■ xplorer² v4.5 released, codename YesterYear

Manage your files like it's 1990 with xplorer² new old thing, the famous <UP-DIR> item of old Norton Commander (DOS .. folder, sorry DOS text mode not included :). Many people were asking for this feature, and it was quite hard to add it (appearances can be deceptive), but here it is for your up-folder journeys. Now you don't need to press <BackSpace> to go up one level, and you can browse folders with one hand tied behind your back, hurray (!?). I suppose humans love their fetishes and actual usefulness doesn't matter much <g>. To add it, use Tools > Advanced options menu and tick this option

You can also go up a level with the mouse if you double-click "nowhere" (not on any item) or use the updated crumb-bar to click on any path segment

Other improvements of note include: (see the changelog for the full list of changes)

Filename case conversion. As the regular expression engine used in xplorer² isn't fit to change the case of filenames, I added two new modes in the Mass rename dialog that allow you to make all letters UPPER or lower case. You cannot combine these modes with other manipulations at present, just change the entire filename.
Friendly file dates. The advanced settings editor has an option "Extra friendly file dates" (find it in Global page under More options), which combined with the regular "Friendly dates" option (see Tools > Options menu command) results in stock dates shown very accurately for recent files and with 1-day accuracy for older files, as you can see in the snapshot below. Because you don't need hours and seconds for files that were modified last year.
```
5 minutes ago
30 hours ago
5 days ago
21-Aug-2019
```
Faster to start and quit. If you have too many custom commands (user commands, macros, bookmarks etc) especially with externally loaded toolbar icons, xplorer² can be slow to start. Now it only loads these icons when they need to be seen. Also saving settings is done sparringly minimizing the impact when you quit the program. Lovely!

Upgrade information

Version 4.5 is a free upgrade for most people that already own v4.x licenses. A small exception is people who got a v4.0 key as a free upgrade using the "free upgrades for a year" policy. So if your unlock key is dated before 1 February 2018 (check your About dialog), then you'd need a new key, but you may be able to get one with a discount. On the other hand if you've already bought a v4.x key or you own the free lifetime upgrades cover, you don't have to pay again.

Please use Help > Check for updates menu command or the equivalent from ribbon's File leftmost tab to get the new version. If you don't have xplorer² installed try the download page for your free trial.