Author Topic: Looking for 'Open With...' Editor (Read 28,048 times)

Curt · « **on:** March 14, 2007, 05:47 PM »

For five years I was using BAxBEx OpenExpert to alter the "Open with..." options in Explorer right-click Context Menu. But BAxBEx stopped developping a long time ago, and OpenExpert really isn't that user-friendly. You cannot add a program to several extensions in one go, but will have to add it to all or to each file format at a time, making it a very tiresome procedure.

Do you know of a clever user-friendly editor of the "Open with..." option?

[attachimg=#]

Curt · « **Reply #1 on:** March 14, 2007, 08:01 PM »

- just a screenshot to stress my question:
Do you know of a clever user-friendly editor of the "Open with..." option? [/quote]

TucknDar · « **Reply #2 on:** March 14, 2007, 08:37 PM »

I use OpenExpert, too, and while I agree that it may not be 100% perfect, I don't find it a problem with those dialogs. You can drag'n'drop apps to it, too, for faster adding of applications. I did look for such a product for a long time, but until I found OpenExpert I was never really happy with any alternatives.

I'm trying to think of the app I used before OpenExpert, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. If I remember it, I'll post it and you can see if it suits your needs better (which I doubt, btw).

Curt · « **Reply #3 on:** March 14, 2007, 10:29 PM »

Quote from: TucknDar on March 14, 2007, 08:37 PM

I did look for such a product for a long time, but until I found OpenExpert I was never really happy with any alternatives.

I find it very strange if no-one after all these years didn't come up with an improved version. All you have to do is to add an extra option to group various extensions, say, add all picture file types into one group: add to this program, add all music file types into another group: add to that program, etc. It may be difficult to write, but it sure sounds easy when the major part of program itself already has been written.

iphigenie · « **Reply #4 on:** March 15, 2007, 12:17 AM »

a lot of products have a little extension manager - i think i have one that comes with regrun, one that comes with wincommander, and I'm pretty sure i have at least another 2 that came with one tool or another (either stardock's object desktop, winpatrol, the vcom utilities, registry first aid, or one of those security packages). None are particularly developed or polished.

Curt · « **Reply #5 on:** March 15, 2007, 12:20 AM »

Quote from: iphigenie on March 15, 2007, 12:17 AM

None are particularly developed or polished.

Sounds as if there is a market waiting...

TucknDar · « **Reply #6 on:** March 15, 2007, 09:55 AM »

Quote from: Curt on March 15, 2007, 12:20 AM

Quote from: iphigenie on March 15, 2007, 12:17 AM
None are particularly developed or polished.

Sounds as if there is a market waiting...

Be sure to follow those C# tutorials you were speaking of, Curt! We're anxiously awaiting OpenCurt 0.1

Curt · « **Reply #7 on:** March 15, 2007, 04:47 PM »

Quote from: TucknDar on March 15, 2007, 09:55 AM

We're anxiously awaiting OpenCurt 0.1

[attachimg=#]

I might have grown very old before that will happen
- take a look underneath my avatar, and read...

But the tutorials are to me like some adds; they show what you can't but might like to

Ruffnekk · « **Reply #8 on:** March 15, 2007, 06:12 PM »

The whole thing sounds simple enough, but I know its quite a b@#$h to code. Not because it's difficult, but all of the COM interop interfaces etc, bla bla... any ways I put this on my Things-I-Can-Do-When-I-Have-Run-Out-Of-Things-To-Do list, near the top, so some time in the future I might give it a go

Curt · « **Reply #9 on:** March 15, 2007, 07:19 PM »

Quote from: Ruffnekk on March 15, 2007, 06:12 PM

I put this on my Things-I-Can-Do-When-I-Have-Run-Out-Of-Things-To-Do list, near the top, so some time in the future I might give it a go

Exciting news!

Quote from: Curt on March 15, 2007, 04:47 PM

I might have grown very old before that will happen

I am turning fifty this year; could you move it upwards the list?

Curt · « **Reply #10 on:** March 15, 2007, 07:46 PM »

I think one important feature in such a new OpenWith_2 would be the option NOT to replace Explorer's OpenWith, at least not until you are ready for it. BAxBEx's present version will replace Explorer's option at once, leaving you with no OpenWith options for as long as it will take you to edit. Furthermore BAxBEx's version doesn't offer any suggestions, as Explorer will, which I have found to be a major lack. So it might be best if OpenWith_2 somehow could integrate with the Explorer OpenWith, rarther than replacing it?

