[xplorer˛] — Evolution not revolution
home » blog » 23 July 2011


"I'd really like to know who puts vitamins in spinach and cod liver oil instead of in ice cream and candy?" — Some 8-year old

Start with a speck of sand, and continue adding grains one by one. When does it become a pile? When does it become a mountain? xplorer˛ lived in "version 1.x" guise since its inception 7 years ago, continuously growing in features. Well it is time we called it version 2.0 after some substantial new features were added recently.

The most obvious addition is the dockable/floating panes. You are no longer bound to keep the tree on the left. You can drag it from its titlebar and drop it to any of the 4 corners of xplorer˛ window. Likewise for all other auxiliary panes (quickviewer, miniscrap, etc). You can even have such panes floating (detached) if you press <CTRL> key while dragging them by the titlebar.

You also get large toolbar and drivebar icons (see snapshot). If you like your images large then just get one of the new XL skins and right click on a toolbar to select the large icons from the context menu.
tree docked to the right hand side

xplorer˛ now works with windows vista/7 preview handlers delivering better document previews. When you select the Native preview tab (View > Quick viewer menu command) then you see exact document previews like in windows explorer. The preview is read-only so you can manage the file being previewed (e.g. rename it) without locking problems. These previewers also work better with office and PDF documents bypassing 32/64 bit headaches. You can still use the draft preview tab for plain text and search results.

Other noteworthy added features include: (changelog)
native preview docked below with HTML previewer

  • Dual bookmarks. Similar to bookmarks but holding two folders, one for the left (top) and one for the right (bottom) side pane. You manage the folder pairs from Bookmarks > Dual submenu. If you need to save/restore folder tabs in a single pane keep using the old Customize > Folder groups command.
     
  • Tab locking. If you right click on a tab you will discover a new menu command to lock it (toggle). Locked tabs stay put and any browsing in them results in opening a new tab. You may be familiar with such tabs from your internet browser.
     
  • Context menu extensions. Shell context menu includes a custom xplorer˛ submenu where you can put any menu command to suit your needs (use Organize command). Conveniently access xplorer˛ main menu commands when you right click on a file or folder.
     
  • Faster browsing. Network folders are now enumerated quicker, especially if you use the folder tree in autosync mode (from Tools > Options > Window). Other external devices like phones and digital cameras are handled better too, so you can see thumbnails straight from your camera.

Download xplorer˛ v2.0 (32 or 64 bit)

And now for the not so agreeable news. Version 2.0 has introduced new unlock keys. If you bought xplorer˛ in the past you will find your old key is no longer working — even if you bought the free lifetime upgrades policy. However many people will get free replacement keys or a discount for v2.0. For more information on the simple self-service upgrade procedure please click here

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