■ xplorer² v5.4 released, codename Kaw-Liga

xplorer² shell property system predated the "proper" windows property system introduced with Vista (and finalized with Windows 7) by a good 10 years, so it was getting kind of rusty. The latest version 5.4 is a big rewrite of xplorer² property base, so that shell properties like MP3 ID3 tags (song duration, bit rates etc) and photo EXIF properties are quick to work with in all respects. Shell property caching also applies to [X]tended legacy column handlers and WDX plugins, thus shell properties are as usable as xplorer² own [S]tock properties. Whenever you show lots of file details, or sort, filter and search for advanced properties, you will immediately notice the speed difference.

There are a few floating-point number properties like System.GPS.LatitudeDecimal that are now properly handled as such (this is an ultimate edition feature). So now you can do photo searches by GPS coordinates, similar to DeskRule's map searches. Floating point properties are also possible from certain WDX content plugins.

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

Focused dialogs. Whenever a dialog window or message box appears, the main window is alpha-shaded, to help focusing on the task at hand. This behavior can be turned off setting the advanced registry option GAO2_NOSHADEDLG (available through the Advanced options editor). This feature requires windows 10 or later
Custom folder status indicator. When browsing a folder with custom settings (a folder where you have used Actions > Folder settings menu command), a status bar icon will appear (next to free space indicator) — see the window snapshot above.
Lengthy file operations. Working in large folders, even plain operations like filtering and sorting by slow properties can take a long time. More potentially slow operations like quick filtering and auto-refreshing will present a progress bar on the status bar, giving you an idea of the remaining time. If it is taking too long, press and hold ESCAPE key to abort the current operation.
Dark as night. If you turn on dark mode user interface, more things will show darker, including progress bar controls and system messageboxes

Upgrade information

Version 5.4 is a free upgrade for most people that already own v5.x licenses — except those received gratis as a free 1-year upgrade from v4.x. These customers as well as those with with old v4.x keys can upgrade to the latest version with a discount.

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.