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Buzz Folders - Open/Save Dialog Box Extender ( + Free Version )

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DanJak:
Hi,
        I'm the creator of Buzz Folders. The program started out many years ago as a personal project. Like a lot of people I wanted a better solution to the traditional windows open/save boxes. I felt there had to be an alternative to browsing through folder after folder in search of files. There were a few programs out there but I envisioned something much better.
        The original version appeared in 2005. It was pretty basic but worked really well. It's been in constant development since then and has improved a great deal. The features have evolved considerably with a growing selection of performance and useability options. So read on and find out what it can do for you...

Buzz Folders

What does it do?

Buzz Folders provides quick access to recent files and folders from open/save dialog boxes.

Compatibility

XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

Key Features


* It keeps track of all the folders you open from and save to.
* A tabbed interface allows you to view folders by program and by filetype.
* Save a file in one program and get instant access to it in another
and...


* You can create a list of favourite folders for each program.
* It works with "Browse For Folder" dialogs.
* It also works with Windows Explorer and Directory Opus.
There are 4 different versions available. Click here to find out more or see how they compare.

Here's a screenshot of the Free Version:

Buzz Folders - Open/Save Dialog Box Extender ( + Free Version )
Download

Download the Free Version and get started!

Installation is easy.


"Best Open/Save Dialog Box Extenders"

The Donation Coder article Best Open/Save Dialog Box Extenders actually inspired a number of Buzz Folders features and improvements. Thinking "How can I make this better?" the article turned out to be a great resource to help me do just that. There's a list of features that were considered as "most important for a good open/save dialog extender". I took it as a fun challenge to take Buzz Folders to the level where it fulfilled all the criteria! Here's how Buzz Folders [Professional Elite] currently fares:

- Stability - has to work on modern and older dialogs, and not crash any programs; and has to reliably alter the dialogs without switching into inappropriate views. Yes.
- It should adjust folder-only browse dialogs as well. Yes.
- Needs to be able to change default mode (into details for example). Yes.
- Needs to be able to change size of dialog. Yes.
- Should be aesthetically pleasing and not overly obtrusive. Yes. The interface design is guided by function and ease of use. Everything you need is upfront and visible.
- Needs to present list of recent files and folders. Yes.
- Needs to present list of favorite folders, and user should be able to customize this list easily. Yes.
- Should be easy to add current folder to favorites. Yes.
- Ability to specify applications to ignore would be nice. Yes.
- Needs to work in some tricky cases like Microsoft Office. Confirmed as working with Office 2010 on XP and Office 2008 on Vista. Still being fine-tuned and further compatibility testing is in progress. Of course if you want to be sure Buzz Folders works with all your programs try the Free Version first.

As you can see it performs well!

Feel free to share your thoughts and ask any questions you like about the program.

Cheers,

Daniel


The Web Site: www.buzzfolders.com
Download Page: Free Version

mouser:
Welcome to the site Daniel  :Thmbsup:

tomos:
looks very nice :)

A couple queries:
1) How do you actually bring it up - does it show automatically, or do you use a shortcut, or does it add an icon to the dialogue?
2) Do I understand correctly that the Global tab shows recently accessed folders (from all apps) ?

I find the pricing system a bit top heavy - the extra options in the elite version cost another 18UK£ (making it double the cost of the next version) - to be honest I'm not even sure what some of those options are ('File list', some of the size/resizing options). Maybe some more details there might encourage some people to pay the extra.

DanJak:
Thanks for the welcome mouser.  :)

Hi tomos,  :)

To answer your questions:

1 - It shows up automatically whenever you open or save a file. It can be disabled from the tray-menu if you want to hide it temporarily.
2 - Yes, that's correct.

Thanks for your feedback about the pricing and options. I thought the various options were clearly explained but if you're unsure what they are then I obviously need to present them better. I might give each feature a page of it's own with a more thorough explanation for those who want more details. 

The File List is a very substantial feature and the price reflects that. I'll work on making the benefits clearer on the website. The File List can actually be used independently from the main program. It displays all recently opened and saved files and can be filtered by program/filename/folder/filetype. It can be used for file management and you can create custom "Copy to" and "Move to" shortcuts on the menus. The help file goes into more detail: Help - File List

Again, thanks for the insights! You've given me plenty to think about. Give the free version a go and let me know how you get on.

rjbull:
At present I use Listary (Pro version).  Its main focus is on making it easier to find files in well-populated folders by improved searching, but it supplies most of my (simple) dialogue box extender needs through its Favorite Folders feature.  A nice advantage is that it's portable.  Is there/will there be a portable version of Buzz Folders?

One irritation I used to have at work was having to keep opening then closing a series of files, in turn, in Acrobat Reader.  I would have dearly liked a dialogue box extender that remembered the last file I used, and when I opened the Open File dialogue next time, would put the cursor on the same file, or, come to think of it, optionally on the next file in sequence.  Does Buzz Folders do anything like that?

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