------------------ XPLORER² CHANGELOG http://zabkat.com ------------------ Here you will find a brief list of items added in each consecutive build. For more information please refer to the updated full documentation (press F1 key in xplorer²) NOTE: Items marked with [P] are only in the professional version and [U] for the ultimate version (whatever is [P] is also for [U]) If you cannot read this file properly, turn on the WORD-WRAP mode in your text editor (press F2 key if you are using editor²; for Notepad tick FORMAT > WORD WRAP menu command) [6.0.0.2] 6 Jul 24 ---------------- * version information (columns etc) extracted from WDX etc TC plugins * Drivebar briefly flashes the newly added drive letter button, useful if you have many drives attached [6.0.0.1] 7 Jun 24 ---------------- * French and German translations are back online and available for installation. The only big language missing is Russian, any volunteers for the update? * When you move xplorer² (or editor²) to another DPI monitor it makes sure the window fits vertically or resizes itself appropriately. * If you use Everything for search, you can install Kilmatead's SizeES WDX plugin for fast folder size calculations straight into the SIZE column. This allows folder size calculations at root level too! For details see http://zabkat.com/blog/folder-size-revisited.htm * Installer has a help link in "choose additional tasks" page, which takes you to the online manual for clarifications. [6.0.0.0] 26 May 24 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2-v60-narcissus.htm This is a major version upgrade, and new keys will be required by all — obtained free of charge for those with free lifetime upgrade covers. Discounts are available for users upgrading from v5.x keys. But don't worry about inflation, xplorer² is still vending at its original price for 20 years, debunking all economic theory For upgrade information click http://zabkat.com/u_info.htm * GUI FACELIFT. This major release is all about appearences. It is evolution, not revolution, hopefully pleasing to the eye and helping the less experienced users understand what dialogs are doing. * DIALOG MINI-HELP BAR. Most dialogs get a top horizontal band that shows a (purposely) pixelated icon and a short explanation what the dialog is for. Click on MORE HELP? link and you will see the detailed information in the help file (manual) — or press F1 key. The advanced option MGAO3_NOFACELIFT prevents this band for those that don't like the new looks or the "waste" of space this help band introduces. If you prefer original icons activate MGAO3_NOMINECRAFT. * DIALOG FONT. All dialogs use the system Segoe UI font, looking smarter and in sync with the rest of your desktop. Sadly this font doesn't exist back in windows XP so the dialogs there look rather shabby with the system font. * FANCY PATH INPUT. All input boxes that are meant for paths get a little folder icon and a [...] button that can be clicked to browse for a folder using a tree dialog. Keyboard fans can use the autocomplete history portion once you type part of the path; if you start typing a full path like C:\... you get autocompletion to matching folder names as you type. You can also add paths with drag-drop from windows explorer. * [P] All hyper-filter dialogs (e.g. Find files) can be turned to basic form clicking on SIMPLE VERSION link, where instead of all the file properties you can search just for file NAME and TEXT in file contents — these are the searches most people do most of the time. Simple dialogs look less daunting and focused. You can switch to the full property version clicking on MORE PROPERTIES from simple mode. * CAPTION MESSAGES. Information about a command just executed (success or any error messages) is shown in a small window at the bottom of xplorer² main window. These messages are a cross between a full attention stealing messagebox and the discreet status-bar messages xplorer² used to show before. So they are more visible, but won't interrupt your work; you don't have to click OK to dismiss them — they go away after a few seconds automatically. Blue colors (and information icon) are used for simple messages, and orange for warnings and error messages (accompanied by a ding). If you didn't have enough time to read the message, double click on the left side of the statusbar to see the message again. Caption messages momentarily flash their background color to grab your attention. If you find this annoying you can turn it off using DPF_NOFLASHMSG advanced setting, or turn them off altogether using GAO2_NOCAPTIONMSG. Both tweaks are available in the advanced settings editor. * CHECKBOX SELECTION. For safely building large selections use MARK > USE CHECKBOXES menu command. A checkbox will appear in front of each item which must be ticked if you want to operate on an item with any menu command. Most commands that select in bulk in MARK menu will also tick the checkboxes automatically. When you issue any command like copy or delete, mere selection won't matter, only items that are TICKED will be operated upon (you will notice that xplorer² will align the selection with checkboxes just before it executes your command). However if there are NO items ticked, commands will use the selected items as usual. The selection pane on the statusbar (and infobars) will report on TICKED items instead of those merely selected, e.g. 2:1MB means that there are 2 items ticked totalling 1MB in size. The nice thing about checkboxes is that you cannot accidentally wipe them out, so you can build large "selections" with peace of mind. Unlike the old STICKY selection mode, checkboxes survive filtering: if a visual filter hides a checked item, the checkbox will be remembered when you bring it back into view. xplorer² checkboxes are designed to be robust, so they are not as easily wiped as in windows explorer. To untick all boxes use MARK > UNSELECT ALL menu or refresh the pane with keys. Use SPACE bar to flip the check state of selected items on/off. For example if you use lasso mouse selection and want your marked items ticked, press SPACE key. Exceptionally some simple operations as drag-drop and shell context menu will use the (merely) selected items instead of those ticked. Enable the advanced option MGAO3_SYNCMENUSEL to force context menu commands to use the checkboxes. Note that preview pane still uses the single FOCUSED item (the one with the dotted rectangle) to preview, regardless if it's ticked or not. * [P] CRUMBS-BAR. The addressbar gets a path crumbs toolbar as windows explorer. Each path portion (folder) is a clickable button so you can easily jump to parent folders. A >> arrow button next to each crumb pops a menu with local subfolders so you can quickly browse another folder at a higher level (use the old xplorer² crumbs on the pane titlebar to see sub-subfolders in the menu). Each crumb is a drop target, so you can copy and move stuff into higher folders using drag-drop. In deep levels there may not be enough room to show all path portions from the root (C:\) folder. In this case only the last few folders are shown; click on the leftmost >> arrow to access higher folder crumbs. Crumbs work even in special folders like zips and mobile phones. If you click on the rightmost arrow button you access the folder history drop-down. Click on the leftmost folder icon to edit the path as text. Press ENTER key to browse the path you typed. You can also execute commands as before, TOOLS > RUN COMMAND menu uses the crumbs bar in plain edit mode as the old addressbar. The quick filter bar is now a separate toolbar, independent of path input, so it is possible to have filtering without any sort of path input box. People upgrading from v5 must position the crumbs bar manually dragging it from its handle (on the left) if they want to have it next to the filterbar. The advanced setting DPF_NOCRUMBS disables the crumbs-bar in case you want to have the traditional path-cum-filter addressbar of yore, without the crumb button bells and whistles. * [P] DRIVEBAR SPACE INDICATORS. A little color bar above (or below) each drive button indicates the space USED in each drive, giving you an idea how much space you have left. The proportional bar is BLUE for drives with lots of space and RED if the free space is under 10%. To disable this feature use MGAO3_NODRIVEBARFREE advanced option. Mapped network drives will only show this indicator if fast network policy (TOOLS > OPTIONS menu) is disabled. Also note that the free space information isn't updated live. You must turn the drivebar on/off from VIEW > TOOLBARS menu if you need to see free space updates. * [U] MORE PROGRAMMABLE COLUMNS. 3 extra programmable columns are available in customize menu for ULTIMATE edition. Use CUSTOMIZE > PROGRAMMABLE > ADD NEW menu command to compose your new custom file property. Enter a title for it in PREDEFINED box (you don't need to click SAVE). This title is the column header in detailed view mode. You can turn on individual programmable columns either from CUSTOMIZE menu or using the ALT+K column selection dialog. All these columns are also available as hyper-filter conditions (e.g. to select or search for files). This list has an ORGANIZE command where you can rename, assign keys and custom icons for toolbars. It is limited to 3+1 items (the first is the old programmable column) so you will need to delete definitions you don't use often — you can have them saved in the old fashion though (Predefined box), and restore them in the plain programmable column. * [P] REDESIGNED COPY OPTIONS. Robust copy options dialog (F5 key) uses the new property control instead of checkboxes. This is a drastic change for old hands but on the positive side, you get conveniences like search as you type (incremental) selection to locate options by name, and detailed explanations of what each setting is for. The old "existing objects overwrite" group is converted to a drop-down list with the options previously available as radio buttons. To operate on options, either click or use SPACE to turn "checkboxes" on/off. Double-clicking on a property name also changes its value to the next available option. A new copy option IGNORE DST is available modifying "overwrite if newer else skip" option, which will ignore artificial 1-hour differences that many times result from Daylight Saving Time adjustments. Files that have identical size and are within 1-hour difference will be considered identical and skipped, although technically they appear "newer". * REDESIGNED PROGRAM OPTIONS. All program settings (TOOLS > OPTIONS menu) are using the new property control. Momentarily old hands will be confused, but the new options system is better organized and you should be able to find options quickly. They are organized in broad categories like General, Appearance etc, selectable though a tree control. As you select a category, you see the relevant options to the right. Each option has its explanation. The property control has 2 columns, on the left is the property name, and on the right the property value, which you can change. Most options are on/off checkboxes you can toggle with the mouse or space key. Other options are numbers which you type in, and there are special font and color selectors. Use the [...] button to the right to operate these (or F2 key). Use up/down arrow keys to navigate option lines. If the selected option doesn't accept keyboard input, you can start typing an option name to quickly jump to it, like you find filenames in folder panes (incremental search). If you type more than 4 letters in quick succession, the focus jumps to the FILTER box, where you search for properties by keyword. The search box is very useful to find an option, wherever it may be in the tree. As you type more keywords, you find less options with increased precision. Note that ALL keywords you type are searched for, but if nothing matches, the search automatically switches to ANY keyword mode, where a single keyword match is enough. Text in property description and values is also searchable. You can change properties in the search results list directly. To see all properties, clear the filter text with [X] button. Using the keyboard, press SHIFT+TAB to jump into the category tree, then TAB to go back into the property list. * Advanced option MGAO3_NOSAVEGLOBAL will not even save global options (bookmarks and such) if "save settings on exit" is disabled from program options. Otherwise changes to global options are always saved. * DARK CHECKBOXES. Windows 10/11 users will see smarter dark mode check boxes and radio buttons, and dark scrollers throughout and other finer details like edit box highlight. For windows 11 in particular, list view (folder pane contents) selected items may be hard to see clearly; a registry option szViewTheme can be set to "DarkMode_ItemsView" and improve its visuals and usability — the down side is that the scrollbars will not be dark. * PRINTER PAPER BACKGROUND. Folder view option Zebra background (available from new program options) gives alternative white and dark backgrounds in file rows in detailed view mode. This further assists reading file details, as an alternative to grid lines. * [P] Help > ABOUT dialog was redesigned and includes "social" buttons if you want to keep in touch using twitter/facebook etc * FIT COLUMNS. If you have enabled too many file details, you may not be able to see them all simultaneously (a horizontal scroll bar will show in the results pane). In such cases right click on the pane header row and use FIT COLUMNS menu command, which will resize all file details proportionately so they all fit in the available space. Of course some columns will end up squashed... * [P] Saved columns sets (CUSTOMIZE menu) now save the sort column as well, so when you restore a saved set you get both columns and the sort order fixed. This won't apply for sets you have defined before v6. * TOOLS > COMMAND SCRIPT menu will show command previews for TWO items so you can see the effect of your command template. You also get a warning if you are trying to execute DOS commands in folders that won't allow it, e.g. zipfolders or network drives. * [P] correct handling of floating point number properties in search rules, even negative numbers are allowed. GPS information in photos is a candidate property for this feature. * DJ mode media preview will start playing music and videos a few minutes after the beginning so you can jump straight in the main juice. This adjustable skip setting is available from TOOLS > OPTIONS menu (search for PLAYBACK) * CHECK FOR UPDATES 90-day reminder also offers to backup your settings in appdata folder. Having back-ups protects against mishaps and foobars. Use ACTIONS > IMPORT SETTINGS menu to restore saved settings. * WINDOW > LIST menu has a command to close all OTHER xplorer² windows (except the active one), convenient if you happen to have dozen of search results, layouts and what have you open simultaneously. * Folder tree picks up mobile phone connection and removal automatically, if THIS PC tree node