xplorer2 v4.2 FINAL released

[nikos]

release announcement here https://www.zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2-v42-ai.htm
please let me know of any problems or suggestions (a bit late for suggestions now )

[Tuxman]

The "artificial intelligence" made me curious. I made a fresh installation on a computer with a lot of photo files which was x²-free yet (sorry ).

Findings:

• The automatically opened website after an installation still annoys me. Could you add a checkbox for that in the installer?
• x² generally adds too many windows by default. Why is there a first start wizard which doesn't let you disable the other "don't show this again" dialogs already? (Couldn't the "How can I..." panel replace the "tip of the day" dialog anyway?)
  
  On to the new version itself:
• The German translation of the "Change file dates" feature is weird, it is translated as "change file data" which might be correct - grammatically - but misleading. At least the status info text displays a more useful translation.

• If you right click on the xplorer² taskbar icon, you will see a list of the 10 most frequently used folders.

  In theory, yes. Interestingly, they only seem to be added after a restart of xplorer²: I click through the folders, randomly right-click the taskbar icon and nothing is added. Then I restart xplorer² and all my previous folders are there. Maybe this is how it should work, but I suspect that there is a missing "live update" feature...?
• I successfully tested the "OneDrive online only" feature. Seems to work as advertised. I'd guess that nextCloud's new virtual drive feature will be too much work though?
• Now the one feature for which I was curious:
  

  use Tools > Find similar photos menu command and they will be grouped by similarity.

  That menu command does not exist here. Why not?
  
  edit Ah: I have to use the normal duplicate search to get the menu for the special duplicate search! Not quite obvious, was it? (And why does it open a filter dialog then?)
  edit 2: Now that I understood how to reach the function, I wonder how it works. I copied one JPG file (Ctrl+C Ctrl+V), invoked the duplicate finder ... and neither of both are in a group. Are they too equal?

[nikos]

* taskbar jump list
this is a hack really, and as you've noticed it isn't updated "live" but only when you quit xplorer2. But over the long term, this will include your top 10 frequent folders, which won't change that frequently anyway. For complaints please talk to MS that doesn't let programs work with folders as they do for normal documents

* nextcloud
I checked the website, usual problem with "new age" websites, too much sales talk and no trace of substance, I don't even know what they are selling other "general business happiness"

* similar pictures command
to test this feature, don't create artificial scenaria with duplicated photos, try it on your mobile phone picture folder and see where you get (I think you must put pics in your hard disk first).

the feature relies on consecutive filenames P001, P002 etc like they are created automatically. Alternatively you can use the file date, which again implies pictures that were shot around the same time. See the help file for more information. I will write a blog post about photo cleanup that will explain things better. If you want to do exact duplicate picture detections, the older duplicates file checker is enough. The new feature is about pictures that were shot round about the same time, e.g. 10 shots of the same scene with slightly changed angle.

[pschroeter]

I would mention I spent a few minutes looking for the new Find similar under Tools, before I realized it ONLY shows up in a scrap pain. I don’t understand why it can’t work in the current folder.

Since you seem to be adding photo tools I want to suggest again I would really like something like the newish Detailed thumbs view, only with the name and details below each photo in a grid. This is how most photo organizers like Digikam work.

I would also like to be able to dynamically adjust thumbnail size with a slider in the status area.

I tried to post this yesterday but had all sorts of problem and couldn’t log in. I figure if was hiccups with the new board.

[Tuxman]

this is a hack really

What isn't?
I use file managers to open quite a number of varying folders. A more-or-less static list simply won't happen here.

I checked the website, usual problem with "new age" websites, too much sales talk and no trace of substance, I don't even know what they are selling other "general business happiness"

You could learn from them! - Yes, they are typical open source priests, but I was wondering...
AFAICS, they mount the "virtual drive" through FUSE/Dokan. Not sure about the API.

to test this feature, don't create artificial scenaria with duplicated photos, try it on your mobile phone picture folder and see where you get (I think you must put pics in your hard disk first).

One would think that a feature like this would be great to find accidental copies of a photo ... one was wrong, it seems.

the feature relies on consecutive filenames P001, P002 etc like they are created automatically.

Uhm, ok - that's not quite intelligent then. At least it works for not-quite-identical photos.

scrap pain

[nikos]

I don’t understand why it can’t work in the current folder.

files in scraps are more general, you can put many folders simultaneously. The easiest way would be to use FILE > BROWSE FLAT menu command on the folder you want examined

that's not quite intelligent then. At least it works for not-quite-identical photos.

checking every photo against every other one is possible but it will take ages and it is worthless, as for 2 photos to be similar they must have been shot in close time proximity

[pschroeter]

scrap pain

[/quote]

It's Revenge of the Homonyms!