Author Topic: Problem with dragging and dropping files from FARR window into Outlook (Read 16515 times)

rkr3 · « **on:** March 19, 2016, 03:53 AM »

Been using FARR for over 10 years now...just got a new machine with Windows 10 x64.

I've installed all the standard programs, including FARR and MS Office 2010. I have kind of a unique problem which just started with FARR and Outlook 2010 -- I normally use FARR to locate files (PDFs, docs, jpegs, etc.) using the TinyEverything plugin, and then drag the file I want from the FARR window to an (already open) Outlook 2010 message (which I'm drafting for sending). This attaches a copy of the file into the message -- very convenient.

This has always worked perfectly before; however, now I find that although I drag the file (and it shows as being dragged), after I let go, the file which was supposed to attach just isn't there in the Outlook message. There's no error message or anything to indicate an error either.

This is a major problem -- this is one of the main uses of FARR for me. Could I get some input on what's happening?

Note that this is happening only with an Outlook message window. I can drag fine into Windows Explorer windows. Perhaps it's some setting in Outlook which needs to be changed?

mouser · « **Reply #1 on:** March 19, 2016, 04:40 AM »

i wonder if it could be some security setting.. either in outlook or in a resident antivirus/security app?

rkr3 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 19, 2016, 06:08 AM »

I'm thinking the same thing...but for the life of me can't figure out what!

The only things which have changed from my previous installations are I'm using McAfee Internet Security (came free with my new Dell notebook), and I'm using Windows 10. I tried disabling McAfee real time scanning, but it didn't make a difference. So clearly that isn't the problem.

I haven't changed any security settings in Outlook, either now or previously.

Stuck.

rkr3 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 19, 2016, 10:25 PM »

Any other suggestions? Help, please...this is really a major problem for me -- I'm just too dependent on FARR!

mouser · « **Reply #4 on:** March 19, 2016, 10:30 PM »

can you drag from any other program into outlook?
try dragging an image from screenshot captor thumbnail panel into outlook.

rkr3 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 19, 2016, 10:51 PM »

Yes, dragging from Windows Explorer into Outlook has no problems.

I don't have Screenshot Captor installed -- but given the above, should i install it and try?

mouser · « **Reply #6 on:** March 19, 2016, 10:53 PM »

it would be very helpful to me to hear if screenshot captor drag+drop to outlook worked.

rkr3 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 19, 2016, 11:15 PM »

Sure...will do and get back to you in 15 min!

rkr3 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2016, 11:34 PM »

Sorry about the delay...little difficult figuring out the text in the program on a 4K creen!

So here are the results:

Dragging from Screenshot Captor thumbnail panel to open Outlook message -- Works fine
Dragging from any Windows Explorer window to open Outlook message -- works fine
Dragging from FARR search window to open Outlook message -- does not work.

ALSO -- Dragging from FARR search window to any folder window -- works fine!

mouser · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2016, 11:44 PM »

if you use farr to find an IMAGE file (say a png), can you drag that file from farr to outlook?
if not, then it really does seem like it may be a limitation in the way farr is initiating a drag+drop, which may have worked in the past but is being ignored by the new version of outlook. very strange but i can double check how farr is delivering the dragged file.

i do have a faint memory of a drag+drop issue once that was failing because of an extra \ or / in the file path which most programs didn't object to but some did. it may be a similar problem -- if so it could be an easy fix on my end.

rkr3 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2016, 11:53 PM »

Thanks for the prompt responses!

Yes, as of now, nothing can be dragged from FARR into an open Outlook message window.
Also, I think, everything can be dragged from FARR into a windows explorer window, and everything can be dragged from an explorer window to an open Outlook message window.

Funny thing is, I seem to remember that perhaps FARR drag to Outlook message was working intermittently a while ago (i.e., immediately after setting up the new machine). Not certain, though. If so -- a possibility is that maybe one of the forced (Win 10, after all) Office updates broke this functionality?

Incidentally, I have Teracopy installed on my machine. That couldn't cause a problem, could it?

Anyway, I do hope you can help figure this out.