is expanded. The tree redirects any menu commands it doesn't understand to the active view pane (instead of issuing an error message as before). So if you use NEW FILE (F7) menu command while the tree is focused, the file will be created in the active folder. Only a few commands make sense while browsing the tree anyway. * [P] ACTIONS > FOLDER SETTINGS > SUSPEND menu resets view settings (style, sort order etc). Sometimes xplorer² automatic sort order selection (in large folders) can get stuck; for these cases use SUSPEND command and whatever view mode happens to be active at the time becomes the default for all folders. * SUPER LOCKED TABS. When you lock a tab (by right clicking on it) you usually just stop the tab from browsing other folders. The new advanced option MGAO3_SUPERLOKTABS blocks most file operations as well, so you cannot even delete files in locked tabs, protecting accidents. * editor² v2.996 has improved dark mode checkboxes * Improved custom control accessibility for screen readers. The new property control used for program options is also JAWS-friendly, and will "speak" its options as you scroll through the list. * [P] Macro recorder generates cleaner code using FINDWND instructions whenever possible for easier identification of controls. * It is possible to exclude certain problematic shell extensions running inside (and crashing) xplorer² creating a text file called BLACK-DLL.TXT. This requires a plugin detour DLL. More information in a forthcoming blog post. (http://zabkat.com/blog/block-shell-extensions.htm) * [P] While a search is ongoing in a scrap window, there's a little ajax indicator animation on the statusbar. This in addition to the background wait mouse cursor. * bSortZipAsFiles advanced option (when set to 0, meaning zips are considered folders) also affects LNK shortcuts to folders, which are bunched with other folders first and separate from the files. This won't show LNK shortcuts in the folder tree though. * Officially dropped older windows versions, now minimum is windows XP (WINVER=5). The free lite version is also 32-bit Unicode, working better with localized filenames, but still saves its settings in a separate registry key. * A few message dialogs support copying out their text with keys. You can paste the clipboard text to any other application, e.g. Notepad. * All window splitter bars show drag handles in the middle, as an indicator that they are moveable. * various bugfixes and improvements * updated help and documentation [5.5.0.1] 24 Jan 24 ---------------- * when you browse a folder that gets removed (e.g. ejected disk) the pane switches to the desktop. To disable this behavior tick "Don't junk folder views..." advanced option (GAO2_NOUSBMONITOR) * advanced settings editor has an option to hide the NATIVE preview tab, in its Quick Preview section * some bugfixes [5.5.0.0] 23 Dec 23 ---------------- HAPPY HOLIDAYS! VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2-v55-manual.htm * HELP REWRITE A new help file was written from scratch, which you can enjoy with F1 key in the main program window (HELP > QUICK START menu) and also in many dialogs that have a [?] on their titlebar (pressing F1 in dialogs works too for context sensitive help) It is an amagalmation of program information, tips and tricks, demo videos and the most popular blog posts over the years. Hopefully it will be the only stop you need for getting help on xplorer². It is double the size of the old help manual! As the help rewrite took 2 months, there wasn't time for many new xplorer² features, except for the following small improvements: * [P] experimental: fuzzy groups with k-clustering AI algorithm using a negative fuzzy percentage (negative number K is how many clusters to create). It organizes items in terms of mutual "nearness" with respect to the selected property. Text properties like NAME cannot be clustered at present, only dates and numbers. See the documentation on fuzzy groups for details * improved dark mode for windows 10/11 (menus, listview headers etc) (same improvements for editor² v2.993) * fixed folder background menu problem (e.g. open powershell here etc) * better dragdrop images for win10 * date group "future" for freak files that are modified later than now (!) Probably indication there's something wrong with your system clock * symlinks can have their OWN (not that of pointed file's) date changed using ACTIONS > CHANGE ATTRIBUTES menu * new tip 34a for faster recycle bin * since xplorer² no longer runs on windows 98 (!) I have removed the ANSI versions from the 32 bit installer, only unicode stuff * improved performance of thumbnail (large icons) view searching * updated advanced settings editor with the following 3 options: GAO2_NOCPWATCHDOG (=32) don't install robust copy watchdog that monitors network availability and raises an alarm if things go slow; allow slow copies GAO2_NOHTMLTHUMBS (=131072) disable HTML thumbnail extraction, if you really hate internet explorer nMaxCopyThreads maximum allowable parallel robust copy operations (you should really use the queue and avoid parallel copies); 0 disables the limit [5.4.0.2] 14 Jun 23 ---------------- * bugfixes [5.4.0.1] 26 May 23 ---------------- * bugfixes for European floating point number format (1,20) [5.4.0.0] 7 May 23 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2-v54-shellcache.htm * FAST SHELL PROPERTIES A long overdue low level improvement, now xplorer² will show non-stock file properties much quicker, so shell properties are cached like [S]tock properties. You will notice the difference if you are using audio ID3 tags (duration, bitrate etc) and camera EXIF properties. Also works for [X]tended legacy column handlers and WDX plugins. This change affects many program features, showing file details, sorting, filtering and searching for shell column data. This is a pervasive change, which hasn't been tested very well for older windows, so if you are still on windows XP or older and you discover anything weird with file properties please let me know Shell properties also work in deep folders (requires windows 10 or later) * [U] xplorer² can handle floating point properties like System.GPS.LatitudeDecimal, and also any real numbers returned by WDX plugins. If you are searching using such numbers as filter rules, note that at present the limits are integer, e.g. you cannot search for GPS latitude 23.35 but you can search for range from 23 to 24 which is almost the same thing. * ESCAPABILITY. If xplorer² is busy reading or filtering with slow file properties, you can try pressing ESC key (keep it down for a while if need be) and it will abort whatever slow job it is currently busy with. 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. * Registry tweak nFastFilterCnt (=512) will switch to a quick sort order by NAME, in case you enter a big folder (with more items than this limit), if you are normally sorting by a slow property like MP3 Duration. This is a temporary measure, the next (not huge) folder you enter will be arranged by your default sort mode. Set nFastFilterCnt to 0 to disable this protection feature. * FOCUSED DIALOGS. Whenever a dialog window or message appears, the main window is alpha-shaded, to help focusing on the message at hand. This behavior can be turned off setting the advanced registry option GAO2_NOSHADEDLG. This feature requires windows 10 or later. * EDIT > COPY FILENAMES menu command copies just the filenames (without the path). The older ALT+C command has been renamed to COPY PATH NAMES so you can tell the difference. Each selected filename is copied in a separate line. If CTRL key is pressed, filenames are in one line separated by commas FILE1.TXT , FILE2.TXT * [P] The results of TOOLS > CHECK DUPLICATES menu command are presented in bands of alternating background colors, so you can tell duplicate file groups apart. Now these bands are better indented using divider lines. * [P] Custom folder status indicator. When browsing a folder with custom settings (a folder where you have used ACTIONS > FOLDER SETTINGS > SAVE menu command), a status bar icon will appear (next to free space indicator). * [P] A registry tweak called nMaxMinisearch controls how many items appear in popup minisearch window (a feature introduced in v5.3). When more results are found, xplorer² stops searching and you can use CLICK FOR ROBUST SEARCH to see if there are any more results. The default value of 28 maximum results fits nicely in the available popup window screem area. If you increase this limit, you may need to scroll to see more results. * Dead (unresponsive) folders in quick access list (folder tree) can be deleted with context (right click) menu as well as with pressing DEL key. Note this doesn't affect the real folder, it will just stop showing in the QAL * When you click on QUICK ACCESS (top item) in tree's QAL, you get to browse the recent items folder, which will be arranged by DATE automatically, so you can easily see the files you've worked with most recently, regardless of your usual sort mode. * Dark mode improvements, messageboxes and progress bars now paint in dark colors * multimonitor DPI improvements * Browsing into recycle bin is much faster, if there are many items inside. Sorry we lost autorefresh in the bin, but you can manually press CTRL+R to refresh the contents if necessary. In general you should empty the recyclebin from time to time, so you can browse it quicker, and clean up used disk space. * [P] Delete files in deep folders automatically uses trash (permanent) deletion instead of an error message. Recycle bin doesn't support deep documents, so be careful, your deletions cannot be undone! * Advanced option GAO2_MIDMOUSETAB (available in the advanced settings editor) lets you open new tabs using the middle mouse button. Click on any folder with the middle button and it will open in a new tab. This will work only when a single folder is selected. It is possible to simulate a middle button click with a 3-finger gesture on your mouse touchpad, see your touchpad windows settings. Without this option, middle mouse button toggles the selection state of the clicked item without harming any other selected items (like sticky selection) * Folder tab right click menu has a FIND TAB command for ribbon users. Use it to search for a tab by a partial name * [P] New macro command ADDTEXT can be used to add text to an edit control * editor² version 2.992 supports ADDTEXT macro and also shading and dark mode improvements. * [P] TOOLS > FOLDER STATISTICS command places a question mark icon overlay on folders that were not read for one reason or other (errors or junctions). * SVG vector images can be previewed and will also show thumbnails * [P] bigger boolean icons for file search and other similar advanced filtering dialogs * bugfixes [5.3.0.1] 29 Dec 22 ---------------- HAPPY HOLIDAYS! * [P] custom xplorer² context submenu shows also when you right click "nowhere" (on a view pane's background). You may add in there menu commands that don't rely on items selected * The new titlebar "drivebar" (drop-down menu really, see below) includes an item for THIS PC folder that lets you access other non-filesystem connected devices (phones etc) * [P] A keyboard-only command (ID= 33542) switches the quickfilter box from filter to search mode (and vice-versa). Use CUSTOMIZE > KEYBOARD menu to assign a keyboard shortcut to it; for new installations it is . This way you can easily switch modes, both filter and search are useful. There is another keyboard-only command that sets the focus to the quick filter box, ID number is 33250. * TOOLS > ADVANCED OPTIONS menu command starts the external settings editor in the correct layout, in case you are in a non-default layout (see WINDOW menu) * [P] CLEAR button in all filter-type dialogs (e.g. FindFiles) sends the focus to NAMED field so you can start typing something immediately * a few more multimonitor DPI corrections. * editor² v2.99 darkens its main window whenever a dialog pops up to assist focusing. This is controlled by bShadeFocus registry switch [5.3.0.0] 28 Nov 22 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2-v53-minisearch.htm * [P] POPUP MINI-SEARCH. The quickfilter box (next to addressbar) is extended for "search as you type" function. First set it to SEARCH mode using the drop-down button menu, then start typing what you want to find by NAME. A popup search results window will open, scanning the current folder AND its subfolders, showing the matching files, which can then be opened immediately. As you edit the search keyword(s), the search operation is revised automatically. Click anywhere else and the popup scrap window disappears. [U] if you have xplorer² ultimate edition, tick WINDOWS SEARCH menu option and if the folder is in the search index you will see results even faster! Up to 24 matching files and folders are shown. Linger the mouse pointer over an item to see its full path and other details in an infotip. Use mouse peek (e.g. keys) for a quick preview of results. If the expected result isn't there, either modify the keyword or click on ROBUST SEARCH footer to launch a regular full search command for the same filename. A limited number of commands are available for the mini-search results. You can open documents, right click on them for context menu commands, and use mouse peek preview. If you need other xplorer² file management commands just press to open the file location in the active pane or for a new tab. Use TAB key to jump from the quick search box into the search results window and back. ESC key will close the mini-search results window. If you close the window by accident you have 5 seconds to click the search box button (or ENTER key) to get back the results — otherwise start a new search! If you tick any quicksearch menu options that make the search "complex" and slow (e.g. search in TEXT CONTENTS), then search as you type won't work; press ENTER key to start a regular search command in a separate window. Mini-search as you type begins once you type 4 letters, assuming you have all default settings. Use advanced option nCharsAutoFilter to modify this behavior (it is the same setting that controls how many letters you type before focus jumps to the quickfilter box automatically). If you want to turn off the minisearch feature altogether use the advanced option GAO2_NOPOPUPFIND (=16777216) — which is available in the advanced settings editor. * DUAL POPUP PREVIEW. Mouse peek preview is extended so if you have TWO files selected (usualy pictures) you get to preview them side by side in a large popup window for easy comparison — think windiff but for thumbnail previews. The default keyboard shortcut is ; to dismiss the preview press any key or click the mouse. If you don't have 2 items selected and you have dual panes enabled, the comparison is between the 2 items focused left and right (you might want to use mirror browsing to compare identically named files). This command will work for any kind of file that has a thumbnail preview. However it doesn't work for e.g. plain