Per-folder view recollection

MegaZapFan · Post by **MegaZapFan** » 2005 Feb 07, 02:44

As with Windows Explorer, I think it would be a really nice enhancement to have X2 retain the view for each folder. For example, let's say you have a folder of JPG files you want thumbnails for, and another folder of .cpp and .h files for which you really don't want thumbnails, instead preferring the details view. Explorer is able to maintain each folder's view state. It'd be great if X2 could do the same.

fgagnon · Post by **fgagnon** » 2005 Feb 07, 03:05

That would be:
Actions | Folder settings | Save
(on a folder-by-folder basis)

But I didn't know windoze explorer could do this ... Is it a new with the XP version?

MegaZapFan · Post by **MegaZapFan** » 2005 Feb 07, 03:27

Thanks, that does work, although, it's a little painful. In my particular case, I have a folder with a lot of video files, which I'm guessing due to codec issues or some such causes both Explorer and X2 to crash when displaying thumbnails. Even notwithstanding the crash, the display, even on a 3.2 GHz P4 with 2GB RDRAM, is terribly slow (maybe because there are hundreds of files in that folder). In any event, rather than having to manually specify "Saving" a folder's state, it would be really nice if X2 would do so automagically, like Explorer. Explorer does this via a setting in the "View" tab of the options dialog, "Remember each folder's settings" is the option.

X2 is really on the verge of being a hands-down, no-questions-asked replacement shell, but yet there are still a few [minor] things lacking when comparing with the default shell. Granted these things may be really insignificant to some or even many, for each of us there are features the, ahem, other guy has which would be kinda neat for X2 to implement.

Mass rename is an excellent step.

Some creature comforts such as color coding would be nice.

For me personally, the intrinsic recollect of each folder's view settings is the sole remaining reason I have not completely abandoned Explorer. X2 is very close to becoming my defacto standard replacement shell... just another feature or three...

Post by **nikos** » 2005 Feb 07, 08:18

the video-related crash could be down to infotips rather than thumbnails (or does it only crash in thumbnail view?)

note that thumbnail extraction may be slow but you can nevertheless begin using the folder immediately, while waiting for the graphics to appear

to my experience, explorer's biggest flaw is stubbornly switching view types to what it thinks users would want. Although this can be the case in folders full of pictures, to the majority of folders this is a pain in the tail

MegaZapFan · Post by **MegaZapFan** » 2005 Feb 07, 10:38

Thanks for your prompt replies!

Yes, the crash occurs only in thumbnail view, with both Explorer and X2.

I agree too that many of the newer behaviors of Explorer are annoying to the advanced user. It's a real shame Microsoft has taken the attitude more and more that the average user is a complete idiot and needs to be sheltered from details, file extensions, hidden and system files, etc.