the interface standards!

LOL ... ask yourself who's got more users. Windows/Internet Explorer or third party file managers

I agree, while much time is spent in explorer,  90% of other apps use a consistent menu interface including key combinations.  

Another point , I recommend that either, key combinations are consistent with "other" apps or as previously requested,  that user be able to customize menu key combinations.  I do not believe that this would be a tremendous amount of work.  E.g. use simple text bases ".ini." and simple notattion for menu, key combinations.

[file-menu]
[file open]  [contol-A]    ;  maybe some key notation similar to emacs....
.
something like this


Providing custom key combinations would eleviate any questions of menu order and would kill two birds with one stone.  Custom key combos don't car about the "menu" order, only the commands available.
________
Opiate Rehab Advice

custom key combinations will come at some stage
basically all this fuss is about F5, a key which you don't really need
(unless you are experiencing problems with x2 refreshing which is
a different thing altogether and I should know!)

if you really want it changed now you can use resource hacker and edit the (keyboard) accelerator table