Curt · « **Reply #11 on:** March 15, 2007, 07:55 PM »

Quote from: Curt on March 15, 2007, 07:46 PM

if OpenWith_2 somehow could integrate with the Explorer OpenWith, rarther than replacing it?

The Mac users have it:

Curt · « **Reply #12 on:** March 16, 2007, 05:12 PM »

Quote from: mouser on August 02, 2005, 01:29 PM

DonationCoder.com will soon announce a utility that I predict will become a favorite here..
a tool for easily creating custom right-click context menu items, in a way easier and more powerful than seen in any existing program.

it will also come with a bunch of context menu tools.

we welcome your suggestions for simple right-click context menu tools you'd like to see
(like move-to-specific folder, copy path to clipboard, etc.)

Ruffnekk:
Could this 'OpenWith_2' be such a mouser's ContextMenu Commander tool?

Ruffnekk · « **Reply #13 on:** March 17, 2007, 09:15 AM »

Yes I guess you can wait for that before I do anything

It has moved down quite a few steps on my to-do list now

Curt · « **Reply #14 on:** March 17, 2007, 11:01 AM »

Quote from: Ruffnekk on March 17, 2007, 09:15 AM

It has moved down quite a few steps on my to-do list now

Ohh, I imagined you would contact mouser in order to co-operate on the project...

tinjaw · « **Reply #15 on:** March 17, 2007, 11:59 AM »

I don't use "open with". I use "send to" and I maintain that by using Send To Toys.

[attach=#1]

I find it very easy to modify the Send To context menu with this tool.

TucknDar · « **Reply #16 on:** March 17, 2007, 12:10 PM »

Great toys, they are!

Curt · « **Reply #17 on:** March 17, 2007, 05:34 PM »

Quote from: tinjaw on March 17, 2007, 11:59 AM

I don't use "open with". I use "send to" and I maintain that by using Send To Toys.

What I am about to tell you now will demonstrate to the extreme that the words below my avatar are sadly true: I have SendTo Toys, and have not even once imagined that I could use it that way! I can find no excuse for my ignorance and lack of creative imagination, except maybe that I only have had the app for a month or so and still haven't used it for anything else than to move files and folders.

I would imagine that you, tinjaw / TucknDar, have made some sort of groups inside SendTo Toys? You can't have all your programs in one column... How did you make it fast to use?

[attachthumb=#]

tinjaw · « **Reply #18 on:** March 17, 2007, 05:55 PM »

I don't need to group mine. I don't even know if you can. What I do is set the default program for each file type so that double clicking a file will open it in the editor I prefer for that file type. Then, in my Send To, I have all of my multi-format editors and viewers.

Curt · « **Reply #19 on:** March 17, 2007, 06:40 PM »

Quote from: tinjaw on March 17, 2007, 05:55 PM

I don't need to group mine. I don't even know if you can. (...) Then, in my Send To, I have all of my multi-format editors and viewers.

Then I'll hold on to the header: Looking for 'Open With...' Editor! The problem inside my head is that if I search the PC and find an image file that needs to be edited, then SendTo will not understand that this is an image file, but will offer all sorts of programs. OpenWith will understand the problem and only display those programs that are usable to this file. I have plenty of editors - I will not want all kinds of editors to be displayed at the same time. OpenWith can see to that, SendTo cannot - as far as I can understand.

Image editors only:
[attachthumb=#]

So I still prefer some kind of OpenWith_2.

Edvard · « **Reply #20 on:** March 19, 2007, 04:39 PM »

I found this here thingy (no home page, so it's a direct download)
http://www.dimaware.com/Downloads/extmanage.zip

Curt · « **Reply #21 on:** March 19, 2007, 05:33 PM »

Quote from: Edvard on March 19, 2007, 04:39 PM

http://www.dimaware.com/Downloads/extmanage.zip

It seems to be targeted at some special extension types:

[attachimg=#]

~~Anyway, I couldn't figure out how to use it, except for the pre-chosen types.~~

- but Thanks for telling!

[After-edit:]
- ohh; I must remove the upper checkmark each time, and set a new c heckmark at buttom...

Edvard · « **Reply #22 on:** March 19, 2007, 06:25 PM »

Quote

I must remove the upper checkmark each time, and set a new c heckmark at buttom...

Yeah, it took me a few minutes, too. It's not immediately obvious what to do for custom actions, but it's a nice simple tool.

Curt · « **Reply #23 on:** March 19, 2007, 06:46 PM »

DimaWare extmanage has at least one feature that OpenExpert is missing;
it supports special national characters as the Danish æ, ø and å.

(Open = Åbn, Search = Søg, Set = sæt)