text files — for those continue using WINDIFF for comparisons :) This feature is especially useful if you search for duplicate and similar photos (TOOLS > FIND SIMILAR PHOTOS menu in a scrap window). You can examine pairs of photos in a large side by side preview window, to decide which one to keep. NOTE: if you have modified keyboard shortcuts, probably ALT+SHIFT+Q won't work. Instead find this command in command finder (=33511) then use CUSTOMIZE > KEYBOARD menu and assign a shortcut to it from Miscellaneous category. * Program settings (TOOLS > OPTIONS menu) are searchable. Use the search box at the bottom left corner of the property sheet and type 1-2 suitable keywords for the option you are after. Click on FIND NEXT button (or F3 key) a few times till you locate your option. Each matching checkbox option is highlighted with a border around it. * Advanced frame option DPF_THISPCTITLE (=0x4000000) adds THIS PC icon on the left of each titlebar pane, which pops a list of drives when clicked. It is kind of a poor man's separate drivebar for each pane . If you need a "real" second drivebar you can use this toolbar hack: https://forum.zabkat.com/viewtopic.php?p=74857 * Subfolder sizes are calculated even in zipfolders, phones etc, albeit not automatically. Use TOOLS > SUBFOLDER SIZE menu command to update the size column for such folders. If you have enabled automatic folder size calculation from program options, then you'd need to press twice to show sizes in this situation. * advanced option GAO2_DIRSIZEALL (=8388608) forces TOOLS > SUBFOLDER SIZE command to calculate ALL folders, not just the selected ones * [P] TOOLS > FOLDER STATISTICS menu command also shows the 10 biggest files in the folder hierarchy examined in a separate tree node, so you can see which files take the most space. Hit ENTER key on a file to browse it in a normal xplorer² window * [P] Drag one item with the RIGHT mouse button and drop in the miniscrap pane, and use LINK TARGET menu command to store a LNK shortcut to the actual file or folder, instead of the real thing. This indirection isn't as daft as it seems, if you consider you can RENAME the link so you can recognize it without changing the actual folder (or file). Links are stored in %TEMP% folder locally; they can also refer to intermittently available network targets (for the problem see https://www.zabkat.com/blog/network-miniscrap.htm) * advanced option GAO2_DELSELNEXT (=4194304) automatically selects the next item after deletion (so you are ready to delete again) * [P] macro recorder (CUSTOMIZE > MACROS > RECORD menu) adds a command descripiton (as a comment) after automatically generated COMMAND statements, so you can recognize the cryptic command number * advanced option GAO2_NOFLIPTBICONS (=2097152) won't change toolbar icon size automatically when switching monitors with different DPI settings * [U] programmable column is right justified if it contains a number, else left-justified if it is text or date. If the programmable formula returns mixed numbers and strings the behavior is undefined * browser view option CLVOPT_DELARGEICONS (=0x4000000) uses large icons in detailed view mode, as a workaround for providing more line spacing between filename rows * some bugfixes * New tips: 4c, 76a, 97a, 134b [5.2.0.1] 16 May 22 ---------------- * some bugfixes for multimonitor DPI behavior (e.g. shrinking previewer fonts) * xplorer² now supports an SFTP extension called WINFSP (https://winfsp.dev/rel/). More on that later [5.2.0.0] 30 Mar 22 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2-v52-forest.htm * xplorer² is finally multimonitor aware. When you move its window between monitors even with wildly varying DPI resolution, the transition should be smooth and all fonts and display elements will be automatically adjusted for best readability. The installer multimonitor manifest is on by default (recommended). If in the past you had problems in multimonitor setups, please undo any compatibility tweaks and let xplorer² handle the DPI automatically. * editor² is also permonitorv2 aware with automatic font changes when moving monitors * xplorer² addressbar shows correctly even in extremely high DPI resolutions. No more edit controls getting cropped in height. Right click on a toolbar and use AUTOARRANGE menu to pack all toolbars efficiently in the available space * [P] If you prefer a separate folder tree for each pane, use TOOLS > OPTIONS and in Window property page tick SHOW 2 TREES option. A splitter window manages the tree and folder view in each pane. All other tree options extend for double trees, e.g. you can have them automatically aligh with the folder browsed. If you find that you run out of space in dual tree mode, try stacking the dual panes up/down (see VIEW menu). Dual tree mode cannot be combined with quick access list, trees show only your system folders. * [P] TOOLS > FOLDER STATISTICS command window has an EMPTY FOLDERS menu command, which discovers all empty folders in the hierarchy shown (if any exist). Empty folders are those that have no files in them (but they could have empty subfolders): DIR1 EMPTY1 EMPTY2 EMPTY3 In the above example, as all subfolders are empty, the top one DIR1 will be selected as the master empty folder. All empty folders will be loaded in a scrap window, and in there you can delete them in one go (select all, then FILE > DELETE menu) * scrap containers better refreshing after mass deletions (e.g duplicates cleanup) * some bugfixes recyclebin etc * Advanced registry tweak szNoDirTypes contains a list of file extensions (usually archives e.g. ZIP,7Z) that xplorer² should not browse as folders — instead they open in their registered program. This is an easy way to disable zipfolder browsing * some v5 keys (issued as free upgrades from v4) will stop working for v5.2. People with such keys can continue using the older version 5.1 or pay for the upgrade using a discount, see here for upgrade information: www.zabkat.com/u_info.htm * better highlight of search hits (find text in files) in draft text previewer. Instead of underlining keywords, the previewer inverts the background for good visibility. Press F3 key to find the next hit in the previewer * most installer options are also available as command line arguments, for people that prefer automatic silent installations. All the options are listed below ("additional tasks"). For example, if you want to create a desktop shortcut, pass the argument /DESKTOP=1 (=0 would untick the checkbox). 2 Checkbox Text=Create Desktop shortcut /DESKTOP= 3 Checkbox Text=Create Quick Launch shortcut /QUICK= 4 Checkbox Text=Run xplorer² when Windows start /WINDOWS= 6 Checkbox Text=Editor² Quick Launch shortcut /EDITOR= 7 Droplist translations -> strings /TRANSL= English|German|French|Spanish|Italian|Japanese|Greek|Dutch|Swedish|Serbian|Czech|Polish|Bulgarian|Chinese Trad|Chinese Simpl|Brazilian|Russian 10 Checkbox Text=Open all folders with xplorer² (replace windows explorer) /REPLACE= 11 Checkbox Text=Use a separate single-pane window for integration (not recommended) /SINGLE= 12 Checkbox Text=Modern skin /SKIN= 13 Checkbox Text=Add to folders context menu /CONTEXT= 14 Checkbox Text=Replace explorer for all users on this PC /ALLUSERS= 15 Checkbox Text=Multi-monitor manifest /MONITOR= if you want to supply the installation folder in /S silent mode, use /D= argument, along with any other arguments from the above list installer.exe /S /D=C:\Program Files\Foo /DESKTOP=1 * new tips: 33b [5.1.0.2] 27 Nov 21 ---------------- * Sadly the new mass rename mode that maintains selection turned out to be very slow, so an advanced registry setting called nMaxSlowRename was added to control the behavior. If you are not interested in successive renaming steps, set it to 0, so all renames finish quickly as previously. Otherwise, "slow" rename mode will be used only when few files are to be renamed, the limit being nMaxSlowRename. Only use it if you plan to rename the same set of files in steps. [5.1.0.0] 28 Oct 21 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/x2-v51-bigup.htm NOTE: xplorer² purchase handler is now PayPro Global (bye fastspring!) * [P] CLOUD ROBUST COPY. F5 copy is careful with "offline" (on demand) cloud files and it asks you to download them. Use YesToAll button if you want to go ahead and bring them all to your local PC. To disable this warning, use the old GAO2_DOWNLOADCLOUD registry tweak. * [P] ROBUST COPY WATCHDOG. If F5 file copy command detects a slow progress, then it offers you the option to skip the current problematic file and continue with the rest, or abort the lot. Useful for the odd case where network unavailability or other screw-up makes copying files get stuck. * [P] CONVERT GROUPS TO FOLDERS. Regular or custom groups (even fuzzy grouping) in scrap container collections can be converted into actual folders using TOOLS > EXTRACT GROUPS menu command. Say you used VIEW > ARRANGE BY > SHOW IN GROUPS menu to show items alphabetically grouped using their first letter, you can then use extract groups command to create folders that contain the items of each group. You choose a top destination folder and xplorer² creates subfolders under it, one per group (the folder names match the group titles you see). You can either COPY or MOVE the original files into these subfolders. This command can also organize items by DATE, whether you have groups or not. This is useful e.g. if you have a truckload of photos in a scrap and you want to automatically move them in subfolders according to their modification date. Depending on the dialog option you choose, you can have one folder PER YEAR, or you can have items organized by year AND MONTH (i.e. each year subfolder has 12 subfolders corresponding to months). Usually MODIFIED date is used for automatic folder creation, but you can pick any other date you want (eg DATE TAKEN) by placing it FIRST in the details. To reorganize column order either use ALT+K command or drag-drop using the column header * [P] DUPLICATES CHECKER IMPROVEMENTS. You may have heard that I recently released a purpose-built duplicate files checker called i-DeClone (http://ideclone.com). Some of its comparison features are now available for xplorer² duplicate checker too, to wit: - TOOLS > CHECK DUPLICATES dialog has controls that allow you to ignore certain time differences (if comparing by Modification date) that may be artificial. So if you are comparing items located in FAT32 folders, up to 2 seconds difference could be an artefact and you now get the option to ignore it. - registry setting nMinDupeSize lets you ignore very small files (those that are smaller than this limit, default=1024 bytes). Many times your hard disk contains tons of small files that make the comparison harder, but with little benefit, as these files take next to no space. If you set it to 0 (use the advanced options editor) then you disable the small file check and examine all files, as in past versions. - Checking for duplicates by CONTENT (byte by byte) takes long time if the files are huge. Registry setting nMaxDupeContentMB sets the maximum limit for exact comparison. Files bigger than this limit are examined statistically (all the bytes below nMaxDupeContentMB, then 10% at random above it). If the files are identical, then you get the same verdict at a fraction of the time. Arguably there is a small uncertainty involved, as 2 files may be different in places where xplorer² didn't examine, and they are deemed "identical" by mistake. However I believe the advantages far outweigh the small risk. If you want to be more certain, increase the cutoff limit to its maximum value of 250MB - xplorer² is more careful when you scan your entire PC for duplicates, and excludes the same file accessed through 2 separate routes (through junctions in your Documents folder for example). So you have less of a risk of deleting pseudo-duplicates (same file with different pathname) - If you change the sort mode in duplicate results window, then restore sort by GROUP ID, the bands of background color that represent the duplicate files will reappear - When deleting lots of duplicate files, you will find that the pane refreshes better, leaving only original items behind. * BIGGER DIALOGS. In the interest of all mature/elderly users out there, all xplorer² dialogs get a slightly larger font that makes the difference, especially in higher resolution displays. The same goes for the internal viewer editor² and the advanced settings editor. * FASTER SYNC BY CONTENT. When you compare files by content (MARK > SYNC WIZARD menu command), big files are only scanned exactly up to nMaxDupeContentMB limit mentioned earlier. Any extra bytes are sampled statistically. The same advantages and disadvantages mentioned above apply here too. * MILLISECOND DATE ACCURACY. xplorer² uses exact file dates internally, but date information is presented only with 1-second accuracy (unless you opted for friendly dates). If you want to see milliseconds then add the new ".zzz" format specification in szCustomTimeFormat registry setting (available through advanced options editor): HH:mm:ss.zzz This will affect all dates shown, even for the programmable column functions DATETIME and DPART(date,z) If you want to see milliseconds in FAT32 formatted drives you need to enable GAO2_PRECISEDATES registry tweak * MASS RENAME IMPROVEMENTS. The mass rename F2 dialog will automatically generate a preview how the renamed files will look like every few seconds, so you don't have to click on PREVIEW button manually. You are still advised to click on it before you do the actual rename though, as it does some extra tests that catch some subtle errors that may throw off the rename if left unchecked. (autopreview also applies to ACTIONS > FILE PROPERTIES menu command that uses the same dialog) Perhaps more importantly, now mass rename preserves the original SELECTION, despite files changing their names, so you can apply successive rename operations on the same set of files -- this is best implemented using macros I suppose. For example you can first add a numeric counter, then replace part of the original filename, then change the capitalization and so on. * [P] CREATE SYMBOLIC LINKS. Microsoft in their wisdom show fit to permit symlink creation only to ELEVATED processes (unless you enable the special developer mode from start menu, see https://blogs.windows.com/buildingapps/2016/12/02/symlinks-windows-10). In the past you would have to run xplorer² elevated, but the new xplorer² bypasses this limitation using a hidden elevated copy of itself, that gets the job of creating symbolic links in the background. When you use EDIT > PASTE SPECIAL > SYMBOLIC LINK command, you get to run it elevated. Remember that running xplorer² elevated all the time isn't recommended, so this mode lets you have your cake and eat it too! To disable this auto-elevation feature use GAO2_NOADMINSYMLINK registry tweak (=hex 0x100000) If you want to link to files in the same partition, then use hard links instead of symbolic links, they are more robust