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xplorer², a powerful windows file manager and explorer replacement / alternative
JohnFredC:
Second challenge:
For folders only (ie the column should be blank for files), show a column in the file display named "Folders/Files" that shows the number of subfolders and "subfiles" in each folder, separated by a slash.
To wit:
12/77
Extra credit:
In the file list, automatically highlight each folder that has > 300 subfiles in red.
umeca74:
use Alt+K and select "Contents" stock column. It computes a total number (files+folders) so it isn't exactly what you look for. For your extra credit, define a coloring rule (Customize | Color coding) based on this column, which is active when the number is >=300
we can go on like that for ages :)
one's favorite file manager is like one's favorite team, the selection involves more fanaticism than reason. All the top-league file managers do more or less the same thing. Even in terms of speed there isn't much to tell them apart, e.g. see:
http://www.zabkat.com/blog/27May07.htm
mitzevo:
Ok, great, welcome to the discussion nikos ;D
JohnFredC:
well, you did pick the weakest part of xplorer2 (mass rename), but you CAN use metadata in renames.-umeca74
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This response to Challenge #1 to use the xplorer2 token ${Column name} to insert image dimensions gets partial credit only. The token leaves spaces in the resulting filename. Is it possible to use regular expressions in xplorer2 to remove them?
use Alt+K and select "Contents" stock column. It computes a total number (files+folders) so it isn't exactly what you look for. For your extra credit, define a coloring rule (Customize | Color coding) based on this column, which is active when the number is >=300-umeca74
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Contents only shows the sum of the files and folders the first level down. It isn't recursive (which is one of the points of the challenge) and doesn't separate the number of files from the number of folders and at the same time display both values in one column so as to save space. Since the Contents column doesn't show the correct values, no points are earned for displaying the incorrectly identified rows in red.
So no credit for Challenge #2!
we can go on like that for ages :)
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Well yes we could. I have a "million" of real world examples from my daily use of TC. But the exercise wouldn't reflect well on most file managers ;). Perhaps a separate thread of real-world challenges from forum participants might help everyone.
All the top-league file managers do more or less the same thing.
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Only to the extent that they "manage files".
Here's an example that matters if you work in thumbnails mode:
In xplorer2, display thumbnails. Now sort them by date. To do that, you must either select View>Arrange By>Date or press a 3-key short cut. Either way, that's three clicks. Further, there is no obvious way in xplorer2 to make a tool button to perform the sort.
In TC you click once on the column header for date.
I'm not singling xplorer2 out, here. No other file manager I know of displays the column headers in thumbnail mode. And this is a really big deal if you need to sort your thumbs by a custom column not accounted for by the menu.
For instance, in xplorer2, how would one sort image thumbs by image dimensions? Or by age in days? Or by an EXIF value? One can do these things, of course (switch to detail mode, sort, switch back to thumbs), but extra steps are involved.
When one file manager takes three steps for another file manager's one step, and the activity represented by those steps is performed repetitively day after day, month after month, year after year, that "two step" ;) difference really begins to add up.
My point is that unless you use each file manager intently for your daily tasks over a period of time, you won't begin to understand how very different they are from each other and how little things that don't seem important at first can make a big difference to your use of the tool in the long haul.
Darwin:
Hi folks. I've started a thread in the General Sofware forum for a more, well, general discussion of file managers/windows explorer replacements. So if you've been champing at the bit to comment on something peripheral to the subject of Xplorer2, here's your chance!
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