zabkat support forum

Nikos, is it possible to add to more special folders in the list?
1. %USERPROFILE%
2. %PUBLIC%

whatever else you need just add it as a bookmark. You can even use %USERPROFILE% in the bookmark definition (edit it)

I know. But here're my reasons for having these folders as part of x2 menu:
1. They both are system special folders.
2. Bookmarks have very limited keyboard setup.

I for one, would change Shift-Bksp from going to the root folder, to go to the user profile, as it's much more useful in regular Windows usage (you can't do anything in the root folder, unless you're admin).

Actually there are more special folders missing:

At now we have My files, My pictures, My music. But there is also My Videos (on XP automatically created with the first launch of the build.in Movie Maker).

More:
The links for the start menu and startup folder, which do exist at nor, lead to the respective folders of the current user. But normally new entries, which get installed by applications, go into the start menu (and / or startup folder) of All Users - x2 itself does so and this behavior is correct. I think it is senseless, if for those folders (which out of the described usage are more important than the current user's folders) you have to place bookmarks. That means, for the current user's folders you have to look here and for those of All User's you have to go there. What a circumstance! All similar commands are expected to be placed on the same place, otherwise the hard coded system folders' links loose their meaning.

One more place that is missing is %APPDATA%, especially as this is by default a hidden folder. I need it regularly for managing places as for example the profiles folders of OpenOffice, Firefox and Thunderbird (only to mention some commonly used applications, not a complete listing).

And also the user's temp folder is such a place, as this folder is also hard to reach with default settings.

OK, you can set bookmarks for all of them. What then there is the problem, that the user has to remember, that he finds My Videos on another place than My Music, %APPDATA% and %TEMP% on a different place than Sendto, start menu folders on different places. So consequently all already hard coded special folders should have get  bookmarked additionally - and in the consequence the whole feature of special folders gets senseless.

Another possibility would be to give the user the choice to enhance the special folders submenu.

look that menu entry is already two miles long, if i add more people will need bigger screens

you can always type shell:appdata in the addressbar or what have you

nikos wrote:look that menu entry is already two miles long, if i add more people will need bigger screens

You're joking. But enhancing that: If the menu would not fit on the screen of "people", what is the option to tile the panes vertically good for at all? Be honest and you find, the menu fits anywhere, where x2 can really be used.

nikos wrote:you can always type shell:appdata in the addressbar or what have you

I can also go to the topmost entry in the tree pane to go to My Files, that is far more convenient than typing anything.

But than is the question, for what is "Special folders" good for at all?

(BTW: This works for appdata and temp, but not for the other mentioned places. And I mentioned exclusively folders, that are system folders, valid on any actual (= still supported by MS) Windows system.)

it just lists the most common and useful folders

Cosmo wrote:But that is the question, for what is "Special folders" good for at all?

Nikos wrote:the most common and useful folders

I'd actually limit the selections in that menu, not expand them - indeed, if they're "common", they're not "special" (rather by definition).

I'd throw out all the "My" folders (Documents/Pictures/Music/Video) nonsense as Windows is so littered with links to these folders that people actually have to work hard to avoid them (I for one never use them).

I consider the GoTo -> Special as a rarely used menu, so certainly AppData, Temp, Recycle Bin, Startup, Send to, etc. would belong there.

There's nothing special about "My Pictures".  Usually it's just a repository for images of really ugly babies that only a parent thinks are special.  And God doesn't listen to the payers of mothers.

nikos wrote:it just lists the most common and useful folders

I wrote about system folders. And at now the folders linked in "special folders" (could be renamed) are more or less system folders. They do exist on any Windows system, inclusive all of those that are mentioned here.  Either I have them in one place, or the links are cluttered on 2 different (x2) places, horrible for productivity.

And I also described (hopefully understandable), why the mentioned folders are in fact rather often needed ones. (People who don't manage them often will probably be happy with WE anyway.)

IMHO in bookmarks belong custom folders that are often needed - that may be hand-made folders or those, which are created by 3rd party apps (as burning, multimedia or other software), which do not ship with the OS and not to find on every machine.

I can see the problem with menu length. Here's what I would do to Go To menu:
This will keep menu pretty, yet have all required folders to suit everyone's needs.

Speaking of Go To menu. Mirror browsing, Swap panels and Same folder belong to View menu, not to Go To, IMHO.

Kilmatead wrote:I'd throw out all the "My" folders (Documents/Pictures/Music/Video) nonsense as Windows is so littered with links to these folders that people actually have to work hard to avoid them (I for one never use them).

No. If x2 is a primary tool, it's very important to have this links there. Having keyboard shortcuts on this menu items make x2 an uber-productive tool.

Kilmatead wrote:There's nothing special about "My Pictures".  Usually it's just a repository for images of really ugly babies that only a parent thinks are special.  And God doesn't listen to the payers of mothers.

LOL.