and don't require elevation either. * [P] FIND ALL HARD LINKS. If you put a file that has one or more hard links in a scrap container (or in the miniscrap pane), then select it and press CTRL+L keys (or GOTO > FIND TARGET menu), you will see all its clones listed next to it. By definition hard links are stored in the same hard disk partition, but they can have different names yet still represent the same file content. * [U] COMPARE ITEMS PROGRAMMATICALLY. A new programmable function called PNEXT fetches the next or previous filename (full path) of an item, in the order they appear in a window. This allows you to do excel-formula-like comparisons between items, combining PNEXT with FILEPROP and FILE2 functions that operate on different items. For example: ${size} - FILEPROP(${size}, PNEXT(1)) will calculate the size difference between an item and the one that immediately follows it in the list (the last item will be empty as there's no item following it) ${Path}=FILEPROP(${Path},PNEXT(1)) & ${Group ID}=FILEPROP(${Group ID},PNEXT(1)) in the context of duplicate results, it will show 1 (=TRUE) if items in the same group also have the same path, and 0 otherwise. Notice the use of = to compare two values and the & (AND) boolean operator to compare 2 file properties simultaneously. If you change the sort order, programmable formulas including PNEXT will be refreshed automatically after a while. Note such expressions cannot be used for searching, as they require an ordering. But you can use it in rules to mark or filter items. The numeric argument of PNEXT can be any number, although I cannot think of any useful application of values other than 1 and -1 (for previous item) Remember you can turn on the programmable column right clicking on a pane's sort column header. See the documentation for more details. * [P] VIEW > ARRANGE BY > CUSTOM GROUPS dialog allows you to duplicate a category filter (use the little toolbar or the context menu), so e.g. you can create similar groupings by date, each with a different year. * Switched to unicode NSIS installer, that shows correctly in most PCs except ancient ones running windows 98. Sadly you can no longer install xplorer² on windows 98 -- to the dismay of windows historians :) Actually I think xplorer² no longer runs on win98 as it GPFs immediately. Most of you won't care either way. * The filterbar box in the addressbar can be bigger than the path box, up to 80% of the total available width. This is useful for scrap windows where the path box is rather useless. Use nFilterBox100 registry tweak or advanced options editor to change the relative percentage. * Normally filtering using all file details (columns) is expected to be slow, so xplorer² wouldn't update the list live "as you typed" -- you had to press ENTER key in the quick filter box to see the results. Now if the pane contains not too many items, live filtering occurs, even when ALL PROPERTIES option is ticked in the filter box menu. * Fixed some addressbar paint glitches when using super large icons * Many progress dialogs (e.g. folder statistics, flattening paths) have a little clock button that can be used to temporarily pause then resume a long operation. Click CANCEL to abort altogether * Double click to the left end of the status bar to repeat the last message, whatever it was, in case you didn't get the chance to read it before it disappeared * better handling of phone paths, more readable subfolder names * registry tweak DPF_JUNKLOKEDTABS (=hex 0x1000000) ignores any locked tabs when restoring saved folder groups. * [P] If you have your license key saved in a text file, you can drag-drop the license file to xplorer² license manager dialog instead of copy/pasting the text key. Ssadly this does not work from email attachmens, you must first drop the attachment on the desktop. * if you create a new file or folder and you don't rename it, it is sorted properly -- if you have the option "automatically re-sort contents..." ticked (TOOLS > OPTIONS menu, Window property page). * new tips: 39c, 52a, 85a, 139a * the odd bugfix (for new Windows 11 too) [5.0.0.3] 13 Jun 21 ---------------- * fixed some tree's quick access list gremlins. If you get multiple phantom folders in it, just delete them and they shouldn't come back. * a little better recovering from network folder tab becoming unavailable. You only need to wait up to the ping timeout before xplorer² comes back to life. * editor² allows larger toolbar skins, e.g rename ed2skin_XL.png to ed2skin.png in the installation folder and see how it looks (good for high DPI) [5.0.0.1] 16 Mar 21 ---------------- * if peek preview on some PDF document takes too long, hold down ESCAPE key to abort reading it * the inevitable small bugfixes [5.0.0.0] 28 Feb 21 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2-v50-mac-finder.htm * mini website facelift with new screenshots and introductory demo videos http://zabkat.com . * Added REMOVE command in quick access list's context menu to be used for removing items from the QAL. DELETE menu does the same but it could be misinterpreted in other regular tree nodes, where delete means REAL delete of the actual folder! * Registry tree option FTCOPT_QALNODROPTARGET (=2048) prevents stuff dropped INSIDE folders in quick access list. You lose some of the shell functionality, but prevent accidental moves inside folders, when all you meant to do was insert an item in the QAL! * A pane's Miller property is persistent when you quit xplorer². The folders themselves are not saved, but upon restart "Column mode" is enabled and you can start side-by-side browsing immediately. * smarter swap panes command (GOTO menu) leaves the folders exactly as they were, view modes, locked tabs and all * new tips: 5c, 7a, 9g, 9h, 10a, 12a, 39b, 47b, 51b, 75b, 118a, 144c, 149a, 164b, 167a * OneDrive folders can be searched without GAOPT_FOLLOWJUNCTIONS advanced setting. The setting is reserved for real folder junctions. Double check it works for DropBox and other cloud drives too? * 4 new demo videos in HELP > HOW DO I? menu explain the biggest of the new features (look out for NEW marker) * F1 help from dialog boxes opens the manual at the correct location if you use non-IE browsers (Chrome, Firefox etc) * lots of bugfixes and optimizations * [P] FILE > BROWSE FLAT menu command improved (quicker, half time to flatten 230K files) * [P] Check duplicates dialog has a CLEAR button to get rid of all the checkboxes, so you can start a new clean search * Divider bars (splitters) for dual pane should be easier to grab in high DPI. Also added advanced mainframe tweak DPF_THICKSPLITTER (=0x800000) to make the main dual pane splitter double the size, so you can tell it apart from miller column splitters, if need be. * [U] new duplicate files detection algorithm, 100 times faster than original, makes big difference in large file sets -- makes checking duplicates for your entire hard disk feasible * [P] new macro commands KEYDOWN/UP, similar to SENDKEY but more flexible. For example SENDKEY A is equivalent to KEYDOWN A followed by KEYUP A. This is useful e.g. if you want to simulate pressing SHIFT key while clicking on a dialog button: KEYDOWN shift OK KEYUP shift Note these keys don't need a window context like SENDKEY, whichever window has the focus will receive the keystroke. You must match each down key with its equivalent UP, otherwise the keyboard will go funny. * Advanced registry option rgbTabHilite sets the color for highlighting the active tab and active miller pane. Available through the advanced settings editor * Advanced mainframe option DPF_TABINSERTNEXT (=0x400000) makes new tabs to open immediately after the active tab, instead of at the far end * [P] MILLER COLUMNS. This is the big one, a feature ported from Mac PCs and their Finder file manager. It is like tabbed browsing, allowing you to see many neighboring folders simultaneously. Perhaps it's similar to locked tabs mode. For more details please refer to the documentation and watch the related demo video in HELP > HOW DO I? pane Use FILE > COLUMN MODE menu command (or the toolbar/ribbon buttons) to enter miller mode. Then when you browse a folder (pressing ENTER or double-click) it opens in a new pane. If too many panes exist, a scrollbar is used to manage them. Each tab can have its own miller columns. The active folder in each set is what's used for dual pane comparisons etc. You can use left-right arrows to jump pane. You can tweak many options, including the maximum number of side-by-side folders (nMaxMillers and MIVF_xxx) using the Advanced settings editor. * If you hate xplorer² ultimate orange icon, design your favorite one, call it X2ICON.ICO and drop it in the installation folder, then yours will be used instead! For the desktop shortcut icon (if any), edit the properties (right click) and change the icon there too (copy X2ICON.ICO file path from the installation folder). This will be also used if you PIN xplorer² on the taskbar. * (internal optimization) more efficient windows message routing (saves your CPU) * The quick previewer will show cloud previews for some images if they are in the thumbnail cache, regardless if they are marked "cloud only" (offline) * xplorer² will preview and show thumbnails of common image types PNG/JPG/GIF even if the windows thumbnail cache is busted * PEEK PREVIEW. Enable mouse peek from TOOLS > OPTIONS (Window page) then press both left+right mouse buttons together to see a large preview of the item under the cursor. Then let go of the mouse keys and the preview will go away! It is also available from VIEW > PEEK menu command, so you can preview the selected item with the keyboard (Alt+Q is the default key binding), then any key (except Pageup/Down) will dismiss the preview. Very handy. The preview is similar to the DRAFT quick preview tab, so it will show images and plain text (including text extracted from DOC/PDF/XLS documents) only. Advanced options editor allows you to choose the preview size as a percent of your monitor. For text previews, the registry setting nPeekTextWidth is the maximum width of the popup preview window, for pics the size is determined by the bitmap dimensions. * Press alt+enter keys in the quickfilter box (next to addressbar) to apply the text filter on the inactive pane * [P] CMENU macro instruction works for dock sites, so for example the following snippets will float then dock the quick preview panel: # from dock to float FINDWND preview CMENU float # reverse action (float to dock) FINDFRAME preview CMENU dock * new fixed icon for UPDIR (..) item has a little green arrow for better visibility, to tell it apart from other folders — it's always shown first too, regardless of the sort mode. * [P] PHONE BACKUP. Copy options like "overwrite if newer else skip" work for "fake" folders like phones and tablets. So you can copy from/to such devices and your local HD in backup mode. The user interface looks the same as explorer copy, but it supports advanced options -- you set then as usual in the F5 robust copy dialog (or TOOLS > BACKUP menu command). Sorry no wildcard/filters allowed at present. For zipfolders and other compressed archives, it can only be used to get stuff OUT of them (into a regular filesystem folder) This feature requires Windows Vista or later. Some of the less important copy options are ignored to allow backup copy to/from virtual folders, e.g. "clear readonly attribute". In silent mode only errors are logged. For windows 7 and older, phones can only be the SOURCE, not the target of the backup. * [P] Robust copy through filters is much improved when only simple properties are used (name/size/date/path). If you use other more complex properties for copy filtering then you won't see any improvement. Robust copy log when in backup mode (overwrite if newer else skip) will only include actual copy information, and exclude any files skipped or filtered * MANUAL POSITIONS. In small folders set as large icon or thumbnail mode, use ARRANGE BY > MANUALLY menu command to move items with the mouse and leave them where you like. Then use ACTIONS > FOLDER SETTINGS > SAVE menu to put them inside DESKTOP.INI (with other custom folder settings), so when you come back to that folder you'll find the items where you left them. Related advanced registry settings are nMaxPositions (max number of item positions to save) and CLVOPT_GRIDSNAP, which snaps icons to a grid (otherwise you can put them even one on top of the other!) Note you can sort a manually positioned folder if you need, temporarily destroying your custom positions, but once you switch to ARRANGE BY > MANUALLY, the positions will be restored. * [P] Browser view option CLVOPT_CUSTOMAUTOSAVE (see registry.txt) will automatically save any changes inside custom folders, including icon positional information. So if you have used FOLDER SETTINGS > SAVE in a folder, and later do some changes, they will be automatically saved for you. * Press F3 key to find next keyword in advanced settings editor, useful when you're trying to locate a tweak to configure * QUICKACCESS TREE. Similar to explorer's quick access list (QAL), but not identical (no pins exist). Use TOOLS > OPTIONS menu and tick it in Window property page (tree options section). It shows some frequently used folders to begin with but you can put there whatever you like using drag-drop. Thus you have your own (flat) mini-tree with folders you access the most. You can rename and delete items in the QA list without affecting the real folders. You can even put network items in there and xplorer² shouldn't be too slow starting up. Functionality almost identical to miniscrap really The top node "Quick access" takes you to your recent folder, which holds documents you've used lately. The registry setting nFrequentQAL specifies how many folders of your top frequent folders list to add to the QAL -- but once you have more than 12 items in the list, no frequent items are inserted automatically. WARNING: when you try to insert a new folder in the QAL be careful to drop it INBETWEEN existing folders (you will see a horizontal insertion mark), otherwise you'll end up MOVING the new folder inside the one existing in the QAL! For safety you can drag-drop new folders using the RIGHT mouse button, so if something goes wrong you can cancel the drop. Or use FTCOPT_QALNODROPTARGET advanced setting to disable drops altogether. * Editor² v2.98 supports dark mode through its options, and works better with unmarked unicode text files. * [P] xplorer² text search should work with Windows experimental beta UTF8 locale setting (control panel, language for non-unicode programs). But it is a rubbish setting really, because it completely breaks ANSI programs (like xplorer² lite) which are the ones that would benefit most out of it. So unless you have a serious reason to choose the option, let it be. * [P] advanced registry option GAO2_ORIENTALCP uses a robust (albeit a bit slower) method to detect unmarked unicode text files (without BOM). If you live in the far East then probably you should set it on