Messages

201

Find And Run Robot / Re: FARR v2.00.01 ALPHA PREVIEW Release

« on: December 22, 2006, 04:32 AM »

Actually, i just tried, and that doesn't happen with removable drives! (if the drive isn't there, the file from the history isn't displayed)
So... No problems

-jgpaiva (December 21, 2006, 08:37 PM)

I just checked that and you're right. The default list always only shows valid files, which is good. What's more, CD/DVD drives work OK so long as you keep a disc (any old disc will do) in place after you've picked one file.  If you pick a file from one CD and then pop the CD and put another in, the file disappears from the list. It comes back when the right CD is inserted.

It would be nice, though, if that message box were caught so that an empty drive behavíed the same as a removed drive.

202

Find And Run Robot / Re: FARR v2.00.01 ALPHA PREVIEW Release

« on: December 21, 2006, 01:25 PM »

You guys have already covered most of what I was going to suggest. 

Two minor points:
1
Drag and drop onto the Search Folders pane doesn't work (it didn't in the last version 1 either) but that's now almost redundant. How about allowing d&d directly onto the search window so you can quickly apply F&RR to a file/folder in the file manager?
2
It's great to be able to search removeable drives, but if you erect a CD after selecting a file or folder, you get a "missing disc" error box.
Click Cancel and you can continue - the entry disappears from the displayed list - but it happens again the next time you use F&RR. Open more CD files and you find that if you remove the disc you will have to press Cancel once for every one you opened!

The only way to get out is to edit the history list to remove the now invalid entries.

Apart from that...

203

General Software Discussion / Wanted: Advice on Nlite'ing Windows

« on: December 19, 2006, 06:07 AM »

I installed Linux on the hard drive of my old computer and brought it across to this one, thinkig I would experiment with it now and again. But most of the programs I love are only in Windows, so I never have.

So now the plan is to use the extra drive to sort out a really lean and Linuxy installation of XP and try to keep it that way.

Main programs:

• Browser/Email: Opera, with Firefox 2 for Operaphobic sites
  
• Office Suite: OpenOffice
  
• PDF reader: Foxit Reader
  
• Image Browser: Picasa
  
• Editor: NoteTab
  
• File Manager: DOpus
  
• Shell/Launcher: BBLean, F&RR
  

Its a fairly basic setup - single user, broadband, no network. I'm looking for advice on what to partioining to use, and a maintenance system that will keep it from getting all messy again.

204

General Software Discussion / Re: Juggle Saver

« on: December 19, 2006, 04:27 AM »

For a juggling simulation Opera widget (other versions too), see: http://jugglemaster.net/?page=main

205

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: collect files in a virtual folder

« on: December 13, 2006, 05:54 AM »

Directory Opus Supports Virtual folders under the name "File Collections". 

-springro (December 12, 2006, 09:20 AM)

DOpus certainly looks good, but I think what we were wanting was something that sits outside the filemanager.

I guess it begs the question though, if DOpus has replaced Explorer (which it can, right?  ) does that mean that its File Collections are outside of the filemanager (because it's become the Explorer)??

- Perry

-Perry Mowbray (December 13, 2006, 04:17 AM)

Yes, but not in a useful way.    The only way you can see what is in a collection is to open it in DOpus, where it looks just like any other folder. Outside, it doesn't.

For example, I run bbLean as a shell, so I don't actually see anything on the desktop. All the files and folders are in a Desktop menu, and I can navigate anywhere from there (the shell context menu works too). That's great because I can tear off a menu at any point and leave it open if I want to return there without going down the tree again.

DOpus can put a 'shortcut' to the file collections on the Desktop, so that automatically appears in the menu, but it doesn't allow you to navigate down to a particular collection - all it does is open DOpus. You can't get a shortcut to an individual collection either

If what's needed is it be able to tag a group of files so that they can
be found as a group, then maybe it would be nice to have a way to quickly add them to a group in FaRR? If grabbing an open web page got URL|Title, then FaRR would also make a nice portable bookmark manager!






 

206

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: collect files in a virtual folder

« on: December 08, 2006, 08:32 AM »

Pikybasket will certainly do the job (if it's just a list of files type job) for a single folder.

-Perry Mowbray (December 08, 2006, 06:41 AM)

My mistake. I thought "Copy Paths to Clipboard" meant the files that were in the basket, not those that are currently selected 

I'm thinking a group of folders (aka your music.box type folders) and a group of SendTo entries (ie to those folders) would fit the bill?? That would get shortcuts into your "virtual folders", but then it depends what you wanted to do with them?

I have a shortcut in the Send To folder pointing to that folder and called "Set as Destination" so I can create a new destination quickly (create a shortcut and send it there).

