Maxthon Browser Users: Maybe one of you has already solved this

[questorfla]

For a long time now I have been looking for a way to save the URL to the sites where I download from.  A simple way to be able to go back to the site where I found each app or Program I downloaded.  Just the written text in a TX file would do but an active URL shortcut would be even better.
One day I noticed that Maxthon has the option to copy the target URL at the time I save the download which would be a perfect solution.  Except they did not complete the task.  After i click Save and the download finishes i still have to navigate to the downloads folder, open a text file, (or create a new shortcut) name it as the name of the download and paste the contents of the clipboard into it and save the results.
The end result is exactly what I needed but it takes so many steps to do something that it seems should be a part of the setup.  What is the point in copying the URL if I am not going to save it somewhere?  Most logically in the downloads folder with the name of the download I got from that URL.  If i could change the layout such that the URL is saved to a Shortcut instead if a text file this would probably work.
I wrote to the developers at Maxthon but go no reply so far.  I wonder what they intended that Save URL to be for if not what I need?  Anyway, since it saves to clipboard, if there is a way to add the rest of the process into the download script it would sure be nice.
So far I have not found the name of the variable that holds that info nor a way to add a couple of steps into their download script but I assume it is there somewhere in their developer modules?
Has  anyone here played with customization of their browser?

[MilesAhead]

If you have the url in clipboard it may be a good use for CommentExplorer. Once you save the download you can select it with the mouse in Explorer and press Shift-F11 to bring up an inputbox to paste it instead of a comment.

The name of the file is the key to the comment data so you should not rename the file once you have commented it.  Of course you can press Shift-F11 again to display the comment to copy to clipboard before renaming.  To just see the comment select the download file with the mouse or arrow key.

A fairly quick way to launch the url with a browser from the comment inputbox if you have BrowserBunch running, select the url in the inputbox and press Control Shift F4.  BrowserBunch will load with the url copied to clipboard.  Click a browser and it will navigate to the url if launched via that hotkey.

Both programs are free and may be downloaded from my page here:
http://milesaheadsoftware.org/

See the included Readme.txt files in each zip for detailed usage info.

[MilesAhead]

Another possibility may be a Tree type note program such as TreePad.  Paste the url on the right hand data side of a new node and name the node after the downloaded program.  TreePad supports clicking links to launch the default browser.

In fact instead of going through BrowserBunch to launch the url at a later date, EditPadLite7 makes clickable links for urls it finds in text files.  If it is the default editor for .txt files, double clicking CommentExplorerFolderData.txt in your download folder will bring it up.  Just search the filename and double click the url on the next line.

CommentExplorer has 2 modes.  Folder and Global.  Folder is more versatile because it makes a data file in each folder in which you comment a file.  Global mode you only have to deal with one data file but there is the old drive letter buggaboo if you should move files to other folders/drives/machines etc.  The entire file path has to match to retrieve the comment.

[questorfla]

Thanks MilesAhead, I will try one of those.
When I saw your comment, I was a little bit DeJaVu as I swear i had just run across your site (or seen the name in some way) during a search for some settings on a new driver from Intel for my NIC. < blog.workinghardinit.work/tag/10gbps>
Scaling up to 10GBPS already?  I can hardly wait for it to be the norm.

I had previously considered using one of the "properties" options in the downloaded file itself but i ran into issues finding a workable program that could do this.  Most of those that did worked with nothing but Music or Video files.  Even if it did, the information would be something i could only "see" but not access as a link.  So I had to pass on a solution that would have made it an all-in-one fix.

Would be nice if that was an option.  Maybe a right click to access a specific property of a file (where i could place the URL) rather than left click to run the default application for that file type. Now That would be a slick package!

Looks like your comment explorer does do almost exactly this.  Where is the comment actually stored?  Other than the shift-F11 is there another location to find the info such that it would be a click-able URL?  Or maybe if it could display on hover?  >>    Just kidding i am sure that would be a huge mod to the windows explorer setup<<

Worked very well though and thanks for that.  I will now try the Treepad option but your AHK setup beat having to create shortcuts.  Although... since you wrote the script for the comments in ahk suppose it would be possible to create the "new shortcut" the same way?  then I could paste the url into the shortcut path and be done with it since the shortcut automatically names itself as the path entered unless you chose to change it.?

