v6

[nikos]

I have started work for xplorer² v6.0
The next big update will focus on looks, a GUI facelift, without altering much the basic input/output procedures in the various commands and dialogs.

The options dialog will be the only one redesigned using the property control a-la deskrule and declone settings.

Also the search dialog will be simplified, especially so the various additional rules will be editable in place again a-la deskrule rules

As for substantial features (other than appearance) I am not sure. Here is YOUR chance to recommend something you like, or something you find in competitor program and you would like to see it in xplorer² too.

Open discussion, feel free to contribute!

[Gandolf]

A couple of things I find useful, and use other file managers if I want them:

A middle toolbar between the left and right panes. I like it if I'm moving / copying items between panes. It seems logical to have the commands between the panes.

A graphical display of used / free disk space. Useful for a quick indication of which drives have space left on them.

Do these options already exist and I've missed them? I looked at Programmable column, but couldn't see anything there.

[nikos]

adding a middle toolbar isn't easy, but for drive free space you can use THISPC folder which in details mode shows the free space for each disk
I have a todo item to show free space in the drivebar, so I'll bump it up for v6

[Gandolf]

adding a middle toolbar isn't easy ...

I don't choose things that are easy for you!!

... drive free space you can use THISPC folder which in details mode shows the free space for each disk ...

"This PC" doesn't show the space graphically (as far as I can see). What I want is a horizontal bar showing the percentage of used space (as several other file managers do). Quick way to see what disks are getting full, then I can check the actual space.

... I have a todo item to show free space in the drivebar, so I'll bump it up for v6

I don't use the Drivebar. 14+ (possible) removable drives - takes up too much space.

[Manyx]

I have a little list, but two wish are very important for me:

- Wish 1: When a folder is highlighted + bold in the tree, the panel next to it should display the contents of that folder.
If you want to highlight another folder, like currently the folder I moved a file into, you need to provide another type of highlighting.

- Wish 2: When I clic on a folder in the tree and see the content in the panel to its right:
F7, "details", "thumbnails", CTRL+A, keyboard shortcuts for sorting by column: I wish those are working functions, not only F8


Some other wishes:

- Wish 3: When the background is a dark colour, the selected folder is not black, and the highlight color is a clear colour.

- Wish 4: In the tree, I click on the arrow, it expand the tree. If I click on the folder, it shows the files in the files panel.
My wish is to have a way to expand AND show the files, by clicking on the arrow or the folder, with CTRL or ALT etc.

- Wish 5: If I uncheck "natural number sort", I wish to have a correct sorting, not the buging sorting from MS explorer on Windows 10 (XP was OK)

[nikos]

wish 1: press ALT+T keys to re-align the tree with the active folder after drag-drop

wish 2 if you are in the tree, then e.g. F7 (create new file) doesn't make sense. If you need to manage files, press TAB to get into the folder pane, then CTRL+TAB to get back in the tree

I am not clear about wish 5, what has changed from XP in natural number sort?

[Manyx]

Wish 1: yes I know, but my wish is that this happens systematically and automatically

Wish 2: It make sense for me! to the point that I don't understand how anyone could think the opposite

Wish 5: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=11877 with the description of the problem and a solution, for lack of anything better.

[FrizzleFry]

One thing I've noticed in other programs is the rename dialog (Ctrl-F2 in x2) separates the base filename from the extension into separate fields. That way you can just press end and be at the end of the filename and not have to left arrow a few times to get there. Or tab over to the extension field to change it quickly.

[nikos]

xplorer2 does this for simple F2 renaming, but you must have ticked the advanced option F2 selects whole filename?

Manyx, for wish#1, the focus would have to move to the active folder, so the best I can do is do this activation for you automatically (but the tree will lose the focus anyway). Is that what you want?

[Tuxman]

What will the facelift bring us? I mean, can you share a general vision of it so we can give you feedback before it’s too late?

[nikos]

I am thinking to tart up the dialogs using more icons, and spread out the controls for more space
also redesign the options dialog using the declone settings control (searchable)
nothing drastic for the main window; I will add a crumbs bar in place of the addressbar
and likely a new message popup instead of the statusbar (if you remember the internet explorer caption bar?)

any other ideas wrt appearences?

