Author Topic: Open/Save Dialog Utilities - response to Nudone's Blog from May (Read 68479 times)

Darwin · « **on:** July 09, 2005, 11:23 AM »

Hi,

I use XFilesDialog, which I have not seen mentioned on this site. I prefer it to File-Ex 3 for a variety of reasons - IMHO GUI is better, it seems more powerful to me (and more easily configured), and it just WORKS, whereas I had problems getting File-Ex to work with Office 2000/XP apps. I realise that I can configure File-Ex so that the GUI is more to my liking - I didn't like the default settings that placed additional buttons and menus at the bottom of the dialog (XFilesDialog adds the same functionality via buttons placed in the title bar). What sealed the deal for me was the lack of default support in File-Ex for Office 2000/XP (I use pieces of both). XFilesDialog also supports editing of the PlacesBar whereas other apps that I have tried don't do this "out of the box".

Just some thoughts to add to the mix...

XFilesDialog (http://www.xfilesdialog.com/info.html )
Shareware
$26.00

nudone · « **Reply #1 on:** July 09, 2005, 11:47 AM »

i shall definately investigate - i'm currently not using any dialog helper...

settings up a logical and easy to navigate set of common folders i.e. sticking them on the root, is almost as good as using any open/save modification util.

i shall no doubt change my mind by the end of the month.

mouser · « **Reply #2 on:** July 09, 2005, 11:48 AM »

excellent post

yep xfilesdialog is a nice one.
some of these dialog extenders have problems with certain programs - and it definitely pays to try them again when they release a new version as they often improve.

i happen to agree with you that i prefer a nice titlebar button, small and out of the way.

we plan to do a review of dialog box extenders sometime in near future.

mouser · « **Reply #3 on:** July 09, 2005, 11:56 AM »

nudone,
i couldnt live without one of these open/save dialog extenders.

i NEED them to be bigger, and in details mode, and have a list of my fav folders.

this is one of these tools you can't live without once you get used to it.

Darwin · « **Reply #4 on:** July 09, 2005, 12:30 PM »

Hi,

Thanks for the positive responses. I feel I should clarify a point I made in my original post about Places Bar tweaking. XFilesDialog does not allow the user to do this directly, but does recognise changes made to the Places Bar via editing the registry directly or through the use of X-Set-up, TweakUI, PlacesBarTweaker (http://www.ioisland.com/placesbar/), etc. I found that DlgXRSizer didn't do this when I tried it yesterday. I no longer remember whether File-Ex 3 did this or not (I tested it about a month ago).

Best,

Mike

nudone · « **Reply #5 on:** July 09, 2005, 01:08 PM »

i NEED them to be bigger, and in details mode, and have a list of my fav folders.

i agree.

but, let's face it. none of them are brilliant. i think it's about time someone had a go at making one that was quicker to use, i.e. more obvious to identify which favorite folders are which, which file types are which in the previously used file list by using the correct icons. anyone, hint, hint.

mouser · « **Reply #6 on:** July 09, 2005, 01:16 PM »

well i've wanted to make such a tool, and add other features as well.. so it just might be in the cards.

vegas · « **Reply #7 on:** July 09, 2005, 08:25 PM »

Personally I use Folder Express, found here: http://www.changefolder.com/

I also once used Doc Commander (http://www.utilityplanet.com/), but it seems as though devleopment has ceased there.

jpfx · « **Reply #8 on:** July 11, 2005, 08:03 PM »

variations on a theme, filebox extender is worth investigating:
http://www.hyperioni....com/files/index.asp

mouser · « **Reply #9 on:** July 11, 2005, 08:17 PM »

fileboxextender is the one im currently using; latest version handles ms office well and i like its very unobtrusive interface.
ps hotfolders is also good.

dtrud0h · « **Reply #10 on:** July 12, 2005, 07:04 PM »

Not the same type of program, but one I love is File Targets by moonsoftware. Extends the file menu in explorer with a configurable list of folders, groups of folders, and last selected folder to either copy to, or move a file, or folder to. I find it indispensible. Really blows away the copy to/ move to entries that M.S. wasted the space for. Best of all.......YUP FREE

mouser · « **Reply #11 on:** July 12, 2005, 07:07 PM »

lets post the urls when we mention software:

filetargets: http://www.moonsoftware.com/freeware.asp

definitely a great tool (though i can't get it to work on my current pc for some reason.. directory opus conflict? i dont know.)

Darwin · « **Reply #12 on:** July 13, 2005, 09:56 AM »

I'd forgotten about File Targets - I used it years ago and quite liked it. For me, though, XFileDialogs (http://www.xfilesdialog.com/info.html) is worth the money because it does EXACTLY what I want - resizes menus, remembers my layout preferences, enhances the options available to me (provides history, favourites, convenient links to all my drives - freeing up links in the Places Bar, it's highly configurable with regard to what it will and what it will not replace on a program/dialogue by program/dialogue basis - if needed - and so on). DocCommaner looks good, too, though I haven't installed and tried it yet. I'm happy with the set-up that I have and am loathe at this point to mess with it (I've just come off a disappointing experience playing around with apps that allow users to customise the Places Bar in Office 2000. Some were very good (and freeware!) e.g. ioIsland's Places Bar Tweaker http://www.ioisland.com/downloads/, but I've gone back to TweakUI XP. It provides the same functionality without adding further apps to my setup.

No doubt there are viable alternatives to XFileDialogs that would do exactly what I want but I'm content...

Just my thoughts!

