HalfShell 2.4.0.1

[MilesAhead]

Available on this page:
http://www.favessoft.com/hotkeys.html


HalfShell 2.0.0.0 I've updated HalfShell so that you may use it with 3rd party file managers that accept command line params for folders to open on startup.  Seems Windows64 is erratic when it comes to the "32 bitness" of Explorer in the SysWow64 directory.  You can see some info about the issue here:

https://www.donation...ex.php?topic=21521.0

To work around that, you may specify a file manager to use instead.
FreeCommander is an example of the type of app I'm talking about,
but any similar program that will let you specify folders to open on
the command line should work.

Basically the strategy is, if you don't set any 3rd party file manager, if
you have a SysWow64 directory with an explorer.exe in it, it will use that.
Otherwise it will just use the default Explorer.exe.

If you specify a 3rd party file manager, it will use that.  You can check
and uncheck the option in the Tray Menu to toggle the behavior.

Now there is only one hotkey.  Shift-Enter.

If you are using the file manager or "alternative shell" option, only
the first 2 folders pulled from the clipboard will be sent to the program.
If not, as many folders as you highlight should be opened in their
own Explorer windows.

If you use a file manager nearly all the time this utility is of little use.
But I use Explorer most of the time. I invoke a file manager usually to
use a bunch of programs I have set up in the toolbar on files in a
particular folder.  For me it's worth it to have a way to invoke it with
a particular folder or 2.

edit: just to clarify, no matter if the SysWow64 explorer.exe is 64 bit or 32 bit,
hitting the hotkey should still open the folders.  The only issue with the "32 bitness"
is that if the explorer is 32 bit, your 32 bit Shell Extensions may work.  This is the
reason you may wish to use a 32 bit file manager as the "alternative shell."

[MilesAhead]

HalfShell 2.1.0.0 Now passes up to 4 folders to alternative shell.  Q-dir will accept 4 folders on the command line.  I just tried it.  Of course command line length can be an issue.

Also there's the down side that the folders must be all in the same enclosing folder to be selected and copied to clipboard simultaneously.. unless they are in Recent Places, favorites, or some other shortcut container.  But it's just a convenience. I know with FreeCommander sometimes I want to navigate to the folder I have open in Explorer on startup.  At least with this I can go up one then hit the hotkey.

[MilesAhead]

HalfShell 2.2.0.0 For alternative shell, if the active window is a folder and nothing is selected, the alternative shell will be opened with that folder.

I know often I have a window open in Explorer but I'd like to open it quickly in FreeCommander to use the apps I have installed in the FreeCommander toolbar.  Now Shift-Enter does it.

You can use any alternative shell that takes folders to open on the command line. Another example is Q-Dir.

Edit: Also added an option to Tray Menu to play a system tone when using an Alternative Shell.  Some alternative shells may be slow loading. The tone gives an indication that the program got the hotkey.  Explorer is already in ram so the response seems instant by contrast.

[MilesAhead]

HalfShell 2.2.1.0 Added code to enable/disable the Use Tone option to stay in sync with the Use Alternative File Manager option.

[MilesAhead]

HalfShell 2.2.2.0 Extended the "nothing selected in folder" to 64 bit OS. If the active windows is an Explorer folder window, pressing Shift Enter hotkey will attempt to open it as a separate process using the Explorer in the SysWow64 folder... just in case 32 bit emulation is working for someone.

Edit: I changed the Use Tone option so that it fires independently of the Use Alternate Shell.  Since loading the explorer out of SysWow64 folder can be slow I thought it better to give feedback if the tone option is enabled.

If the tone option is enabled, and something should open to a folder, you hear the "ok" sound. If there's an error, you hear the "doink" sound.

[MilesAhead]

HalfShell 2.2.3.0 Reduced clipboard delay.  The response should be crisper now.

[MilesAhead]

HalfShell 2.2.4.0 Now sorts clipboard contents.  Previously if you had Computer open with C: and D: selected and FreeCommander as alternative shell, FreeCommander would open with D: on the left and C: on the right. Just seemed counter-intuitive.  So I do case insensitive clipboard sort before launching anything.

[MilesAhead]

HalfShell 2.3.0.0 Enhancements for users of FreeCommander v. 2009.02b.

If Use Alternative Shell mode is active and FreeCommander has been set as the Alternative Shell, HalfShell will use macros to open multiple selected folders in new tabs.

FreeCommander has layouts for your frequently used sets of folders/tabs.  But say you have an Explorer window open to C:\ and you just want to select 5 folders and have them opened in FreeCommander.  Select them and hit Shift-Enter.  As many tabs as needed will be opened and the folder name sent as a macro.  It's kludgy but it actually works pretty well.  If FreeCommander is not already running it is launched with a couple of folder names on the command line.  When it comes up, if there are still folders to open, the tabs are added.  If FreeCommander is already running the new tabs are just added to the side with the keyboard focus once the FreeCommander window is activated.

Another thing I just found out after using FreeCommander all this time:
If you have the option "always keep 1 tab open" set, then you can drag folders with the mouse and drop them on the Tab Line to have views of them opened in new tabs.

The advantage of using HalfShell is that in the above situation, if FreeCommander is not running you can still hit Shift-Enter to bring it up and open the folders in tabs.

edit: Another change when using an alternative file manager. No assumptions are made for apps other than FreeCommander.  The processing loop doesn't stop at 4.  If x files are selected they'll be appended to the command line paramaters.  It's left to the app to ignore the extras or the OS to give an error if the param string is too long.

[MilesAhead]

HalfShell 2.4.0.0 Added Shift Middle Click on Desktop to open My Computer.

Positioning is horizontally centered in Work Area.
Vertically it's a bit below the center.  A bit easier for
mouse click since the drives tend to collect near the top
of the box in Tiles View.

[MilesAhead]

HalfShell 2.4.0.1 Fixed a bug that would cause Half Shell to attempt to open FreeCommander when FC was already running.