■ xplorer² v3.5: a splash of color to your files and folders for quick access

Pursuant to the traditional 6 month update cycle, here is the autumnal update of xplorer². The big new thing in v3.5 is color tagging of files and folders to make them stand out and easy to find. The window snapshot below shows the main ingredients of this handy addition for quick access:

To color tag items, first select them then use the right click context menu. The color tag submenu there lists 3 predefined tag colors and one that clears tags from the selection. Tagged items are shown with a color border around their name, making them stand out. These colors don't change the actual files in any way; you just use them to mark files for whatever reason you like, e.g. for further processing. They are stored in a database that xplorer² uses to mark files.

Color tagging is not related to any color coding rules you may have. The tag border is drawn on top of any color coding. Color tagging can be quickly applied to individual files without defining complex color coding rules.

Use the new color tag filter button next to the addressbar's filter box to show only items that are tagged with specific colors. You can search for color tags in 2 ways. Either use the color tag filter button, or use the color tag stock property to define search rules as with any other file property. Note that using the color button is much faster, but the color tag attribute (1=red, 2=green etc) can be combined with other search criteria.

You can color tag folders in the tree as well, but there the only gain is making a tree node stand out. You cannot filter the folder tree elements. For an all round introduction to color tagging please watch this demo video play demo

video playback requires flash, it should play in internet explorer easily

There are many more things added for v3.5 as you can see in the changelog. Here are a few important new features:

Looks better in 4K displays. xplorer² looks better in high resolution monitors (UHD, 4000+ pixels) with various touches on default icon and other window element sizes depending on your DPI. xplorer² will optimally adjust its display settings on fresh installations only. For older installations you will need some manual tweaks
Combine details and thumbnails. A new view mode called Detailed thumbs (use a pane's background menu to access Pane style submenu) combines a small thumbnail icon with item details.
Zoom pane contents. A convenient way to change folder view styles is "zooming" with the mouse. Hold down <CTRL> key and use your mouse wheel to zoom in and out. Each zoom level goes either to larger icons/thumbnails or smaller, all the way to detailed view mode.

Upgrade information

Version 3.5 is a free upgrade for most people that already own v3.x licenses. A small exception is people who got a v3.0 key as a free upgrade using the "free upgrades for a year" policy. So if your unlock key is dated before 1 January 2015 (check your About dialog), then you'd need a new key. 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.