through the advanced settings editor. * [P] Everybody will need NEW unlock keys for v5.0, but many will get free replacements. To check if you are entitled for a free or discounted v5.0 key use HELP > REGISTER PROGRAM menu, or the equivalent command under LICENSE MANAGEMENT in ribbon's leftmost tab. If xplorer² cannot find your old license key (but you know where it is yourself) you can use this upgrade page http://zabkat.com/upgrade.htm . For more information see http://zabkat.com/u_info.htm The change compared to previous major upgrades is that ALL customers that own a v4.x key will be allowed to upgrade at a discount -- the old 2-year limit does not apply! This should allow more people to get the new version! * [P] Right click on an infobar to access a menu of saved column sets (as defined in CUSTOMIZE menu), and apply the column set on the infobar * [P] CAMEL CASE. Mass renaming has 2 new options, a camel that changes spaces and word breaks into capitals (e.g. "hello world-son" becomes helloWorldSon) and one to remove accents, so the German "über" will become "uber". Once you convert a name into camel case you can't go back (undo) except using regular expressions (see below discussion in v4500) * [P] ACTIONS > FILE PROPERTIES menu command can also change en-mass numeric properties, although I can't see many of them useful. Perhaps the track number # property is the only candidate. Use change templates that translate into numbers e.g. automatic counters * Various corrections to dark mode, e.g. dark checkboxes look less lame. Now you can turn dark mode on/off using the normal program options (TOOLS > OPTIONS menu, General property page) * [P] FOLDER SIZE PIES. The command TOOLS > FOLDER STATISTICS will show a little pie chart of the biggest folders in your list, one for each level you browse. It should help the visual folks to see the big folders eating up your hard disk space. Drag the splitter to make the pie bigger or smaller. The folder selected in the tree pops out a "pizza slice" so you can identify it. You can also use the tooltips over the pie pieces to discover the folder names. [4.5.0.1] 25 Oct 20 ---------------- * editor² build 2971 adds automatically managed frequent document list in FILE menu * when switching to single pane mode, all tabs from old (closed) pane are saved, so you can restore them when you turn dual pane mode back on. [4.5.0.0] 7 Oct 20 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/x2v45-updir.htm * Optional UP-DIRECTORY (..) item by enabling GAO2_UPDIRITEM (=16384) advanced option. The famous NC item will be added for all filesystem folders allowing you to go up one level. It will also act as a drop target if you want to move anything up one level. In most folder sorting modes, this pseudo-item is placed first for easy access. * [P] mass renaming change case of filenames to UPPER or lower, using the MODE drop-down box. In this mode you cannot make any changes to the name other than its case. For more advanced case changing options you can use regular expressions in "search and multi-replace" mode e.g. MATCH: (.+?)([A-Z]) TARGET: $1_$2 RENAME: camelCaseToSnakeCase.txt => camel_Case_To_Snake_Case.txt (finds capitalized letters and inserts _ underscores) NOTE: when changing the case of filenames, you may need to press keys to refresh the folder and see the changes * xplorer² communicates simple messages using the leftmost status bar pane. If the message is too long to be seen in its entirety, the panel will scroll the message FYI. You can also use HELP > LAST ERROR menu command to see the last error message, if you missed the statusbar text. * [U] xplorer² 64-bit version will automatically use 32 bit text extraction filters, in case you have only 32 bit versions of them installed, so you can search in more advanced document types bypassing 32/64 bit hell! To turn off the new feature use advanced registry option GAO2_NOFBROKER32 (=4096) * [P] TOOLS > CHECK DUPLICATES menu command will ask if you want to compare both left/right folders if in dual pane mode, or just the current (active) folder * [P] numeric search rules include a new unit "minutes" meant for audio/video duration (LENGTH property), equivalent to 600,000,000 base units (100s of nanoseconds). This way you can locate MP3 tunes by duration easily * Find tab command dialog shows the full path of the selected item in the description area for easier identification * Active path portion in the crumbBar is highlighted by underlining, accentuating the "click on link" mouse action. If you need even better visibility, you can change the "folder highlight color" using Advanced Options menu command. * [P] New Infobar stock column TOTAL DURATION shows the total length of any selected media files (music and video). Right click on an infobar (VIEW > TOOLBARS menu) to turn it on (select the column) * New friendlier dates activated with advanced registry option GAO2_PALDATE (=8192). They are easy to read AND offer more information than the older "friendly dates" (available from program options, Advanced property page — you need to turn this option on too). Now you get at least 1-day accuracy for all files; for modification dates that are recent, you get up to minute accuracy (e.g. "last 10 minutes"). If you are sorting by a stock date column, the view automatically refreshes every 1 minute to show correct minute-accurate dates. NOTE: when friendly dates are on, you can see exact dates (including time) using the Detais pane (VIEW menu) * Advanced option GAO2_PRECISEDATES(=65536) ensures that file dates shown are always 1-second accurate for NTFS formatted hard discs. Note this flag will affect somewhat the folder reading speed, and the benefit isn't important for most people. Probably not needed for windows 10 either! (older windows may degrade date accuracy in 2-second intervals) * [P] advanced option GAO2_365PATCH(=32768) adds experimental patch for office 365 native preview. The down side is that the preview pane will grow and shrink all the time by 1 pixel, and it won't make DOCX preview perfect. Still looking for a perfect solution... * $-counters (e.g. $1) used in mass rename can have an optional step size instead of the default increase by one. The step is defined after the starting digits separated by a colon, as $1:2 (will generate the sequence 1 3 5...) Remember that the counter token reflects the starting number and any leading zeroes: $003:5 will generate the sequence 003 008 013 ... * registry writes get to be a bit more efficient, only saving lists that have actually changed. This was quite a sweeping code change so please keep an eye open for any odd settings behavior (bookmarks and other custom lists). * [U] export settings to INI file correctly saves all layout data, if any custom layouts are defined (see WINDOW menu); the side effect is that all layouts must be opened simultaneously (with your permission). Likewise switching saving program settings from registry to INI (or vice versa) will save all layout settings. * [P] if you right click on a toolbar button that corresponds to a customizable command (e.g. bookmark, macro, user command) you can edit its definition using PROPERTIES menu command. This is quicker than going through the ORGANIZE menu command for the customizable list * [P] Macros can be duplicated (cloned) within the macro Organize dialog (see CUSTOMIZE menu) * [P] better handling of custom icons (user commands etc), which should help faster program startups and adding of custom items. If you use custom icons a lot, it's best to use something available from a local DLL or file, otherwise delays may result * For large files (above the checksum extraction limit set in TOOLS > OPTIONS) checksum [S]tock column will calculate the first 4MB (or whatever the limit is) and add the file size on top. So it will be an indication of file content for comparison purposes, at least better than no checksum at all for large files! This doesn't apply for the MD5 column, which is still constrained by the checksum limit. * When a tree item is filtered and filtering is suspended, a right click context menu will show a checkmark next to "Hide this folder" command. Use the command to UNhide a tree node * Copy/Move to dialog (F5/F6 keys) HERE box includes all bookmarks and frequent folders as targets for easy selection. In this box up-arrow autocomplete works: type part of the name of the path then hit up arrow key a few times till you see the desired folder selected. * [P] The similar picture locator dialog box (TOOLS > FIND SIMILAR PHOTOS menu command in a scrap window) has a checkbox to "select all duplicates", so you can easily get rid of the extras. However it is advisable to double check the automatic selections and intervene manually to keep the good pictures, as the AI involved doesn't possess artistic taste yet :) Ticking this SELECT option will automatically turn on sticky selection mode. To turn it off press keys or see MARK menu. * Global registry setting chRenDefault is the single character to use whenever illegal characters are inserted in filenames during renaming. The default value is _ (underscore). Leave empty so that all illegal characters are removed automatically (not just replaced). * [P] Drivebar shows also items without drive letters, e.g. external HDs mounted on empty folders. For those that have more drives than letters in the english language! Global registry setting nMountDriveChars specifies how long mount names to show on the drivebar (the tooltip shows the full name if cropped). Set it to 0 to stop xplorer² showing pure mounts altogether, leaving only normal drive letters. NOTE: the mount name comes from the folder, not the drive, see here for more information http://zabkat.com/blog/volume-mount-point-backup.htm.htm * Advanced settings editor search box will automatically switch property page (from LAYOUT to GLOBAL etc) if a search term is not found. Helpful if you don't remember if a setting is global or layout-specific. * new tips: 4b, 29a, 39a, 43b, 73a, 111c, 111d and 173a * various bugfixes and efficiency improvements [4.4.0.1] 3 May 20 ---------------- * Brazilian and Russian translations back online [4.4.0.0] 17 Mar 20 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2-v44-tree-filter.htm * Sorry we have lost some of the translations that weren't really updated for a number of versions. I hope this will persuade some of the native speakers to volunteer and take over the abandoned projects. A free xplorer² license is offered to all translators! * [P] TOOLS > BACKUP COPY menu copies all items (and their subfolders) from the active to the inactive pane (the backup location, e.g. a USB drive) using "overwrite if newer else skip" robust transfer option. This will only copy new and changed files, and skip those that are unchanged since the last backup. If you want to use a filter to exclude some files, use szBackupFilter registry tweak (see REGISTRY.TXT). This is not new functionality, only a convenient wrap-up of the robust copy dialog for the backup task. If using the ribbon UI, you will find this command under COPY TO button * [P] ACTIONS > FILE PROPERTIES menu command sets any editable text properties (Author, Title, even Comment and Tags) for the selected items. You can both set, clear and even search and replace within existing values. The user interface is almost the same as for mass renaming; select the property of interest using the topmost drop-down list box in the dialog. If using the ribbon UI, you will find this command in WORKBENCH tab, under ATTRIBUTES button * [P] The mass rename dialog has many options. You can save your favorite rename operations, including all options, search and replace strings and so on with a name, and repeat them again later. Use the PREDEFINED drop-down box to supply a name for the current options, then click SAVE button to store them. To delete a previously stored set, select it then hold down key while clicking on SAVE. * any date $-tokens for mass rename and scripting allow date (and time) format to be specified on the spot using a : after the column name, e.g. ${Modified:yyMMdd HH:mm}. This way you can introduce sort-friendly dates in filenames as ${Date taken:yyyyMMdd}. For a description of the date/time format strings see here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/intl/day--month--year--and-era-format-pictures * [P] A registry setting (szExclusionFilter) defines a global exclusion filter for views and tree, hiding matching files and folders. It is a layout-specific setting, defined as a comma separated list of wildcards to EXCLUDE from view (alternatively it can be a saved hyperfilter name as those in FIND FILES dialog). When active, the hidden files statusbar icon will show as a reminder. Only relatively fast file properties can be used in the exclusion filter. * The folder tree shows some folders twice, and some that people seldom use. You can hide folders you don't need using the tree context menu (xplorer² > HIDE THIS FOLDER) on the unwanted folders. To show all folders again right click on the tree background and tick off USE BLACKLIST menu option. Note only folders in the first few levels can be hidden. TIP: To UNhide a folder that was marked by accident, temporarily disable the blacklist, right click on the folder and use HIDE THIS FOLDER menu again. This acts like a toggle. * all organize dialogs (bookmarks etc) come with a filter box to locate an entry quickly by keyword. Click on FIND NEXT button to select the next matching list item. Double-click on the item found to edit or activate it. * WINDOW > FIND TAB menu will search for a tab by its (partial) path and activate it. All folder tabs are listed from both left and right panels. * [P] When searching for duplicates and selecting them, xplorer² arranges the sort order by date so that the OLDER file in each group remains (it is not selected), and you can delete the newer duplicates, if that's what you want. Of course if the duplicate checking parameters include date, this sorting is pointless as all files will have the same dates by construction! * [P] Details pane (VIEW > DETAILS PANE menu) shows document title and keywords when office documents are selected. If you know HTML you can choose exactly which file properties appear in this pane using a file called X2DETAILS.HTM, search the blog for more details. * Compressed folder NSE (for 7z/RAR) updated to version 1.403: some bugfixes and upgraded to 7zip v19. For more details see http://zabkat.com/blog/compressed-folder-shell-extension.htm * installer option to start xplorer² automatically whenever you boot in Windows (additional tasks page) * For large DPI installations, the extra large (48x48) toolbar skin is automatically used, and a 32x32 skin is used for menus; that should make them more readable. * New random sort mode (VIEW > ARRANGE BY > RANDOMLY menu) for those that need spice in their folders to fight everyday boredom * Ctrl+mousewheel changes thumbnail size as well as view styles, so you can easily view huge thumbnail previews * editor² switches to large toolbar