[questorfla]

OK,milesahead, I give up.  I will just hope you have a different view on this problem as nothing i can find even gets close to the need.
After my last comments on your post, i started thinking again about why i could not simply do what i said i needed.  I knew i had tried this before and while i never found anything that worked, it always seemed that it was just around the corner.
Because Maxthon makes it so easy to first click to copy the URL, then click to download the file, the URL is still held in the clipboard SO if i could only do a right click on the downloaded file and add that info the file itself that would solve everything and keep the directory nice and tidy.
Problem is, i cannot find a program that can add a "property" to a ZIP file.  Or for that matter to any file other than music or video.  I can display many properties but cannot edit any of them.  Nor can i add one of my own. 
After trying out 20 different utilities I now have so many right click options i need to clean the clock on most but not one of them can so something as simple as add a property called "URL" and paste in the info in the clipboard.  Or even use the clipboard info to fill i a preexisting field like "description"
I have to wait for a more adept hacker than i to figure this one out. 
I still cant believe that this is not already a built in option with some program.
All the parts are there, just no way to assemble them.

[TaoPhoenix]

Okay, not counting it's a couple of clicks, I'll do my usual "foot in mouth" routine and ask what you are trying to add, that's not "Right Click / Properties" in regular Windows!

[MilesAhead]

I still cant believe that this is not already a built in option with some program.

The reason for the difficulty is Windows file system does not support comments.  I'm told DEC file system CMS had this feature.  I suspect the database file system Windows Longhorn was supposed to feature, but never did, was a CMS port to Windows.

So what it means is you have to do things like create external files to hold the comments or annotations.  When you copy a file using Explorer or command line, the system knows nothing about annotations so the comment does not travel with the file.

In fact I wrote a shell extension called TipOff for 32 bit Windows that showed the comment when you hovered the mouse over the file in Explorer.  It did this for certain archive file types such as zip rar tar etc..  Unfortunately for your purpose I don't know if there is any way to copy a tooltip display to clipboard so that you could launch it in the browser.

http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=28529.msg266872#msg266872

The Property Page Tab in the screen shot is what you were talking about afa typing or pasting in data.  It seems more convenient than it is I can tell you after testing these shell extensions.  It gets tedious quickly.  But ok for commenting downloads assuming you don't use it for hundreds of files a day.  

Note the link in the post is dead. I still have the program but it only works in 32 bit Windows.


An easier approach may be to keep EditPadLite open and paste the link into it.  The editor makes the link clickable.  Then you could just put the name of the file on the next line and do control f search.

For the TreePad file approach I have a program on my page TreePadGen that creates a TreePad file(.hjt) with a blank node for each file in a folder.  At least it would save typing or pasting in the names of all your downloads.

[Shades]

Not sure if there is an add-on for IE/Maxxthon, but I (mis)use the FF add-on 'Zotero' just for this purpose. Although the idea behind this add-on is for keeping references to whatever subject you do research on...it is actually very usable for storing the url (and a copy of the page behind that url) of your download. When you have a list of URL's like this it is easy to search through them, you can add/remove tags easily. Even better, you don't even need an internet connection to see the copy of the page you put in Zotero (but it is able to update the copied page when you do have an internet connection.

There is also a stand-alone version of Zotero, if you are more interested in using the software as intended.

[TaoPhoenix]

Okay, not counting it's a couple of clicks, I'll do my usual "foot in mouth" routine and ask what you are trying to add, that's not "Right Click / Properties" in regular Windows!

Since MilesAhead's screenshot seems different from my system, I'll post one of my own to hopefully explain my confusion.

[attachthumb=#]

Does anyone else have this on their system? Does it do what he wants?

[KynloStephen66515]

Not too sure if this is exactly what you want (and it hasn't been updated in over 2 years) but I made this: http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=34461.0

Might help you in this situation (Although, if I read this thread and got it completely wrong, feel free to ignore me!)

[MilesAhead]

Okay, not counting it's a couple of clicks, I'll do my usual "foot in mouth" routine and ask what you are trying to add, that's not "Right Click / Properties" in regular Windows!

Since MilesAhead's screenshot seems different from my system, I'll post one of my own to hopefully explain my confusion.
(see attachment in previous post)
Does anyone else have this on their system? Does it do what he wants?

No Summary Tab after XP

[MilesAhead]

questorfla would a program in the SendTo folder be alright or is that too many clicks?

Or context menu or drag and drop onto desktop icon and Open With or yet another hotkey in the tray.  

If the url is going to be in the clipboard when my program launches or gets a hotkey press and I can get the path of the selected program in Explorer then it should be easy to create a .url file in the same folder as the download.  Initially the icon for the file would be the default browser.  I would have to play it by ear when it is time for customizations.