[Tuxman]

I will add a crumbs bar in place of the addressbar

Editable, I hope.

and likely a new message popup instead of the statusbar (if you remember the internet explorer caption bar?)

Sadly, I do.

any other ideas wrt appearences?

Hmm. I know that I already do this anyway, but let me point out One Commander, which is probably best described with the adjective "modern" (but also "not always very intuitive to use"). Maybe suitable as inspiration?

[Gandolf]

... I will add a crumbs bar in place of the addressbar ...

I don't like the breadcrumbs bar in other file managers. If x²'s behaves in the same way, and there is no address bar, then I will not be happy with x².

The address bar works - why change it to something that doesn't?

[nikos]

all extra stuff will be optional

[jimspoon]

You asked for it! So I will send you some moonshots.

(1) User-Created Columns of Any Type. The user could be enable to create custom columns of any type, fill each of these columns with the appropriate data, and then search and filter the file list based on these column values.

Ideally these would be new properties in the Windows Property System so they would be accessible outside xplorer2. Diiji (may he rest in peace) has already provided a mechanism for doing this with his CustomWindowsProperties program. (https://github.com/Dijji/CustomWindowsProperties). The new properties are bundled into "profiles", and the profiles are associated with files on a per-extension basis using the File Meta Association Editor (https://github.com/Dijji/FileMeta/wiki/ ... on-Manager). Any existing property handlers for those extensions are "extended" to include those properties using the File Meta property handler. The custom property values are stored in a File Meta alternate data stream. These programs are pretty rudimentary in terms of the graphical interface (e.g. the windows can't even be resized as needed). Of course this is just one way of accomplishing the end result. The mechanism for creating and using custom properties wouldn't necessarily have to be Windows Property System properties. But then again it would be great to access these properties from other programs, and see below about this.

Of course user-created columns would be much more useful if there is the ability not only to find and display the values in these columns, but also to fill and edit those values. This can be done in Windows File Explorer by highlighting the desired files, and then editing the value in the Details pane. It would be even better if this could be done in the file pane columns themselves.

As a side note, if the user could create and populate custom columns freely, I think it would greatly reduce the need to use things like duplicate files, hard links, and long long file names that include things that are better put into custom columns.

(2) David Carpenter the Author of Voidtools Everything has enabled Everything to access the metadata added in several file managers like Dopus, Total Commander, and xyplorer. I think he dealt directly with the authors of those programs to be able to decode the ADF data produced by those programs. For example, David specifically added the ability to search the "OpusMetaInformation" ADS (https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtop ... ate#p37725). It would be great if the same thing were one with xplorer2 metadata. I greatly prefer xplorer2 to any of those file managers.

(3) Integrate with Everything to speed up all searches, dialogs etc. Total Commander and Dopus do this now and perhaps others. If I remember right I think xplorer2 may be using the Windows Search index for this purpose.

(4) How about in the files panels, enable "collapsible files"? A little plus sign would appear next to listed files. And if you clicked the plus sign to expand it, below it would appear an indented list of related filenames -- "hard links" - other full pathnames hardlinked to the same MFT base file record segment, symbolic links (don't now if that's possible), and alternate data streams for that file. So - even within a pane displaying the contents of a single folder, you could tell if you need to create a link elsewhere in the file system, or if it already exists. And the primary file could be right-clicked to quickly create a new hardlink, with Everything used to specify a destination folder and name for the new hard link. As for alternate data streams, I know of one file manager than optionally lists Alternate Data Streams together with the primary streams in the same file listing. It's simply called Files (https://github.com/files-community/Files). It would be great if there were a mechanism not only to view but also edit the ADS, perhaps with Editor2. (Oddly enough, one of the best managers I've found for viewing ADS and their data is the 7-Zip filemanager, 7zfm.) Even some of the above would definitely be a huge Home Run implemented no where else.

(5) Support for Paths > 256 characters. I see this in Everything and Dopus for sure, and it's probably in other file manager programs.

I guess I've put enough moonshots into this post for now!