skin when in high dpi * various bugfixes and efficiency improvements * new tips 9f, 64a, 64b, 64c, 111a, 111b * [U] programmable column function DATE() converts strings to dates. Perhaps its most useful case is with an empty argument, which returns the current date. This can be used to calculate the file age in days e.g. DATE("") - ${Modified} * [U] programmable column function EXISTS() checks the existence of its path argument and also returns the file type: 1 if it is a file, -1 if a folder, or 0 if nothing exists. * [U] programmable column functions FILE2 and FILEPROP can be used to compare the current item with others, e.g. for synchronization checks. FILEPROP can only fetch a single property, whereas FILE2 can execute any arbitrary expression on the second file. The example below tests if the file is newer than its namesake in E:\OTHER\ folder: ${Modified} > FILEPROP(${Modified}, "E:\other\" + ${name}) You can have only one FILE2 but as many FILEPROP as you need in an expression. See the documentation for more details. In the future these will be used for advanced overwrite control. [4.3.0.1] 19 Nov 19 ---------------- * better handling of mass rename regular expressions, to be used for filename case changing. The down side is that now all search and replace regexp operations are case sensitive * dark shell context sumbenus and other small dark secrets * multi-monitor manifest is optional, must be selected during installation, because it causes problems for some users * when you manually request folder sizes with keys, and if a folder item is selected, then size will be calculated just for the selected folders. This doesn't affect people that have folder size on all the time. [4.3.0.0] 27 Oct 19 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2-v43-dark-mode.htm * Welcome to the DARK side. Use TOOLS > ADVANCED OPTIONS menu command and turn on the fashionable dark mode (see the GLOBAL property page). It may be good for your eyes, or it may be just another fad, but you've asked for it and we delivered! Microsoft didn't make it easy for old school desktop programs like xplorer² to change window colors, so you will discover a number glitches, remnants of the default white-ish system colors here and there. In general things look best for windows 10. You can tell which pane is active by its slightly brighter dark background. Inactive panes are pitch black. If you need more distinct identification of inactive panes, select a background color from TOOLS > OPTIONS menu, but that is liable to upset the darkness. Alternatively tick the advanced option (TOOLS > OPTIONS menu again) to "Highlight active pane's titlebar as in 2xExplorer". * [P] Mass rename with regular expressions. Finally that long term disabled "RE" tickbox in FILE > MASS RENAME dialog is available for use. This is a super advanced rename mode suitable for replacing parts of filenames with backreferences etc. Here is an example: filename = LOG.17112006.TXT regexp = (\d\d)(\d\d)(\d\d\d\d) -> matches all digits in 3 (groups) replace with = $3-$2-$1 -> backreferences result name = LOG.2006-11-17.TXT -> inverted date YMD So using group operators in (brackets) and then $1 etc back references, you can rearrange parts of the filename, or remove them altogether. Parts of the filename that aren't matched, remain the same. To use regular expressions, tick the RE box and enter your regular expression in your WHAT TO MATCH field, then provide the replace string in the TARGET NAME TEMPLATE. Note the usual $-tokens in xplorer² cannot be combined with regular expressions. * [U] MARK > FIND TEXT IN FILES (ctrl+G) has a tickbox to USE SEARCH INDEX, for super-fast content matching in the current folder. Note it cannot find special symbols or keywords that are not in the beginning of the word, as all cases of indexed search. If you need to search for exact text with symbols, untick this checkbox. * New keyboard-only command CYCLENEXT (id = 33525) can be used to jump from one pane to another. Unlike past editions where you had to remember that keyboard combination jumped to the folder tree pane, jumped to the addressbar and so on, now a single key cycles through all open panes. The recommended binding is key, but as this is already used, use CUSTOMIZE > KEYBOARD menu command, find command 33525 in the Miscellaneous category, and assign your favorite keyboard shortcut to it. Command #33526 cycles in the opposite direction. Sorry some native mode preview handlers eat all keyboard shortcuts, so if you get stuck in one, the only solution is to click out with the mouse. Here's a reminder of other pane navigation keyboard shortcuts: TAB: Switch locally e.g. from the active to the inactive pane, or from the addressbar to the filter box ESC: Jump from any pane back into the active folder pane CTRL+ALT+LEFT: (or right arrow) Jump to previous or next tab ALT+Q: Switch previewer modes (native/draft tab) * Advanced option GAO2_WEXPATTRS(=512) tells xplorer² to use explorer-friendly file attributes. Most attribute letters are the same, but there are some differences (L==junction etc). For more information see here https://superuser.com/questions/44812/windows-explorers-file-attribute-column-values * Windows 10 version 1903 has sadly made an adverse turn in terms of managing files in very deep paths. Renaming/deleting files in deep folders works only in elevated mode (you must run xplorer² as administrator or use WINDOW > ADMINISTRATOR menu command). In transition folders you will need to use CTRL+F2 to supply a deep file or folder name * xplorer² should look better if you have two or more monitors with different DPI resolutions * Macro command POSITIVE can be used to test arithmetic operations whether they are positive or not. * [U] Programmable column instruction DIRCNT, similar to Contents [S] column but more flexible. You can use it to count files under a folder given a wildcard, and specify if you want to count only files, only folders or both. * [U] Programmable column instruction DATETIME formats a (file) date as you like it. For example DATETIME(${modified}, YYYY.MM.dd, "") will show the date as 2019.09.15 without any time information. This could be useful for mass renaming tasks or for general date formatting. Note you can also use the advanced settings editor if you need to customize how stock dates appear in xplorer². * [U] A PREVIEW button was added in the programmable column definition dialog, that lets you test the expression on the selected item (in the active pane). * Zoom image previewer (Draft tab) takes JPG photo/picture orientation tags into account and shows correctly rotated picture previews. * [P] similar picture locator (TOOLS > FIND SIMILAR PHOTOS menu command in a scrap window) can detect pictures that are (almost) the same and differ in rotation/orientation. * $P token (selected item's folder path) now works even for empty folders * New tips 51a, 98c and 164a. * Internal editor² version 2.96 with better handling of high DPI screens. If you need it in dark mode, tweak the background colors to taste from program settings (VIEW > OPTIONS menu). * All demo videos from HELP > HOW DO I? menu now shown in youtube. Quality is a bit worse but you don't need to worry about flash plugins. * various bugfixes and improvements [4.2.0.1] 14 May 19 ---------------- * cloud storage improvements for Google drive file stream and Box cloud drive [4.2.0.0] 3 March 19 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2-v42-ai.htm * ACTIONS > CHANGE DATES menu command allows shifting and interchanging various file date attributes. For example you can move dates RELATIVELY one hour ahead or back, set the modified date to that stored in the picture (Date taken) or the video (date media created). In the past you had to rely on powershell scripts for such effects (see http://zabkat.com/blog/touch-jpg-date-taken.htm), now it should be much easier. If using the ribbon UI, the change dates command is found on Workbench tab, under Attributes button. It is also possible to set a date from the filename too, if the name contains the standard date format YYYYMMDD HHMMSS (e.g. pic_20181026_192237.jpg). Naturally trying to set non-existent or invalid dates will generate an error message Note that the old command to touch dates (ACTIONS > CHANGE ATTRIBUTES menu) is still available but it sets all dates to something fixed, so it is less flexible. * xplorer² taskbar button now supports jump lists, kind of. Because MS in their wisdom won't allow folders to be in jump lists, xplorer² adds its most frequently used folders there as TASKS, but if you click on one it will open the respective folder. Right click on the taskbar button to see the functionality (requires windows 7 or later). This acts as a quick access to your favorite (most frequently used) folders, on top of the other tons of ways available for quick browsing. If you want to reuse the same xplorer² window for your jump lists, see the old bSingleWindow advanced registry tweak. * OneDrive and DropBox cloud FILES ON DEMAND are now handled with care, to avoid unnecessary downloads to the local drive, unless you try to open them or other intentional action. Mere browsing cloud files will only get as much information as it is locally available, leaving advanced properties and preview empty. Searching in OneDrive folders by name/size/date will work but advanced attributes or text in files will only work for those that are available locally. * Global registry tweak GAO2_DOWNLOADCLOUD(=128, accessible from TOOLS > ADVANCED OPTIONS menu) modifies the cloud policy so that xplorer² treats files on demand as local files, and tries to get previews and full information on whichever file you select. You can also search for text in files. Note that this will lead to all cloud files becoming local (downloaded) pretty quick! * Windows 10 OneDrive doesn't use icon overlays for cloud file status (DropBox does on the other hand!). The STATUS column that shows the cloud file availability with little icons is sadly still missing, but now xplorer² shows offline files with a LINK overlay icon. If the link overlay isn't there, it means that the file is locally available. You can also identify cloud files using AVAILABILITY STATUS text column (press to select file details) or by the funky attributes ---A---OJ-P- (note the O-ffline attribute in particular, means file only available online) * [P] Put a collection of JPG photos in a scrap container then use TOOLS > FIND SIMILAR PHOTOS menu command (or if using the Ribbon UI see under DUPLICATES button on the Home tab) to group them by similarity. Whereas checking for duplicates will only find files (or pictures) that are exactly identical, this command finds pictures that are slightly changed. Think of when you take 10 shots of a same scene and you only want to keep the best of them. xplorer² uses a probabilistic artificial intelligence (SVM) algorithm that isn't 100% perfect but was trained to be good enough to detect similar pictures that were shot around the same time. To achieve reasonable detection speeds, it examines pictures either by filename or by modification dates, so that it only considers pictures that are likely to resemble each other. You can tweak the similarity threshold up or down, to match pictures that are more closely (or loosely) related. At present this command doesn't detect rotations (e.g portrait/landscape of the same picture) * [P] New file detail column BLUR can detect blurry or bad quality pictures in general. Use ALT+K to add it as any other file information column. For JPG pictures it shows a number, which is big for pictures that are suspect. Values >100 indicate bad quality, whereas smaller values indicate smaller defects. For more information see http://zabkat.com/blog/find-blurred-pictures.htm (where it is implemented as an external program — much harder to use than this new embedded BLUR column) Note the AI algorithm that calculates the photo blur factor is not 100% accurate, but in our tests it found many of the bad pictures automatically. You can inspect those with large blur values and decide which ones to keep and which to delete and free up your disk space! * [P] Macro command MATH allows simple integer arithmetic operations to control loop counters or anything else you fancy, eg: GETFOCUS GETCOUNT $1 MATH ($1+1)/2 MESSAGE $0 # result=half of the items in a pane * [P] WDX plugins that return Unicode text (e.g. http://totalcmd.net/plugring/textsearch.html) are now supported for text searches * Draft image preview now utilizes more of the available space to show you larger pictures. Note that clicking while holding down key in the image previewer zooms to the natural picture size; ESC key will zoom out to fit the available space. You can use the mouse to drag-scroll the oversized picture * [P] One of the biggest problems when using long folder names is that most programs cannot open their own documents (!) when they are stored in a deep folder hierarchy (>256 letters). xplorer² now will offer to create a temporary copy of the deep document so you can at least read it — just select the file and press ENTER to open it. Alternatively you can copy the file yourself in a shallow folder (or use folder junctions) to enable normal access to your documents. * When renaming files, illegal characters like \ and ? are automatically removed, replaced with underscores _. This brings F2 rename in line with mass renaming * If the file being renamed is color tagged, the color information is kept, so the new file is still color tagged. This only applies to single file renames with F2 key. * Setting color tags gets easier with the new COLOR TAG toolbar button. Right click on the toolbar, pick CUSTOMIZE from the menu and search for the color tag button by name (press the first letter C a few times till you reach it). If using the ribbon, the equivalent button is in VIEW tab. This offers easier access without digging into context menu submenus. Note the other (old) COLOR FILTER button next to the filterbox is for searching files by color tag. * HELP > TIP OF THE DAY modeless dialog shows up at the bottom left of the window, so you can read the tip and try out its recommendation at the same time * BOOKMARKS > ORGANIZE and other similar dialogs get better layout, offering most space to the middle column automatically * Mainframe option DPF_NOJUNKTABS(=2097152, see Advanced options menu) will tell xplorer² to close any folder tabs that could not be reopened when the program starts (or when using CUSTOMIZE > FOLDER GROUPS to restore a tab set). Without this option a default tab will be left behind pointing usually to the Desktop folder * [P] searching for text in files using filters (e.g. for DOC/PDF documents) gets more responsive and easier to abort pressing ESC key. Advanced registry tweak msBGTextTimeout controls the timeout (default value is 12000 =12 seconds). If some filter gets stuck beyond this timeout, xplorer² will abort the document and proceed with the next file. * RTF documents are searched and previewed as plain text to solve