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date 13.May.2018

■ A dozen 10 cool and easy things you can do with your xplorer²


xplorer² has the commands and might for heavy file lifting, but it also contais lots of easy to use small touches that assist your everyday file management without taxing your brain. Here are some I use all the time, in no particular order:

1. Copy selected filename(s)
Select a file, press <Alt+C> (see Edit menu) and you have its full path copied to the clipboard. Very useful for opening a file in another program, pasting its name in the standard windows Open or Save dialogs. more information

2. Mirror browsing and scrolling
In dual pane mode, press <Ctrl+M> (see Go to menu) to turn on mirror browsing. If the folder hierarchies left and right are similar (same folder names), then the inactive pane will automatically follow as you browse. Within each folder, matching files are automatically aligned as you scroll in the active view pane. Very handy for comparing folders. more information

3. Sticky selection mode
If you are trying to build a large selection of files examining them one by one, press <Alt+S> (see Mark menu) to turn sticky selection on (or off). Then you can use the mouse or arrow keys to move about without losing the previously selected items. Think of explorer's checkbox selection mode without the hassle of ticking boxes. more information

4. Automatic filtering by file type

When browsing large folders use Autofilter toolbar button to show only files of a particular type out of those present in the folder. Another extremely easy filtering device is the addressbar Filter box more information autofilter

5. Big floating picture preview

float panel     Make the preview panel big without affecting much the xplorer² window by making it float detached, e.g. using the context menu. All panes can be resized and drag-rearranged to suit your needs more information.

Or use the large peek preview mode, pressing both mouse buttons on some file to see a large preview on the spot!

6. Change file properties as in a XLS spreadsheet

Think how you can rename a file in-place, and extrapolate it to all other editable properties. Just click on the column you need and modify away! more information xls renaming

7. Paste window snapshots as files
Press <Alt+PrintScreen> keys to copy the active window image in the clipboard, then hit <Ctrl+V> — xplorer² will paste the pic in the active folder as a PNG file, which can then be uploaded to facebook or used in support emails. The trick also works creating text files if there's text in the clipboard.

8. Breadcrumb access to folders
breadcrumb path
Each path segment in a pane's titlebar is clickable, for quick access to a particular folder higher up the scale. Right clicking shows a menu with all the folders you can choose at that level. more information

Nowadays many programs offer breadcrumbs but you saw this feature first in xplorer²

9. Export folder information for printing etc
All the information you see in a folder pane, including filenames and details, can be exported as text (Export CSV command in Edit menu). If you want to export a folder with all its subfolders, press <Shift+Enter> to Browse flat for all the contents, possibly arrange and group by path, then export all the data as a text CSV file. more information

10. Easy weekly backup of changed documents

Point one xplorer² pane to your documents folder, browse the backup external hard disc in the other (dual) pane, then press <F5> key to start the copy, using "Overwrite if newer else skip" option. Instead of copying everything you will only transfer the files that were changed or newly created. Backup job done. more information backup copy options

11. Path autocompletion (bonus tip)
Most drop-down input fields pop up an autocompletion window as you type, containing matching items from the history. Exceptionally when you type folder paths in the addressbar, press <Up-Arrow> key to autocomplete paths, even bookmark names! more information

I could keep going on with small and cool xplorer² tips all day, but I don't want this to turn into an encyclopedia. If you are hungry for more useful tips and tricks please check the tips file and try watching as many demo videos in Help > How do I? pane and your productivity will soar!

ps Off topic, had the eurovision song contest been about the songs and not glorifying perversion, then Cyprus should have the winning song

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