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File Managers! Windows Explorer replacement! Come one, come all...
Armando:
JohnFredC : you seem to know TC pretty well. Can it be easily configured to replace explorer (Directory Opus can)?
-Armando (August 30, 2007, 03:50 PM)
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No, not easily but I'm quite sure you'd be able to it the same way as with Xyplorer: More details at the Xyplorer wiki.
-Dirhael (August 30, 2007, 04:02 PM)
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Thanks Dirhael. I haven't invested in any explorer replacement yet... But I'll try this method (carefully...) with the one I'll choose, eventually!
sri:
Interesting - I just tried zipping two files with DOpus in dual pane mode (vertical) and the zip file was created in the folder of origin. I looked at the zip settings in the settings dialogue and can't see anything that covers this, so don't know how I have it set up to accomplish this! I can post screenshots of the two tabs covering zip options from my setup, if you like, but that's about it. It's worth noting that my wife is still running DOpus 8 and on her setup creating a shortcut from the context menu in dual pane mode results in the shortcut being created in the source folder! That's what prompted me to speculate that its a more general setting and not zip specific. I'll take a look at her settings and post back if anything illuminating pops up...
-Darwin (August 30, 2007, 11:03 PM)
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Darwin,
I figured it out by reading the 'Getting to know Directory Opus' tutorial.
We can control where the operations (for zipping and extracting etc.) for buttons takes place by going into Advanced editing of the respective buttons.
For example, for a Extract button:
if the command is "Copy EXTRACT", then the contents get extracted by default to the destination (i.e., the opposite pane).
if the command is "Copy EXTRACT=sub HERE", then contents get extracted to a sub folder by the same name as the archive and in the same folder as the archive.
Any idea what's the equivalent of XY's Catalog in DO? i.e., I want to add (a pointer to) a file or folder and I should be able to click to go to that location in DO (followed by a press of return key to open).
How come I can add only folders to favorites? What about the files?
Darwin:
I figured it out by reading the 'Getting to know Directory Opus' tutorial.
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What? How novel... That's something that I almost always neglect to do (seriously! I'm always amazed when someone says "I solved the problem" and then explain that they read the manual, or worse, the "Quick Installation Guide", etc. because I realise too late that this is something that I haven't even thought of doing!).
Good for you and thanks for posting the solution. Interesting that the discussion is about the buttons - I have removed almost all of them from my toolbar and use the context menu. Thus when I checked into this earlier, I was using the context menu, not the buttons (which are not present on my toolbar).
Any idea what's the equivalent of XY's Catalog in DO? i.e., I want to add (a pointer to) a file or folder and I should be able to click to go to that location in DO (followed by a press of return key to open).
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Haven't used this feature of XY, but suspect that what you are after in DOpus are "File Collections" (something else I really haven't used).
As for adding individual files to the Favorites, I don't really know - I've never thought to ask that question!
JohnFredC:
File collections or "virtual" folders is an area in which SpeedCommander really excels.
SpeedCommander is dual panel commander that implements two kinds of tabbed panels: folder tabs and "file containers". The user selects which group of tabs to display from a second level (or row) of tabs that itself contains two tabs (that is: two for each file panel): "Folders" and "File Containers":
File Managers! Windows Explorer replacement! Come one, come all...
To create a "virtual folder" or File Container, one right-clicks on the "File Containers" tab and selects "New File Container". An empty panel displays. To add files and folders to your new Container, simply drag or "Copy" them from the opposite panel. The action is instantaneous, since the actual file or folder is not copied to the panel, just a reference or pointer to it.
This is so easy to do and so powerful that I am addicted. You can mix and match any files and folders in the SC file containers. I have Containers set up for various projects, various backup sets, it's wonderful. And because Containers are so well integrated into the SC panel/tab metaphor, there are no "extra steps" to display the containers and their contents. They are just file panels like any other (well, almost: naturally, you can't display a folder tree inside a File Container panel). Deleting a file or folder from a Container only deletes the reference, not the original (an important point!).
There are downsides to SC File Containers, though:
1. You cannot navigate into the folder hierarchy of a folder in an SC Container tab.
2. You cannot create new "virtual folders" in a Container to further organize the contents. (Some of the several TC virtual folder plugins support this useful function.)
3. SC Containers do not appear in the Folder Trees as they do in Dopus.
IMHO SpeedCommander has by far the best GUI of any file manager I have encountered (this includes Dopus, the runner-up). Its tab implementation is by far the best (TC's is the runner-up) and it's toolbar implementation competes with the excellent approach that Dopus uses. SC subordinates folder trees to the tabs (tree visibility is linked to the tab, NOT the panel as in Dopus and every other commander I know of). SC exposes a scripting object model within which you can script essentially anything using the built-in VBScript editor (with syntax checking!). Since SC uses VBScript, it has SC object methods, properties, conditional branching, variables, functions, the whole deal. Makes Dopus's simplistic (though useful!) button "scripts" seem quite confining, and TC's pathetic "one internal command per button and no parameters" approach positively abysmal. The latest SC beta (v12) has the best implementation of a breadcrumb bar I have encountered, etc, etc.
SC has no custom column definitions a la TC, though, cannot customize thumbnail captions and tooltips to show EXIF values (for instance) like TC, and the limited number of viewer and packer plugins available for it keep me using TC.
There is no perfect file commander.
Dirhael:
I do not feel that Speedcommander implements file collections any better than Dopus or Xyplorer, as in both of those it feels perfectly natural and easy to use as well. Total Commander doesn't do this as transparently as any of the 3 previously mentioned ones (neither does Xplorer^2), but it's by no means difficult as long as you already have the plugins installed.
I don't agree fully on the GUI either. I mean, it's pretty and very comfortable but if fails to provide me with an alternative to the dual-pane display mode. Thus, it gives me to little space to properly organize my images in thumbnail mode. It's essentially the same as TC in that regard. Can't comment on the folder trees, as I never use them in any file manager but I'm sure it does it well.
Another thing that bothers me in SC though is that the quick search forces me to hit enter twice to actually launch the results (you type what you want to find, need to hit enter to close the find box, then enter *again* to actually launch the file or enter the folder). I know it's not a big problem, but for a file manager that otherwise feels quite polished it seems sloppy to let that one slide release after release. They would do well to take a look at how Servant Salamander and Dopus handles it, as those are the ones that I feel get it just right. The fact that it is not fully translated into English isn't really a selling point for me either…
Ultimately though, what made me drop it despite the fact that I'm quite the file manager addict, is that it does not always create standard-compliant zip files (try to add/extract files from a Opera skin file, which is contained in zip files, and you'll see what I mean when you try to load them up in the browser), and a result of this was that I never quite felt that I could rely on it. I'm anticipating the release of v12 somewhat despite the fact that I might come off as a little negative towards the program, as it does hold great promise :)
By the way, Dopus allows you to use VBscript but only for renaming (so far at least).
EDIT: By the way, I absolutely *HATE* they way SC feels that it needs to remind you that you're using the trial version every…single…time…you…open…the…file…viewer! Damn nag screens should only appear when you first open the application (example to follow: Total Commander).
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