It's also a way of making quick backup copies of files and folders, bocause if you select anything other than a shortcut, the whole thing gets copied. The behaviour you require is:

 "create a shortcut for everthing selected if it's not already a shortcut, then move the shortcut to the destination."

It's not quite a virtual folder. Opus 8 has these - it calls them "File Collections." A file collection is not just a collection of links to files - it is a collection of valid links. Add a file to a collection and then move its location -the link is deleted.

207

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: collect files in a virtual folder

« on: December 08, 2006, 05:11 AM »

Pikybasket does the job of collecting fitepaths and appending them to the clipboard, using a shell context menu option. Can they Just be pasted from there into the queue wimdow of D&DR?

More generally, is there a simple utility to write clipboard contents to a file, or append them? I'm thinking it should be possible to map a file type to some of the more common clipbord formats, and give a choice if it is available.

208

Find And Run Robot / Re: Bug: Number keys always trigger a choice

« on: November 30, 2006, 08:07 AM »

SO That's it! Thanks 

209

Find And Run Robot / Bug: Number keys always trigger a choice

« on: November 30, 2006, 07:56 AM »

v1.13.02
Standard keyboard. using XP regional settings for UK and US Dvorak

If a number key is pressed when a corresponding choice is displayed, then that choice is launched, otherwise the key press in ignored.

That means it is impossible to find files with a number in them, or to have one as part of the argument to an alias.

What use is Calc without numbers?

210

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Drag and Drop saving

« on: November 27, 2006, 03:01 PM »

many of us get mad at the save dialog not starting out where we want it.

for me, the best solution is a dialog box extender.  See our recent review here:

https://www.donation...Extenders/index.html

-mouser (November 25, 2006, 03:07 PM)

I noticed that just after I posted. 

Thinking about it some more, that's not what I actually need.

I think there is a useful distinction to be drawn between working directories and storage directories. A working directory has access to all the tools you need for a particular task, any document in that area that you are currently working on and, ideally, nothing else.  A workbench rather than a cabinet.

I only need to create files in a working directory, and every time I save one, it will be saved in the same directory until I am finished working on it and file it away elsewhere.

Hmm... The open/save dialog only annoys when you're dealing with files that haven't been located yet.  Put a resource file in your working directory, open it (and therefore the associated program) change and save - no problem. Just like ROX, but the drag and drop happens before you open, not after you save.

Could a FARR alias find a file, copy it to a working directory and launch it from there?

211

Post New Requests Here / IDEA: Drag and Drop saving

« on: November 25, 2006, 03:04 PM »

I rarely the Open File option in programs; I just open files by clicking on them or dragging them onto the application window. I just wish Save As was as simple. each time I do this, the program seems to offer to save in a different obscure directory that I may or may not have used before. 

I WANT to either be able to specify in advance where to save all files- the directory in which I am currently working, or else just automatically save everything in the same out-tray and let me use a proper two-pane file manager to sort out where it needs to go later. (Does this connect to the Desktop Teleporter?)

ROX has the right idea: http://rox.sourceforge.net/desktop/about_rox

For example, imagine that you're producing a report. All the resources you're using are in /home/fred/Work/July/Report. You create images in one program, graphs in another, and write the text in a third program. Every time you want to save you have to renavigate to the directory using that program's mini-filer (each one is slightly different, of course). This is annoying! With DND saving you could just keep the directory open and drag files into it from each application. This has the additional advantage that after you've saved an image from the Gimp you already have the directory open ready to drag the image straight into Lyx. Assuming that both programs supported DND.

But that is a unix filer. Any ideas of how to get the same effect in XP?

212

Find And Run Robot / Re: keyword to search in specific area

« on: November 21, 2006, 12:35 PM »

would it be possible to have farr search withing a specific area of the hard drive that it isn't normally set to do by typing in a quick keyword (or specific path).

....

other quick keyword search locations would be set by the user for whatever they though appropriate 'music', 'videos', 'program files, etc. etc.
....
i appreciate that there would have to be another element for the trigger to work so that it isn't confused with a more basic search action - like simple searching for a file named 'mydocs' that is in the start menu.
 

-nudone (October 27, 2006, 02:30 AM)

Why not use \ , since it cannot be in a filename? 

\ starts FRR searching for directories rather than files (how much faster would that be?) and when one is selected, restricts further search to its contents?

I don't know - I don't want it to have to index the whole file system, just in case, but it would be nice to be able to make a working directory visible or invisible on the fly.

The program says I can drag and drop folders from the file manager onto the "search folders" pane, but it doesn't work! 

I've tried putting shortcuts to folders on the desktop, but that doesn't work either.

BTW, you can't select files those names start with a number, for obvious reasons