But say you have C:\MyDownloads\CoolFreebie.zip, you would select it and either use context menu or sendto or hit a hotkey, then would appear C:\MyDownloads\CoolFrebie.url with embedded whatever text was in the clipboard.  Hopefully a url that is navigated to by the default browser when the shortcut is double clicked.

If you want to try that I can likely have something working during the day tomorrow.  Then you can try it out and see how it feels, suggest enhancements or decide it's not the way to go .. whatever.  

Edit:  If you already use a general purpose hotkey script then it may only need 1/2 dozen lines of script added to do the .lnk file creation. 

[Innuendo]

I'm going to offer an alternate solution...it's what I use to keep track of download URLs. It's a two-prong approach. I use a download manager, Internet Download Accelerator, that saves comments/URLs in descript.ion files. I then use a file manager, Directory Opus, that recognizes descript.ion files to display the comments.

It's an archaic system as descript.ion files go way back to the days of MS-DOS, but they still have use in today's world. I was very sad when ACDSee dropped the feature of supporting descript.ion files.

[MilesAhead]

I don't know why I didn't think of it before.  Somebody must have sprayed me with "Stupid" or something.  
I can just modify CommentExplorer so that when the ToolTip displays the comment it is copied to the clipboard.  I was saving clipboard contents and putting it back after using the clipboard to get the filename.  But if the user is browsing through the download folder chances are there aren't a bunch of clipboard operations going on.

Besides, one of the most obvious uses for CommentExplorer and the reason I wrote it, was for commenting downloads.  A url is as good a comment as any.  

I think I'm going to do this modification today as it is quick and easy.  As soon as I get it debugged I'll upload it to my page and post a note here.

Edit:  Hmm, may not be as easy as I thought.  Too many interactions with the clipboard as it is.  My Copy as Path doesn't work while CommentExplorer is running due to this.  I'll have to rework it one of these days to use an ahk library to get Explorer selections rather than the clipboard.

Of course another flaw in the design is I don't have any indication which files in a folder have a comment until I click on them.  Not having this built into the file system means it's a kludge no matter what.  I hate it that I'm still messing with this after 14 years.  Maybe I'll switch to Linux when Windows 10 takes over. 

[MilesAhead]

I haven't tested the modifications with all the copy functions etc.. but the main function seems to work.
CommentExplorer 2.5.0.0 no longer uses the Clipboard to get the selected items in the Explorer folder.
It uses Explorer_GetSelection() function by Learning One from ahk forums.

When the ToolTip comment appears it is copied to the clipboard.  When the ToolTip closes the original clipboard contents are restored.  This has the nice side effect that now the Windows Copy As Path is working again on my system.



Note that all the stuff in the zip file should be unzipped to the same folder.  Don't delete the DLL because the program will likely crap out if it tries to make a Taskbar Progress and it is not found.  

[questorfla]

You guys are great!  I have not been able to check back in but both of you seem to have some excellent methods in mind.
Don't get me wrong, it isn't that it is "too many clicks" or anything like that, it was a matter of "how it should be" and it isn't.  I have thousands of files in storage that i may never look at again but at one time, I thought they would be useful for some reason.  Usually, just gong back to where i found them is enough to jog my memory.  That was the original intent.  A download manager requires me to keep the files all in the same location as they were when the manager indexed them which over the years would not be the case,
While I COULD write up a brief note about where i got it and why and zip that up with the file, then i have to unzip he bunch to read the notes. 
Kind of like browsing through all the titles on Audible audiobooks and seeing an author i like i can then play a part of the book as a sample to see if it is interesting.
I started thinking how nice it would be to be able to "browse" through all those files and see a "synopsis" of the file in a "pop open" window that would display like a tool-tip when i hovered over the file.
To do this, i would need to be able to store just a small amount of data somewhere that would not mess up the file itself.  That was when i found "tags".  The problem was, for reasons I cannot discern,
They only work on video and audio files.  They are "there" on all files and usually empty.  Windows even offers to remove them (in cases where they can be removed) so i started looking for how they could be written to in the first place.  If a "tag" named URL were to have the actual URL of the file and one called description could hold a sentence about what i go it for.
I was looking for a way to make finding and using files that were located sometimes years before and now are only a zip file in a huge archive.  No references as to why it was put there or where it came from without opening the zip to see.  Plus those tags are searchable with windows so i could find those i might have referenced as "executable editors" or ?? but at least i could have a way to look for more than a file name which in some cases is just "setup.zip"
I really appreciate your efforts and perhaps I am the only one who thinks OLD "stuff" would ever be of use in a NEW WORLD anyway ??

