v6

[GuyVERLINDEN]

I would especially like three things in a new version:
1) The ability to keep the filter active when you leave the subdirectory that was filtered, so that when you go up in the directory and then down in another subdirectory, you don’t have to activate the filter again (unless I’m wrong, nowadays the filterstring stays visible, but one has to “enter” again to activate it)
2) I would like very much the ability to sort of "block" one pane, limit the possibilities in it, making that you can COPY from the left to the right pane, but not (eg accidently) MOVE from left to right (or delete in the left pane)
(when I’m preparing a project, I copy a lot of files to a given projectdirectory, and I’m always fearing that I would accidently move a file instead of copying it)
I’ve searched other solutions, but changing the permissions goes to far for me
3) More flexibility to add custom buttons: unless I’m wrong, now it is not possible to add a custom button to go eg to the directory MyComputer or Downloads?

Furthermore, less important, and perhaps even impossible, but I take my chance, I feel free to contribute: I would like:
4) The possibility to add a bookmark (or a button) to jump in xplorere2 to my mobile phone when I’ve connected this (but perhaps it always has another IP-adress?)
5) The possibility to compare two photos (so, therefore is needed a preview window in the left pane, and a second preview in the right pane)
6) The possibility to “mute” (toggle, not changing each click on a next file) not only the sound but also the video in the preview window (when the preview window is active but another video-player is active too, you sometimes get two players playing together – or worse: not together
7) An automated way to make a “comment file” (notepad) with explications about a specific photo file (so that you find immediately after the “commented” file in the directory); or alternatively: possibility to add custom exif-data and mark/search for them
Perhaps it’s useful that the pane changes of backgroundcolour when it’s filtered (instead of, or in addition to, the actual warning) or blocked (see 2 above)

9) I also want to report one problem I often encounter: when scrolling through a directory with photos and movie-files, when I’ve passed a movie, the next photo is not shown, the preview windows show a lot of asci-code, and I have to toggle from native to draft and back again to have the preview of the next photo.

10) I would like More colours tags

11) I find, indeed, the idea of a middle toolbar very logic and very useful

[nikos]

Hi Guy and thanks for your feedback
many of the things you ask for are already in xplorer2:

1) instead of the quickfilter box which is indeed temporary, setup a permanent filter (eg wildcard) in a number of ways:
www.zabkat.com/x2h_2b.htm#br_vf

3) use the miniscrap or the quick access list to add folder shortcuts. If you need toolbar buttons, you can add them as macros

5) you can see previews side by side using <Alt+Shift+Q>, see here for more info
www.zabkat.com/x2h_2a.htm#br_peek

8 ) use TOOLS > ADVANCED OPTIONS menu and search for "filtered panel..." and define your background color for filtered folders
have you noticed the little green funnel icon on the statusbar when you have a filter on?

9) do you have TEXT ONLY option enabled in draft preview per chance? Right click in the previewer and see if the menu is ticked

10) for more tag colors see here www.zabkat.com/blog/add-tag-colors-registry.htm


Now to your other ideas:

2) locking a panel is an interesting idea. I might combine it with locked tabs to disable changes in a locked folder
Can you tell me exactly how you are worried that you will move instead of copy? If you are using drag-drop you can drag with the right mouse button.

4) mobile phones always change their paths, so it isn't possible to set bookmarks on them. You need to open THISPC and choose your phone
you could do this with a simple macro

Code: Select all

COMMAND 32877 # thispc
waitidle
getfocus
select iPHONE # replace with your phone name
COMMAND 32777 # browse

6) how about closing the previewer pane instead of "mute"? YOu can quickly turn the pane on/off with CTRL+Q keys

7) I don't understand how can this be done automatically. Have you considered adding comments in the file per se?

[GuyVERLINDEN]

3) 5) 8 ) 10) Waw! xplorer2 is still more fantastic than i tought it was!
9) do you have TEXT ONLY option enabled in draft preview per chance? no, it isn't ticked
4) i thought/feared so
6) ok
7) i didn't know this, i'll give it a try

2) locking a panel is an interesting idea. I might combine it with locked tabs to disable changes in a locked folder
Can you tell me exactly how you are worried that you will move instead of copy? If you are using drag-drop you can drag with the right mouse button.
Of course I can use that.
But I want to protect myself against an error

1) probably i'm behaving very stupid, but the wildcard doesn't work for me, i'll sent you by mail an example

[nikos]

for #6 the embedded media player already has a "mute" button, so you can use that!

[Manyx]

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?

I'm not sure I understand correctly. My wish is that the bold folder in the tree is the one that contains the files in the panel, even if I move a file from that folder to another folder.

[pj]

Does "Sticky selection" not do what you want?

Sticky selection loses previous selections if "click-to-select" is followed by "shift-click-to-select" to add a list of files between the last selection and the current selection. If you include ctrl key when clicking the shift-click the previous selection is maintained. However, it's very easy to forget about that ctrl key requirement, and impossible to recover the selection list after losing it by accident.

