Saving a work environment (combination of tabs)

[soonerlater]

Is there a way to save a combination of tabs?

I am a construction project manager. At any time, I have 3 to 6 active projects for which I am responsible. For a single project, I like to have tabs for (1) drawings and plans, (2) specifications, (3) submittals, and more. xPlorer2 gets pretty congested when I have more than half dozen or so tabs open. Is there a way that I can open the tabs that I want for one project and save that as a work environment, then do the same for each of my other active projects, so that I can switch from project to project and always have open only the tabs that I need for that project?

I used bookmarks, but they just save one location. I've played with "save layouts" but that has nothing to with the paths or tabs to be opened. I've searched for something else which might help with the above, but can't find anything. But since xPlorer2 is a Swiss Army Knife with 999 blades and tools, I'm sure that what I want is there if I just knew where to look.

[Kilmatead]

Use the slightly-misnomered command Customise -> Folder Groups -> Add Current to save groups of tabs, and to recall them by name via the same submenu at any time.

See page 242 of the (slightly outdated yet still relevant) PDF Manual for more details.

Also, if you launch x2 as separate instances, they may also be recalled by name from the command-line, so you can have (for example) desktop shortcuts for multiple sets (1 for each pane), etc. Naturally, that takes a bit of getting used to, but playing in the muck is as fun for grown-ups as it is for the young.

xplorer2.exe /P "group1" "group2"

Naturally, the names may be whatever you chose earlier when saving.

[FrizzleFry]

you can use layouts to save tabs/folders but you do not want to launch them from the Window menu (or layout toolbar icon) because then the active folder in the current x2 window will be opened in the new window... what you need to do is create a user command or another shortcut which runs x2 like this

<full path to x2> /S:layoutname

that will open an x2 windows with the tabs/folders saved in the layout

of course using folder groups works as well... a convenient way is to create a user command or shortcut like this

<full path to x2> <left/top folder group> <right/bottom folder group>

I use both methods to launch different x2 environments... I have them configured in a Menu++ menu.

[soonerlater]

Use the slightly-misnomered command Customise -> Folder Groups -> Add Current to save groups of tabs, and to recall them by name via the same submenu at any time.

See page 242 of the (slightly outdated yet still relevant) PDF Manual for more details.

Also, if you launch x2 as separate instances, they may also be recalled by name from the command-line, so you can have (for example) desktop shortcuts for multiple sets (1 for each pane), etc. Naturally, that takes a bit of getting used to, but playing in the muck is as fun for grown-ups as it is for the young.

xplorer2.exe /P "group1" "group2"

Naturally, the names may be whatever you chose earlier when saving.

That's wonderful. This will save me a kajillion keystrokes a year.

[soonerlater]

you can use layouts to save tabs/folders but you do not want to launch them from the Window menu (or layout toolbar icon) because then the active folder in the current x2 window will be opened in the new window... what you need to do is create a user command or another shortcut which runs x2 like this

<full path to x2> /S:layoutname

that will open an x2 windows with the tabs/folders saved in the layout

of course using folder groups works as well... a convenient way is to create a user command or shortcut like this

<full path to x2> <left/top folder group> <right/bottom folder group>

I use both methods to launch different x2 environments... I have them configured in a Menu++ menu.

Thank you. I look forward to playing with this.

[soonerlater]

I have written a simple batch file as follows:

Code: Select all

"C:\Program Files\zabkat\xplorer2\xplorer2_64.exe" /P AG_Equipment

It works successfully to launch a new instance of xPlorer2 open to my chosen "folder group" (in this instance, to the folder group called "AG_Equipment"). It works, but it's not very elegant. (1) the CMD prompt never goes away after executing the batch file and (2) xPlorer2 does not launch full screen. I've looked through the online PDF manual, but can't figure out to fix these two problems.

[otlaolap]

The following bat file

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START /MAX E:\OURTOO~1\EXPLOR~1\XPLORE~1.EXE
EXIT

for me starts X2 in fullscreen mode and the bat disappears. The bat makes the briefest of flashes (with the aid of a suitably customized link to the bat file and a vbs script that executes that link the brief flash can be made to go away). Note that I had to use the 8.3 format name for the X2 executable. On my Win7 64-bit system I have never ever been able to get the START command to run a program whose name is enclosed in quote marks (the START command takes it as the title for the window even though the START command help shows that only the first positional parameter given to START is a windows title).

[Kilmatead]

I have never ever been able to get the START command to run a program whose name is enclosed in quote marks...

For what it's worth, that's why you'd use this syntax instead...

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START "" /MAX /B "C:\Program Files\Xplorer2\xplorer2_64.exe" /P

Where the "" is simply ignored (but pacifies the title-requirement and allows subsequent arguments to be full-paths in lieu of 8.3), and the /B automatically closes the CMD window without needing EXIT.

[FrizzleFry]

why use a batch file instead of a shortcut, to launch from desktop or taskbar, or a user command, to launch from within x2?

[otlaolap]

For what it's worth, that's why you'd use this syntax instead...

Ouch. Outstanding. Thanks (yet again).