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Finally perfected my download commenter after only 8 years
patteo:
I am also a serial downloader and often I find myself trying to figure what is a particular file doing in my download folder.
After a long search, I thought I found the perfect solution in
http://www.filenotes.com/
What was unique about this Filenotes was that it did not matter where I subsequently moved the files to because the comments would follow the file.
Besides, even if I use another file manager such as Directory Opus or even the venerable Norton Commander, the comments would follow.
It achieved this through the use of a 3rd party software component. But this turned out to be the achilles heel as well, as it would also inexplicably cause my Laptop to have a Blue Screen of Death.
Moving the comments with the file is so important since I needed to be able to subsequently empty out my cluttered Download folder.
So I finally settled on using the Descript.ion system which is supported by Directory Opus - because it moves with the file - It's actually part of the file.
I noticed that if I add a comment with Tipoff and the file is moved to another directory, the file comments does not move along with the file and hence "lost".
MilesAhead:
First, thanks for trying my utility. Now to address why things don't work as well as I think they should. :)
In the Readme it details that the data file is made in each folder. The trick is to copy the folder as a unit or make a TreePad file from the comments to date, then delete the comment file. Possibly importing the generated TreePad file into some system-wide TreePad data file if that's what you want.
In the old incarnation, CommentConfig, I had 2 more shell extensions that you could use to copy or move the file to another folder via context menu or drag & drop. The destination key would be added to the central data file and the comment copied. The comment would seem to move with the file. A weakness of this system is that you have one central data file. Every time you hover the mouse to get the tooltip, it loads the entire data file. If you do a lot of comments, that's some bogging down of the shell(which isn't all that stable to begin with.) Also you fall into the trap of drive letter reassignment. If you try to copy across a network or make another partition that changes the drive letter assignment, or move your commented files to another machine altogether, stuff breaks. And, since Windows file paths are not case sensitive, Windows isn't very picky about getting it right(do a search on an existing folder named MyFolder using the string myfolder and chances are stuff will come up named "myfolder" so now if you have the entire file path as the key you need to do case conversion on every entry during the search, slowing things down even more.) That's why I say ideally the FS should handle it.
One of the reasons I put the button to convert to TreePad format was as an escape from this dilemma. You can convert to TreePad and break the dependence on the key/search mechanism. The Tooltip should really be used as a stopgap convenience. Or if you prefer the Tooltip mechanism, do one to one folder backup. Merging, even if you concatenated the comment data files, would end up with something overwritten. If all files of the same name had identical comments then it wouldn't matter. As the Tooltip search is going on all the entries in the local data file are sucked into a Map that doesn't allow duplicates, as a filter to avoid repeat entries. But if MyFile has one comment in one folder and a different comment in another.. well you see what I mean.
After messing with this since 2001 I came to the conclusion it's much cleaner to have a data file in each folder. Trying to monitor file operations to intercept stuff would slow things down too much. I don't think there's a practical way to implement merging or moving files and carrying the comment. The FS is really the only thing that should have the ability to store annotations as part of the file. The alternative would be just to make a database like with your DVD collection.
After a long time of messing with this I'm sorry to say I don't think there's really a good way to do it in Windows. Maybe if I had VMS file system to work with I could use some RMS or other mechanism that's available to write something smooth. As it is, the utility is a hack. But within its limitations I hope it may be a hack that's fun to use for the small convenience it can provide.
rjbull:
I am also a serial downloader and often I find myself trying to figure what is a particular file doing in my download folder.
-patteo (February 13, 2009, 10:22 PM)
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I know that feeling! :D
So I finally settled on using the Descript.ion system which is supported by Directory Opus - because it moves with the file - It's actually part of the file.
--- End quote ---
I don't think it's part of the file - DESCRIPT.ION is a separate file in itself, but intelligent file managers understand it and can copy the relevant line. Total Commander does this too. I just wish DonL had made XYPlorer's system to match ;)
I still have to have the self-discipline, and time, to actually add a description... :(
MilesAhead:
I don't think it's part of the file
...
-rjbull (February 14, 2009, 05:09 PM)
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Right. Programs like WinZip could let you add a comment to the zip file because the zip file is just a container. When you check the CRC WinZip can tell you the CRC of the contained file or files, and serve you up the comment because it just stores the comment in the zip file. If you alter the file itself then you change the checksum, and that's not a good idea for downloads.
The unfortunate thing in the whole business is the drive letter thing. I'm thinking in the future there will be a Windows where old apps that use a drive letter will automatically be installed in a particular place and the OS or FS will simulate the antiquated FS for it.
Until they get with having a unique identifier for every storage medium and letting the subsystem in the computer handle it(the user should be able to assign a user-frienly alias that is not already in use) then we'll continue with this mess. A database of app locations and settings like the Registry or whatever, should use the alias or some variable to reference the logical volume location of the program and all its stuff. Then if you move everything to another partition it just changes the entry in the lookup table. Something like that. FS and OS engineers would have to come up with the details but I bet it's already been solved on mini-computers someplace. :)
DonL:
I still have to have the self-discipline, and time, to actually add a description... :(
-rjbull (February 14, 2009, 05:09 PM)
--- End quote ---
The latest XYplorer (BETA) gives you a way to select a description from a user-created (unlimited) set of ready-to-use descriptions. Spares you the typing... ;)
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