[4wd]

My take on it, since the URL is already in the clipboard just send it to a .url with a little DOS help:

Code: (text)

@echo off
rem Paste2URL.cmd
rem Puts contents of clipboard into internet shortcut
rem Requires paste.exe from http://www.c3scripts.com/tutorials/msdos/paste.html
echo [InternetShortcut] >"%~n1.url"
echo|set /p=URL=>>"%~n1.url"
C:\Scripts\paste.exe >>"%~n1.url"

A little registry hacking to add it to the file context menu:

Install:

Code: (xml)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Paste clip to URL shortcut]
@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Paste clip to URL shortcut\command]
@="cmd.exe /c C:\\\\Scripts\\\\Paste2URL.cmd \"%1\""

Remove:

Code: (xml)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Paste clip to URL shortcut]

REQUIRES: paste.exe - adjust any path to suit where you put the script and/or paste.exe

[questorfla]

>>>ADDED<<  Alright 4wd.  You popped in just as I posted this and i just read your posts.
Now i have to try that too 
So you might as well give the Whole Enchilada a Whirl.  A whole new system.  File-Wiki's that stay attached to the files they comment on.
<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>
I just had my daughter toss in her 2 cents worth and it added another whole level of possibilities to this.
While this is far beyond my capabilities, perhaps one of you can see a way for this to happen.  The results would be more like a permanent "tag" that would be attached to the file just as any picture file etc only this would be the same for program files.  
The way her input changed things was that I should be making these comments and URL links a permanent "TAG" entry for the file.  One that could be seen and used by others.  Sort of like a "Wikipedia" entry for the program or file it is attached to. A short description of what it does as well as some sort of grading system (ie: 5 star etc) and perhaps even a Likes and Dis Likes vote.  This way if I shared the file with someone else they could benefit from the inputs of everyone else who had handled it.
I think that is great but it is also far more than I can manage.  But it does give another viewpoint on things.  I am sure all of us have downloaded files from sites where it sure would be nice to be able to see that previous handlers of the file had given it a high rating or made comments such as Beware of added Crapware.   These are the things you do see in comments where you go to get the file to start with but those comments don't STAY with the downloaded file and are often forgotten when you run it months later
This is the kind of thing that perhaps even DC would benefit from if this was done in such a way as to make it an
"added feature" of the file structure.  Something you would not see or even know was there unless you had the proper application running to allow you to view this mini-"FileWiki" on your own system any time you viewed your downloads.
My daughter thinks bigger than i do, and i would still settle for the pop up URL if it was click able.  I can see info about every file that pops out when you hover over the file but none of it is interactive (ie: clickable) and i have not found a way to modify what is displayed though i am sure it is something simple,  I thought I would toss her added idea out there before i started trying to work with both of your suggestions.

[4wd]

So you might as well give the Whole Enchilada a Whirl.  A whole new system.  File-Wiki's that stay attached to the files they comment on.

That's way beyond the scope of my brain cell 

But as a suggestion you could try using the Alternate Data Stream to attach comments to files.

There's an explanation on that page of how the ADS is used to tell Windows whether a download is from a "nice" website or not.

Here's a modified command file that will paste the clipboard to an ADS for a file:

Code: (text)

@echo off
rem Paste2ADS.cmd
rem Puts contents of clipboard into an ADS called Comment
rem Requires paste.exe from http://www.c3scripts.com/tutorials/msdos/paste.html
C:\Scripts\paste.exe >>"%~1:URL"

You can then view it with Powershell:

Code: ( powershell)

PS C:\scripts> get-content -path shortcut.exe -stream 'URL'
http://ss64.com/nt/shortcut.html
PS C:\scripts>

[questorfla]

AHH!  Soooo Close!
But the copied URL is http://seedling.dcmembers.com/download/mixtape_11038105.zip
This was just a test.  I emptied my DL folder so nothing in it, then dl'ed just the one file i was hoping (but not expecting   ) that it would be on full auto and i would find the mixtape file along with the url to get back to it inthe downloads folder just by clicking copy url, then clicking download and save.
But even if i go to the downloads folder, while i do have the right click option to past clip to url shortcut But-- if i right click the file, doing this makes nothing for me   I was so hopeful ... And it is probably something i did wrong.
The registry edit went fine and paste is in the windows folder.
As long as you got that far dont suppose you could make a litle more magic and bend this hole procedure into the act of clicking download?  If the URL in in the clipboard, dont suppose there is a way to make it link up with the clicking of the download button?

  Why not ask for the stars if you are already to the Moon.??  Seriously that was some quick reg hacking.