That doesn't appear to happen with applications when selection boxes are available.

If this defect is corrected in sticky selection mode, then the boxes become superfluous.

--------------------------------
PJ in FL

[nikos]

last time I checked combining shift with sticky selection was a big headache... it might be simple to add checkboxes

[johngalt]

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!

Any chance for a mockup on the facelifts you're considering?

Not going to lie, I split time between X² and another FM, One Commander. The simplicity of the look of OC, plus some of its advanced features, have made it the strongest contender against X² for daily use, and I find myself using both almost equally these days.

And that includes Windows 11's new multipane Explorer (installed by default), as well as the Files project.

[nikos]

It won't be a radical facelift, it won't end up looking like 1 commander
what kind of "advanced features" did you find in in? To me it looks like a browser rather than a manager

[johngalt]

I'll send you an email with screenshots.

[Quin]

A few things I'd really like to see:
1. The advanced settings editor to become accessible (I already posted a topic about this one). It seems that Xplorer2 has so many options that I didn't know about (e.g. select whole filename with F2), just because the advanced settings editor isn't accessible. I know many other blind users of Xplorer2, it would be great to see that fixed.
2. Seconding the suggestion about check boxes in the list. Shift selection can be interesting.
3. There's a bug where, very often, when running an executable, Xplorer2 runs it from the wrong working directory. This causes problems for any program that tries to write files to the current directory relatively, and has lead to confusion on many occasions. The way to fix it is to backspace out of the folder and then go back into it.

[nikos]

Hi Quin and thanks for your feedback

the external settings editor unfortunately cannot be made accessible because I don't have the source code for it. However I am redesigning the settings dialog for v6 into something similar to this external tool, and it is already accessible! I am going to move as many settings as possible from the external to the internal dialog

I am considering adding checkboxes, although it looks like a lot of work!

finally I don't know why you have problems with current directory... do you have the latest version 5.5?
there is a very old and defunct option called "Don't lock browsed folder" in TOOLS > OPTIONS menu, then Advanced property page
do you have it ticked?

[Quin]

Hi, and thanks for your reply!

the external settings editor unfortunately cannot be made accessible because I don't have the source code for it. However I am redesigning the settings dialog for v6 into something similar to this external tool, and it is already accessible! I am going to move as many settings as possible from the external to the internal dialog

Oh, awesome! Super glad to hear it! Although, now my nerdy side is curious what was done to make that settings editor the way it is, I've seen a few other programs do it and I've been trying to figure out what causes it

I am considering adding checkboxes, although it looks like a lot of work!

Makes sense. Certainly something I'll be hoping for though

finally I don't know why you have problems with current directory... do you have the latest version 5.5?
there is a very old and defunct option called "Don't lock browsed folder" in TOOLS > OPTIONS menu, then Advanced property page
do you have it ticked?

Yes, I have xplorer² - Ultimate x64 5.5.0.1 ULT x64 1/24/2024
I've seen it happen to many users, not just myself.
The only options I have in the advanced property page are:

Status bar panes grouping
Show total folder size check box not checked Alt+s
Show disk free space check box checked Alt+f
Show active item information check box checked Alt+a
Show item index check box not checked Alt+i
Folder tabs on top check box not checked Alt+t
Highlight active pane's titlebar as in 2xExplorer check box not checked Alt+h
Natural number sort (XP or later) check box not checked Alt+n
Calculate subfolders size automatically check box checked Alt+c
Extract custom icon overlays (e.g. for CVS) check box checked Alt+o
Explorer-style path autocompletion in addressbar check box checked Alt+e
User friendly date column information check box not checked Alt+u
Close old window after cloning a new layout check box not checked Alt+w
Show column header for all view styles (Vista or later) check box not checked Alt+v
Automatically resize Name column in detailed view check box not checked Alt+m
Preserve modified date when setting file comments etc check box checked Alt+p
Faster network access with plain icons etc check box checked Alt+k
In-place edit of file properties in detailed view mode check box checked Alt+r
folder options button Alt+d
undo explorer replacement button Alt+x

[Quin]

Apologies for double posting, but I just thought of another feature that would be great to see in 6.00:
The ability to change how the title bar displays. For example, my screen reader always says xplorer² - code @ C:\ # [Desktop] column 2 2 of 9. I much prefer the way Windows explorer would say it, code column 2 2 of 9. The way it currently works makes me have to wait for "xplorer²" to be spoken before I know what folder I'm focused on. Not to mention that if I have duelpane on, it has to say the full path, along side the program name.

[FrizzleFry]

The don't lock browsed folder checkbox is located between
Natural number sort
and
Calculate subfolders size automatically

but it is greyed out in x2 5.5.0.1

How are you running the executables?
double-click or pressing enter
from address bar
from toolbar button

What you are describing sounds like having don't lock browsed folder enabled.