Waitingl... and thanks again.

mouser · « **Reply #11 on:** March 19, 2016, 11:56 PM »

Let me do some tests, and see if something jumps out at me in the way i'm doing drag+drop -- as i said i do have a faint memory of an issue that should be easy to check for.
I may email you a test version to try.

rkr3 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 20, 2016, 12:02 AM »

Great, thanks!

mouser · « **Reply #13 on:** March 20, 2016, 12:52 AM »

Question: Can i confirm that the problem happens regardless of whether you are using the TinyEv plugin to find files, or normal farr search (or in fact farr direct directory listing)?

rkr3 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 20, 2016, 02:24 AM »

It's happening on any kind of search, even a normal FARR one...it's like FARR and Outlook have developed an allergy to each other

rkr3 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 20, 2016, 06:24 AM »

I can drag a file from FARR on to the desktop, and then from the desktop into the Outlook message, but not directly from FARR into the Outlook message. Allergy!

mouser · « **Reply #16 on:** March 20, 2016, 01:07 PM »

If anyone has windows 10 and farr and outlook, it would be great to hear about whether you also have this problem.

skajfes · « **Reply #17 on:** March 20, 2016, 03:02 PM »

I noticed the same problem with Outlook when using a different app, (a file manager named FreeCommanderXE), haven't tried it with FARR. I can't be sure, but I think that Outlook is the culprit.
I've worked around it by just copy/pasting instead of drag and drop, which works fine for me.
I will test this with FARR tomorrow and report back with some more info.

[Edit]
I am using windows 10, FARR and outlook 2013

skajfes · « **Reply #18 on:** March 21, 2016, 04:53 AM »

Yes, same thing happens with FARR and outlook combination.

When I drag and drop from FARR results window to new message windows in outlook, nothing happens.
If there are existing attachments added to the message, and I try to drag and drop a file from FARR to the attachments input box, then attachment is successfully added.
Also when I copy the file in FARR results window to clipboard (right click -> shell context menu -> copy) and go to new message window and press paste, attachment is added.

On a related note: is there a keyboard shortcut to copy file to clipboard (ctrl-c copies only file name to clipboard). @mouser: can this be included in FARR at some point?

rkr3 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 21, 2016, 11:12 AM »

Whew...glad (!) to see that I'm not the only one with this problem.

It never happened before, though -- Windows 7 and Outlook 2010, no problem; Windows 8/8.1 and Outlook 2010 or 2013, no problem. It's got to be something which the combination of Windows 10 and Outlook is creating.

BTW, yes, going into the context menu after right clicking on FARR, then copying, and then pasting with CTRL-V in Outlook works. The trouble is that going into the context menu and then mousing to 'copy' is an extra and time-consuming step. A CTRL-C on the FARR window which copies the file rather than the filename would be helpful, as suggested by Skajfes -- although a working drag and drop would be miles better!

Hopefully, Mouser's genius will resolve the problem! Very difficult to work without FARR...

mouser · « **Reply #20 on:** March 21, 2016, 12:06 PM »

On a related note: is there a keyboard shortcut to copy file to clipboard (ctrl-c copies only file name to clipboard). @mouser: can this be included in FARR at some point?

this seems like a very good idea. what hotkey would you like?

skajfes · « **Reply #21 on:** March 21, 2016, 12:15 PM »

what hotkey would you like?
-mouser (March 21, 2016, 12:06 PM)

I would go for ctrl-c but you'll probably say no

Next best thing is to possibly make it configurable?
Or whatever (ctrl-shift-c, alt-c, ctrl-alt-c, ...), and I can recmap it to ctrl-c with ahk

mouser · « **Reply #22 on:** March 21, 2016, 12:16 PM »

so one solution would be an option that lets you choose what ctrl+c does.

skajfes · « **Reply #23 on:** March 21, 2016, 12:21 PM »

Yes, but, I am betting that there is someone out there that wants both

Your call, you're the man.

skajfes · « **Reply #24 on:** March 21, 2016, 01:14 PM »

I have a half of an idea of using something like this in combination with an alias to automatically copy file to clip, possibly even paste.

General idea is an alias that would be triggered like this:

[Select]

some search +attach

and on execution on a file it would trigger the ahk script from above that would in turn copy the selected file to clipboard, focus the outlook message window (or last window active) and paste it there.