[xplorer˛] — Repeat last command
home » blog » 1 March 2009
 

As you are getting older and wiser you think that you know all there is to it, especially in small epistemic domains like xplorer˛. I don't know if it's dementia knocking on my door already but many times even I forget what commands I've added in xplorer˛ over the years!

Many programs have redo or repeat type of commands, where with a convenient keyboard shortcut like <Ctrl+Y> you can repeat the last command you've issued from the menu system, useful when you apply the same command on many files one by one. <Ctrl+Y> works in xplorer˛ too but it isn't that useful as all commands already have (or can have assigned) keyboard shortcuts.
Commands in the shell context menu on the other hand that show when you right click on a selected file or folder, rarely have keyboard equivalents. Especially so menu commands added by shell extensions like TortoiseSVN; not only they don't have keyboard shortcuts, to add insult to injury they are buried down 10 levels of submenus so it's a real hunt to get your job done using the mouse.

That's where <Ctrl+Alt+F10> keyboard-only command comes useful (which I forgotten all about :). It repeats the last shell context menu command without reopening the menu. So if you want to check the version changes to a particular file using TSVN diff context menu command you don't need to open the menu again and again (see right). You suffer only the first time then for each subsequent file you press <Ctrl+Alt+F10>. Yet another of these small details that push xplorer˛ above the pile of explorer replacements.

A small caveat is in order. Shell extensions and normal explorer context menu commands vary a lot. You won't see the same commands for a ZIP file as you will see for an EXE file, or a selection that contains both types. Therefore the aforementioned <Ctrl+Alt+F10> shortcut only makes sense in situations where you operate on files of the same type, eg files within TSVN controlled folders. Many times if the context changes a lot the wrong command will be repeated. But keep it similar and <Ctrl+Alt+F10> will save you a lot of clicking.

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ps. yes I really turned 40, it's downhill all the way now <g>

 

 

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