problems with Greek and other localized files. If you want to search an RTF file for markers like \rtf1, tick the RAW encoding in the containing text part of the Find files dialog. To preview RTF documents with their full formatting use the Native preview tab. * [U] Now ultimate edition can do hybrid searches combining the fast search of WDS index with regular expressions and other file properties that are not indexed (including the programmable column). This is especially useful if you combine text content searches with regular expressions for filenames. In the past this search would be done in slow motion, whereas now it uses the search index for whatever it can, and complements for the slow properties, leading to an overall search acceleration. * [U] A single ? or * wildcard in text rules like Comments or Keywords can be used to find files that have ANY comment or keyword(tag), using a fast WDS search expression. The same trick can be used in slow search mode (professional edition of xplorer²) but it won't be as fast to test the existence of a text property. * editor² updated with latest macro command syntax. It also allows you to change the codepage of a plain text document: Use FILE > SAVE AS menu command and select SAVE AS TYPE == Convert CP, then specify the windows codepage number (e.g. 1253 for Greek). This usually makes sense if the document is loaded as UTF-8 or Unicode * Advanced registry option GAO2_NOIEHELP(=256) tells xplorer² not to use internet explorer for help and videos, but use your default browser app. The down side is that you will have to enable flash video plugin and you won't get to reuse the same help window, all of which are nicely handled by the default IE. Should work for Chrome and Firefox (but not for Edge) * New tips 94a, 125b * various bugfixes [4.1.0.1] 18 Oct 18 ---------------- * If history items # is set to the smallest allowable value of 2 (TOOLS > OPTIONS menu, General property page), then no history will be saved on exit. This includes addressbar paths and general history items like phrases searched for, but it does not affect bookmarks and other global lists. * If you have the "tab strip visible at all times" policy enabled from advanced options (DPF_SHOW1TAB), and the single leftover tab happens to be a locked tab, it is remembered for next restart. * fixed archive registration problems for compressed folder NSE. This only affects new installations on windows 10, see: http://zabkat.com/blog/compressed-folder-shell-extension.htm [4.1.0.0] 16 Sep 18 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/macro-recorder-v41.htm * Color tagging applied on tabs too. Right click on a tab to color-tag it. This implicitly tags the respective folder with the color you choose from the menu. It helps the tab stand out painting the color under the icon. * [P] Do you find xplorer² macros a headache? The new macro recorder allows you to compose macro commands "programming-free". Pressing F12 key (or the Record Macro toolbar button) you can do simple operations (launch commands, manipulate dialogs etc). When you are done, click on FINISH (macro recording) button and you get the script written for you automatically. To edit the previous macro without invoking the macro recorder press use CUSTOMIZE > MACROS > EDIT MACRO menu command or quit the macro recorder immediately. * [P] macro instruction NOPOPUPS will cause any dialog windows that would appear during the macro execution to be invisible. If you are annoyed by windows flashing quickly as a result of macros, put this NOPOPUPS instruction first in all your macros. This silent mode is on by default when you repeat saved macros. * [P] primitive macro subroutine support using JSR/RET instructions. Only one level of nesting is allowed and there is no stack, but you can have reusable code chunks for your complex macros. For example here's a trivial subroutine that shows a number a couple of times: POP 2 STORE $1 JSR sub INCR $1 JSR sub EXIT REM here starts the subroutine code LABEL sub MESSAGE $1 RET 0 * [P] You can automatically run a saved macro when xplorer² starts using the /B command line switch. For instance "/B:sample macro" will launch the saved "sample macro" (assuming the macro name exists under CUSTOMIZE > MACROS menu). This switch is useful for automating tasks using the task scheduler. * [P] The additional rules box found in Find files and similar dialogs allows you to select more rules (e.g. using CTRL+click). If they are compatible (e.g. all text rules) you can change all rules simultaneously. For example you can have 2 rules, one for Author and one for Title, select both of them, then change them both to search for "AC/DC" or whatever. * [U] new programmable column functions TOKEN (breaks up string and returns one part, similar to CHOPSTR macro instruction), and SYSTEM that calls an external console (or powershell) program. SYSTEM() can be used as a slow column handler with a little imagination. Here is an example programmable column that combines the 2 new functions: IF(${Size},"", TOKEN(SYSTEM('dir "'+ ${path} + ${Name}+ '"'), \n,-2)) For each folder shown, it executes the DOS "dir" command, then returns the second from last line of output. Note the use of single 'ears' to frame the folder full path in double "quotes" — in case there are spaces involved in the folder name. As listview control columns cannot show more than 256 characters, the feature is somehow limited. Here is another example using powershell to fetch the first line of a text file; note the use of double "" as an escape for a single " SYSTEM("powershell -command ""& {Get-Content '" +${name}+ "' -Head 1}""") (to use the programmable column, right click on a pane's column header area). * [P] TOOLS > FOLDER STATISTICS window can be refreshed pressing CTRL+R or using its Actions menu. It isn't very quick but you do get the new contents in after you make any changes (deleting or rearranging folders). * The DOS script dialog (TOOLS > COMMAND SCRIPT menu command) adds a new special token File Attribute, which inserts file attributes to be used as part of command scripts. So that you don't need to type the column names ${Modified} etc yourself! * All progress logs, e.g. belonging to the robust copy and delete commands, are searchable pressing CTRL+F keys, in case you are looking something in particular. To highlight errors (if any), right click in the log text window and pick SHOW ERRORS from the context menu. Note you needn't lose much sleep over progress logs; in case there was a serious error xplorer² would have told you about it, so you don't have to peruse logs. * If the background thread gets stuck somewhere for long and item icons/details won't show, xplorer² will offer you to clone a new window that will hopefully get unstuck. * [P] registry setting nPreviewMaxSizeMB sets a limit (in MB) above which huge files won't be previewed in NATIVE preview mode (tab). By default this limit is set to 0 (= no constraint). * [U] find files dialog checkbox USE SEARCH INDEX allows you to turn off index searches on demand. This is not recommended as your searches will be slower but some people have asked for it. If you want to permanently disable the index, use GAOPT_NODESKSEARCH registry tweak. * [U] folder context menu XPLORER2 > ADD TO SEARCH INDEX can be used to reindex (refresh) a folder that is already in the index. You can use this command to repair the search index selectively. This command also works from the tree pane. * CUSTOMIZE > FOLDER GROUPS > STARTUP menu command restores the folder tabs available when you last started xplorer². This command helps people that use network drives, who occasionally forget to connect some of them before xplorer² starts. * New tips: 5b, 69a, 151a, 171, 172, 173, 174 * a few small glitches/bugs fixed. [4.0.0.2] 21 May 18 ---------------- * [P] drag-drop FROM deep (long pathname) folders into normal folders works (for left mouse dragging only) * [U] fast desktop search works in removable USB drives, as long as you have them added in the search index (through control panel's indexing options) * [U] programmable column STR() function works on numbers returned by FBYTES function, effectively extracting actual text from files (instead of hexadecimal data). This is meant for plain text files only. * $D token for mass rename command always translates to a real date, regardless of any "friendly dates" setting. The lowercase $d version inserts date without time. [4.0.0.1] 5 Mar 18 ---------------- * [U] Added programmable column function INT() that converts a string to a number. Useful for managing bytes returned from FBYTES function (up to 4 bytes) * A few bugs fixed for WCX plugins. If you are using the 7-zip NSE plugin there's a bugfix for that too: http://zabkat.com/blog/compressed-folder-shell-extension.htm [4.0.0.0] 15 Feb 18 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/programmable-v40.htm * [P] You can automate most xplorer² tasks using macros. It is not a full programming language, but a relatively simple means to access menus, toolbars and dialogs and do whatever you can do with the mouse and keyboard. Getting familiar with the notation will take some effort, but there is good documentation and sample macros to get you going. It is possible to debug (single-step) macros, helping you figure out why things won't work as you expected. Here is a sample macro program, that opens the Copy To (robust transfer) dialog, populates the filter box with "*.PDF", and starts the file transfer: # macro to copy only PDF files COMMAND "copy to" FINDWND filter FINDCLASS combobox SETTEXT *.pdf OK New installations can start the macro editor with F12 key (CTRL+F12 repeats the last macro), or using CUSTOMIZE > MACROS > NEW MACRO menu command. If you have the ribbon, you will find the macros in WORKBENCH ribbon tab. Say goodbye to menuhack! * [P] You can save macros for later use. Once you have a well running macro (after debugging etc), use the SAVE button in the macro dialog to give it a name. Then as you run it, it will be saved in the CUSTOMIZE > MACROS menu list. As with other similar lists, use CUSTOMIZE > MACROS > ORGANIZE menu command to assign keyboard shortcuts and custom icons to your macros, for quick access. Macros can be placed on any toolbar (right click on toolbar to CUSTOMIZE it). Once you save a macro, you can do minor edits using the ORGANIZE menu, but that won't alert you to any syntax or logical errors. For best results, run the macro, then its code will be available through CUSTOMIZE > MACROS > NEW MACRO menu command. Make your changes and SAVE it again with the same name, overwriting the old definition. * GIOPT_PERTABLAYOUT registry option turns layouts (see WINDOW menu) into workbenches. You will notice the difference if you are using folder tabs: each tab will save its own settings (instead of the active tab forcing its settings to all other tabs as it was up to now). Restoring a layout/workbench from WINDOW menu will give you the same folders and each folder browsed exactly as you last saved it. If you need a saved layout to open with the same folders every time, you must turn off "save settings on exit" (see OPTIONS menu). Use ACTIONS > SAVE SETTINGS NOW menu command if you want to register changes for a workbench that doesn't save settings on exit. * By default each new (named) layout created will have per-tab settings. If you want to disable per-tab settings altogether turn on the global registry switch GAO2_NOPERTABSETT. * [P] Everybody will need NEW unlock keys for v4.0, but many will get free replacements. To check if you are entitled for a free or discounted v4.0 key use HELP > REGISTER PROGRAM menu, or the equivalent command under LICENSE MANAGEMENT in ribbon's leftmost tab. If xplorer² cannot find your old license key (but you know where it is yourself) you can use this upgrade page http://zabkat.com/upgrade.htm . For more information see http://zabkat.com/u_info.htm * New tips 24a, 43a, 126a, 160c. (see x2tips.RTF in the installation folder or use HELP > TIP OF THE DAY menu). * [U] New programmable stock column with a million+1 uses, similar to the desktop detective panel in DeskRule. You define an expression that combines file properties, boolean and arithmetic operators and a few functions, and the calculation result is the content of the column. It can then be used as any other file attribute e.g. for sorting, filtering even searching. Here are a few examples: IF(${Modified} = today, new, old) for files that were modified today, it will show "new" otherwise "old". The components of this expression are: IF() a function with 3 arguments, separated by commas ${Modified} the modification date today reserved date constant term = boolean operator for comparison (equal) new ,old string constants ${Modified} - ${Created} will show the number of days difference between the modification and creation dates of a file IF(FBYTES(1,3)="50.4E.47", png, "") use bytes 2-3-4 in files to detect if they are PNG format; show PNG if they are and nothing otherwise. To understand what the values 50.4E.47 mean use the xplorer² quickviewer in HEX mode. ${Size on disk} > ${Size} + 5kb will reveal files with suspiciously large hidden streams (ADS), by comparing the size on disk with the reported size. If the size on disk is greater (">" operator) by at least 5 KiloBytes, it could be fishy. The result of the comparison is 1 (true) for fishy files and 0 otherwise. File properties in ${braces} follow the usual format as e.g. in mass renaming, using the name of the desired detailed view column. IF(${Extension}=txt, 1, IF(${Extension}=cpp, 2, 3)) party trick demonstrating the power of the file property calculator. You can have embedded functions and whatever you imagine, like a regular programming language. This example will show "1" for TXT files, "2" for CPP files, and "3" for anything else. To try it out, right click on the detailed view header row and pick PROGRAMMABLE from the menu. This will allow you to change the expression and will show the programmable column too. The programmable column definition dialog has boxes that guide you to create expressions, and it also supports autocompletion of file property names for the more experienced users. If something goes wrong, it will pop a syntax error with the likely error location. All file properties can be used in the calculations. It resembles the cell expressions in MS Excel. The rules can also search in files (GREP function) and extract specific file bytes. It is versatile and subject only to your imagination. For more information please refer to the quickstart guide. You can save expressions you use frequently by supplying a name in the PREDEFINED box in the programmable dialog and clicking SAVE button. This is similar to storing hyperfilters for search commands. Then it becomes available for future use from the history drop-down dialog control. * [U] The programmable column can be used for file searches and other rule definitions. How you use it depends on the type of the result of the calculation (text, number or date). For