Mike

Scott · « **Reply #13 on:** July 14, 2005, 12:19 AM »

Watch out for the licensing of XFilesDialog. I registered a copy when the current version was 2.21, and now, to update, I'd have to pay full price again. For a time after my "subscription" ended, I would have had to pay $20 (what a break, since full price is $26). But I missed the boat, so tough shit fella, full price for you!

Edit: Removed "Greedy bastard" remark.

Edit: Added mention that Folder Express, for $20, offers a policy of lifetime free updates.

Darwin · « **Reply #14 on:** July 14, 2005, 10:27 AM »

Ouch! Thanks for the heads up about this. I am getting seriously ticked off at these kind of licensing practices - unfortunately, I've only become "savvy" to the differences in various licensing options recently and have purchased quite a few apps that feature these sorts of licenses in the past. I wasn't aware that XFilesDialog was one of them. I'll have to give FolderExpress a closer look. Of course, I have to stop and consider if I need to keep upgrading XFilesDialog - it's working perfectly for me right now at version 3.11 - I'll upgrade while my present license allows me to and when my license expires stick with the latest version that I have, rather than fork out more money for another product (Folder Express looks really good, by the way).

C'est la vie...

Mike

Scott · « **Reply #15 on:** July 14, 2005, 02:07 PM »

Yeah me too on that... I've often neglected to notice licensing details. Sometimes, it's just a judgment call. It may be worth it to you to simply pay up for XFilesDialog... There is nothing wrong with doing that; I just wanted to make you aware before hand.

I myself keep Calendarscope around, despite none-too-gracious upgrade policies, because I don't like the alternatives (come on, Mozilla group!).

I tried Folder Express last night, and the shell features were really cool, but the moment I discovered it couldn't remember Details view in Open/Save dialogs, I uninstalled it.

Darwin · « **Reply #16 on:** July 14, 2005, 03:06 PM »

Thanks - you just saved me the bother of giving Folders Express a trial. When I started down the path of looking for something to augment my Open/Save dialogs it was specifically to enable me to make "details" view the default. The resizing and everything else was just gravy (and of course I now find indispensible)! No details view is a deal breaker for me

Scott · « **Reply #17 on:** July 14, 2005, 03:09 PM »

I have been using File-Ex for a long time, but some things about its design (and its limitations) bother me. But I haven't found anything better. Maybe I'll bite the bullet and try XFilesDialog again.

Scott · « **Reply #18 on:** July 14, 2005, 03:56 PM »

Hah, scary! I installed XFilesDialog, and it is the best alternative to File-Ex I have seen so far. At first glance anyway. It seems to do what I need it to do.

I could do without the constant damn beeping though. That developer really loves making your internal PC speaker beep, I've noticed. Every time XFilesDialog processes a window (which isn't always when you'd expect), it friggin beeps! Just a trick to annoy you into registering. His other application, SysTrayX, emits a pretty long, annoying beep, when you least expect it. That's really cool when you're up at 3AM and no one else in the house is.

Darwin · « **Reply #19 on:** July 14, 2005, 07:01 PM »

Ha ha - the sound card on my notebook bit it with 8 days of manufacturer warranty left. They wanted me to pay for s/h to and from Texas (I'm in Canada) to honour the warranty so I've opted to use the extended three year warranty that I purchased from the retailer. However, as I've 18 months left to go I've been too lazy to take it in to be sent off (for three weeks! Life without a computer for three weeks - are they nuts?!) and am thus without sound. However, in the version of XFilesDialog that I have, and this may be one of those options that are unavailable in the trial, selecting the "general" tab under "settings" (accessible by right clicking on the sys.tray icon) allows you to clear the radio button for "sound when processing a window".

Scott · « **Reply #20 on:** July 14, 2005, 09:09 PM »

The sounds made by Xdesksoftware's stuff bypasses the sound card, and comes right out the PC internal speaker. Yes, there is an option to disable the sounds, but it's locked in the trial. Which, quite frankly, I think is bullshit. He's literally trying to annoy prospective users into buying the software. OK I'm in a bad mood and about 40 hours behind in sleep this week, but isn't that nonsense?

There has to be a registry value to disable the sound, under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\XDESKSOFTWARE. Going to see if I can figure out what it is...

Darwin · « **Reply #21 on:** July 15, 2005, 10:48 AM »

Yeah , that is nonsense. Why make your app that annoying in trial mode? Nag screens are annoying, too, but at least they generally pop up once when you start the program and then you can use it normally thereafter. I had a look in the registry but all I could find were keys related to all the programs with Open/Save dialogs modified by XFilesDialog...

Darwin · « **Reply #22 on:** July 15, 2005, 11:15 AM »

Well... I just dashed off a missive to the developer of XFilesDialog suggesting that potential customers may be being turned off by the subscription policy and its pricing and by features of the trial such as having a sound event triggered each time a window is processed. I *hope* that I was diplomatic enough to have my comments taken in the spirit in which they were intended. We shall see!

Scott · « **Reply #23 on:** July 15, 2005, 11:58 AM »

I really think your message will bounce right off him. I have written him about his nonsense forced-splash-screen policy, even for registered users, and he refuses to change it. There is even a FAQ on his web site about it. (It basically says "Yeah, there are splash screens in the registered version. Deal with it.") Fortunately, there is a (naughty little) way to get rid of the damned things.

Based on things like this, I really doubt he'll change his mind about other annoying nonsense.

mouser · « **Reply #24 on:** July 15, 2005, 12:46 PM »

ps hot folders is another really good one:

http://www.pssoftlab.com/index.phtml

and the author also make a nice tray tool, and another launch tool.
and he's a nice guy too.