[4wd]

But even if i go to the downloads folder, while i do have the right click option to past clip to url shortcut But-- if i right click the file, doing this makes nothing for me  I was so hopeful ... And it is probably something i did wrong.
The registry edit went fine and paste is in the windows folder.

You did edit it to reflect any path changes you made, right?

Works fine here, (even with files with spaces which I forget about most of the time).

As long as you got that far dont suppose you could make a litle more magic and bend this hole procedure into the act of clicking download?  If the URL in in the clipboard, dont suppose there is a way to make it link up with the clicking of the download button?

Not likely, this would probably require monitoring of the clipboard all the time to capture any URLs or some sort of browser plugin.

Nifty thing about the ADS is it's linked to the file, wherever the file goes, whatever it's renamed to, the ADS travels along.  Only works for NTFS naturally, so as soon as you copy to a non NTFS filesystem, it's lost.

[questorfla]

Almost........ I had to try it.  Streams is close.  Maybe close enough.  Never even heard of it.  Interesting stuff
But there has to be a native windows way to edit the "info-text" pop-ups that come up when you hover over a filename in Explorer.
So far, i can see at least 3 lines showing file size and other stuff.  There hs to be a place that controls what is displayed and where it comes from.  Some had 4 lines so i also know it is variable.
And on Media files you see almost a whole page full of info about authors bit rates etc.  
But you are on a Roll tonight!    Thanks for the "whudda thot"  that?
What did I do wrong on the URL paste?

[4wd]

The files you want to add comments to don't have metadata or another means of adding extraneous information, (excluding archive comments and the ADS).

But here's an Explorer extension, (with source), that shows whether or not a file has an ADS, I wouldn't think it would be too hard to modify it to show just what a "Comment" ADS contained.

What did I do wrong on the URL paste?

Can't tell you, I'm not sitting in front of your monitor  

Addendum: Found via StackOverflow, there's an old Property sheet handler that may work under x86 (was written for 2000/XP) that shows ADS: StrmExt

64bit version - working on 8.1Pro:

[questorfla]

You did edit it to reflect any path changes you made, right?
Works fine here, (even with files with spaces which I forget about most of the time).

Maybe i am thinking about this wrong.  If i go to downloads folder and right click in empty space the option is not showing.
If i point to the file i downloaded and then right click i see the option but when i choose it nothing happens.
If i create an empty shortcut ..of course that just disappears as invalid.
If I create a Good shortcut manually and put something in it so it will stay, this time the new paste as URL option is not even there.
I am a little unsure about what to expect but if it should be creating a .url file using the data held in the clipboard as the primary part of the name and .url as the extension, that isn't happening.  As I noted, the option to paste as URL is only showing IF I click on an existing file as though i was going to change the file's name or type and the only type it will not even show up at all on is if i choose a pre-existing URL.

Am I misunderstanding that it should be working by simply clicking on the folder or inside the folder to create the url?
I am not good at this but it appears that the right click option is working in context as related to the "shell" for editing a file rather than creating one?  Maybe I am not saying that right but it shows as an option >only< if i am selecting another file to right click on.  If i right click on the "download directory" it is not in the command options.  If i right click in empty space inside the Downloads folder, it does not show either.  I must right click while pointing at a file in order to have the option show up which, if it did work, would be in the same group of commands as if i wanted to rename, delete or change the chosen file itself in some way.
Clicking it at that point, however, does not appear to do anything at any location i can see although it could be somewhere else on the system

[4wd]

Maybe i am thinking about this wrong.  If i go to downloads folder and right click in empty space the option is not showing.

Correct

If i point to the file i downloaded and then right click i see the option but when i choose it nothing happens.

You did put both Paste2URL.cmd and paste.exe in a directory called C:\Scripts, correct?

I am a little unsure about what to expect but if it should be creating a .url file using the data held in the clipboard as the primary part of the name and .url as the extension, that isn't happening.

1) Right-click on file (for this example it's downloaded program.exe)
2) Choose Paste clip to URL shortcut
3) Creates a file with the same name but with extension of .url (downloaded program.url) - you will not see the extension of .url in Explorer, it will just look like a normal shortcut without any extension.
4)
5) Contents of downloaded program.url

Code: (text)

[InternetShortcut] 
URL= http://yadayadayada.com/downloaded%20program.exe

Of course, if Maxthon isn't really storing the URL in the clipboard as just (for example) http://yadayadayada.com/downloaded%20program.exe then the shortcut created will be invalid.  (The URL should contain escaped characters if Maxthon is doing it's job properly.)