example if an expression results in a 0/1 numeric (boolean) choice, and you want to find files that satisfy it (=1), start a search that includes the Programmable [S] property and set its minimum to 1. You can combine it with other properties as necessary. Note that searches that include the Programmable [S] property are slower because they cannot utilize the search index -- which isn't capable of such complex queries. * HELP > COMMAND FINDER finds all xplorer² commands, even when the plain menu mode is enabled. * Digital signatures are obtained from items in zipfolders too (for Signed By stock property). Files larger than the zip extraction limit (see General program options property page) are not examined. * VIEW > ARRANGE BY > MANUALLY menu command allows you to place folder icons wherever you like, desktop-style. This isn't really suitable for folders with many items, but you've asked for it . It can be used with large icon view (including thumbnails). If you try to sort files (by Name etc) they become automatically arranged again. To protect your item placements you may need to temporarily disable autorefresh in the folder using VIEW > HOLD AUTOREFRESH menu command. * [P] added filename filter category for e-books (see NAMED box in find files and other similar dialogs). Note there are now text filters for most popular ebook formats like EPUB and MOBI (see http://zabkat.com/x2plugins.htm) * when searching for text in files, the previewer highlights the matched keyword underlined and bold (more pronounced) * zabkat.com website changed to secure https:, as per google's commandments :) * [U] previewer will highlight search keywords when obtained from fast windows search, no matter where they are located in the document * registry option GAO2_NOVISTATHUMBS(=2) disables reading windows thumbnail cache (affects previewer too). Makes image preview slower but it is necessary for users with corrupt thumbnail cache (e.g. too many images). To reset your cache use Disk Cleanup applet (see https://www.windowscentral.com/how-reset-thumbnail-cache-windows-10) * global registry option GAO2_LASSOPATCH10(=32) disables lasso selection as a stop-gap "solution" for the nasty windows 10 scrolling bug that micro$oft don't look keen on fixing anytime soon. So you choose the least-bad of 2 evils: jumping mouse cursors or disabled lasso selection :( PS. I hear that MS are finally going to release a fix about this problem soon. * Autosize columns command (right click on a view header) when used in thumbnails view mode, will make sure that the headers won't stretch beyond the width of the window. This will make sure there are no horizontall scrollbars when browsing thumbnails * Color Tag filter menu (next to the filterbar) has an UNTAGGED command that hides all items with color tags * New icon mode "No icons" for the terse user types that don't need imagery, just the filenames. Accessible through program options (General property page). Thumbnails are allowed. * [P] plain icons policy also affects icons for bookmarks, user commands etc. If set to PLAIN then no icons are extracted; this will make program startup faster. * Some settings changes that required a restart now offer to clone a new window instead. * [P] several commands that create scrap container windows put a window title that describes what happened, e.g. the search criteria summary. If you want something more specific use WINDOW > SET TITLE menu command for your custom text. * [P] TOOLS > COMPARE SUBFOLDERS menu command asks whether you want to compare folders only, or a do normal comparison for files (default). Useful when you want to do a quick assessment of missing whole subfolders. * Folders that are not seen (those in invisible tabs for instance) consume less resources. When you switch back to them they may need to refresh their contents. This also improves xplorer² startup times if you happen to have lots of tabs from the previous session. * [P] when you try to use one of the folder pairs in BOOKMARKS > DUAL menu, xplorer² ensures a dual pane window exists. * [P] robust copy and delete progress dialogs won't bombard you with filenames you don't have time to read anyway, only once per second. Probably this will speed up the operation slightly too! * MARK > CONTAINING TEXT and MARK > MATCHING A RULE menu commands allow you to extend the existing selection if you hold key as you click on SELECT dialog button. The default behavior (without ) is to erase any previous selection. * If your xplorer² appears hung (window not responding but NOT crashed), start another xplorer² instance using the desktop icon and use HELP > CRASH INFORMATION menu command in this fresh instance. If all goes to plan it will extract a minidump file explaining the stuck status of the original window, which you can send via email to zabkat support for troubleshooting. * OneDrive on windows 10 gets more bearable. To enable searches and folder sizes in onedrive folders, make sure you tick "Treat folder junctions as normal folders" in TOOLS > ADVANCED OPTIONS menu command. The fancy status icons are sadly missing but if you need the status use "Availability status" column. [3.5.0.2] 12 Dec 17 ---------------- * global registry option nTagRectWidth controls the pixel width of the color tag rectangle. Make it thicker if you want more pronounced borders but if it is too thick it may conceal the filename letters * some fixes for windows 10 latest build 16299 * during large file copies and other lengthy operations xplorer² won't allow your system to go to sleep [3.5.0.1] 23 Oct 17 ---------------- * "hidden" command with id=33508 pops the color tag menu, for those that don't want to use the shell context menu to color tag items. You can assign a keyboard shortcut to it using CUSTOMIZE > KEYBOARD menu command, and find 33508 in the miscellaneous category. * editor² v2.940 adds experimental support for "macro" commands. Use AUTOTEXT > MACRO menu command or press F9 key. CTRL+F9 repeats the last macro. For more information on the macro language syntax please refer to the deskrule help: http://zabkat.com/deskrule/help.htm#macros # MACRO EXAMPLE: search for TEST and advance past the hit COMMAND find WAITWND FINDWND "find what" SETTEXT test OK FINDCLASS richedit20w SENDKEY ctrl+right # send to editor window [3.5.0.0] 1 Oct 17 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/color-tag-files-v35.htm * EDIT > EXPORT CSV menu command exports also the folder path name and saves the CSV file in the %TEMP% folder to avoid proliferation of X2SCRAP.CSV files * COLOR TAGS. Right click on any item(s) to assign them a color tag using the context menu. There are 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. Use the new color tag filter button next to the addressbar's filter box to show only items that are tagged with specific colors. NOTE: color tags are independent of any color coding rules you may have (CUSTOMIZE menu). The tag border is drawn on top of any color coding. * 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 * Color tags are only shown in the active folder pane. If you want to see tags in all panes, use the GAOPT_COLCALWAYS advanced option (previously controlling color coding only). In the advanced settings editor search for COLOR in the Global property page. * color tags are rather fragile. If you rename a tagged file or move it to a different folder, the color information is lost. Likewise they are not very portable as paths in one computer usually cannot be found in another PC. If you need more persistent color tagging, consider the old "manual" method using file comments and color coding rules: http://www.zabkat.com/blog/wink/colortag.htm * [P] remember the spreadsheet rename mode to change attributes? if you enable the Color tag [S] property in detailed view mode, you can also change the color tag by providing a number directly in the item details (slow double-click on the tag column). * [P] 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 (numeric: 1=red, 2=green etc) can be combined with other search criteria. * global registry section TAG COLORS defines custom colors to be used with color tagging. Up to 30 colors can be defined. The format is simple, a color name followed by a DWORD value which corresponds to the RGB definition of the color. Note that the red is the least significant byte so the value is (hex) BBGGRR, the inverse of what you see in color pickers. * [P] Scrap container windows, can do custom grouping by regular expression (extending TOOLS > FUZZY GROUPS menu command). To understand what this funky command does, please see this forum topic: http://forum.zabkat.com/viewtopic.php?t=10901 Basically you declare a regular expression with some variable token inside it, which is used to define groups. Typically you are matching a part of the filename (or some other text attribute), and this part becomes the definition of the group. Files that don't match the regexp pattern at all go in the UNSPECIFIED group. * New tips: 93b, 93c, 49a, 35a, 8a, 48a, 160b, 11a (see x2tips.RTF in the installation folder). * [P] new view mode Detailed thumbs (see VIEW > PANE STYLE submenu and/or Ribbon toolbar's VIEWS button) combines a small thumbnail with item details. The thumbnail size is the same as that of "mini thumbs" menu, which can be adjusted to taste using TOOLS > ADVANCED OPTIONS menu (Mini-thumb size factor to normal %). To change the size of the normal thumbnails, use TOOLS > OPTIONS menu and then find the thumbnail pixel setting in General property page. (another way to get details for a regular thumbnail view mode is to turn on the Details pane from VIEW menu) * TOOLS > OPTIONS menu, General property page has a new button CLEAR HISTORY, which removes all drop-down combo box histories appearing here and there (but NOT global settings like Bookmarks and User commands). If you are privacy conscious you can set the History items maintained setting to 2 so xplorer² will not remember much of what you type. For more information see http://zabkat.com/blog/browsing-history-privacy.htm * [P] You can duplicate a user command with CUSTOMIZE > USER COMMANDS > ORGANIZE menu, using the new Duplicate toolbar button or the context menu. Thus you can create commands that differ a little in their arguments etc. * For fresh installations, xplorer² asks if you want a ribbon toolbar or a traditional menu bar to begin with. This selection can be changed at any later time using VIEW > RIBBON menu command or the ribbon's FILE leftmost tab. * you can "zoom" folder contents in and out using CTRL+mouseWheel. Each zoom level goes either to larger icons/thumbnails or smaller, all the way to detailed view mode. Equivalent to using VIEW > PANE STYLE menu but arguably more convenient. * Command finder shows the command identifier number [xxx] for all you script enthusiasts * xplorer² looks better in high resolution monitors with various touches on default icon and other sizes depending on your DPI * [P] added file types category COMPRESSED that lists popular archive formats, to be used for filtering by name/type (will only appear for fresh installations). * [P] search and robust copy logs include information about total time spent in operation * In the unlikely *cough* situation where xplorer² crashes, it will restart automatically using windows restart manager. If it crashes a lot, it will prompt you to send the crash information email. Thank you for helping with the program's reliability. * various small bugfixes (e.g. when you delete a network folder xplorer² won't jump to desktop) [3.4.0.2] 19 Jun 17 ---------------- * file comments can be READ from DESCRIPT.ION files — but still xplorer² writes comments the windows way or using alternate data streams. Such comments die out if you move the file and it separates from its original DESCRIPT.ION. Half measure really! * [P] better long path support for windows 10 build build 15063 (redstone 2) and later * all lowercase tokens $n $p etc (used in command templates) when 8.3 paths are not available are automatically quoted, if they contain any spaces. Ditto for various export text commands that generate 8.3 names (Alt+Shift+C) * some of the custom controls like tabs and docking panels work better with accessibility for the disabled (and for autohotkey scripters too!) * [P] global setting szGrepWhiteListTypes is a comma separated list of extensions that are white listed for text search (using filters). If you have problems searching in office_X (docx etc) file types, make sure you add the problematic extensions in this list * a few bugs fixed [3.4.0.0] 5 Mar 17 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/deep-path-world-record-34.htm * Added T(emporary) in the list of file attributes to show temporary files * Text preview and keyword searching works in phones and cameras too (not just thumbnails). This extracts a temporary file. If the phone file is larger than nMaxZipExtractSize (see TOOLS > OPTIONS menu, General property page, "Item in ZIP/FTP" setting) then nothing is extracted. * GAOPT_NODRBAREMPTY policy works for the folder tree too, not just the drivebar. It hides any empty removable drives you have. Use TOOLS > ADVANCED OPTIONS to manage this setting (Global page, Don't check for empty drives). This option also hides empty CDR/DVD drives like windows explorer does it. If you want to see all the registered drives, browse "My Computer" (This PC) in a regular folder pane. * When searching for text inside files, and when you tick "Search non-text files" or "Search All files" options, it is possible that you will waste time searching in huge video files where nothing will be found. That's why a local (layout) setting nBinSearchMaxSizeMB introduces a cutoff limit to avoid searching in huge binary files. The default is 50 MB. Note this doesn't affect files that expose text filters, only true binary files. Set it to 0 to turn off the safety feature and search all files. Alternatively, to bypass nBinSearchMaxSizeMB limit, force the encoding to RAW. * [P] custom grouping information is saved as part of custom folder settings. Grouping is also possible on many non-stock date columns. Finally custom groups are remembered even if they are not saved under CUSTOMIZE > CUSTOM GROUPS list. All possible changeovers from/to special folders, customized folders and default settings are handled properly. * When tight thumbnail spacing is enabled (GIOPT_PACKEDTHUMBS from advanced settings) no filenames are shown next to the thumbnails. You can see the filename using the infotip (on mouse hover) or the Details pane or press F2 key for a fake rename. * If you start a drag while xplorer² window is not upfront, then the window will stay behind to help you find the drop target. This is how windows explorer does it. Alternatively you can use ALT+TAB keys while dragging (or hover over the windows taskbar) to bring your target drop window upfront. * [P] xplorer² got very-long-path (>=260 letters) aware! Now you can browse into super deep folders almost without noticing any difference. There are a few things that won't work, but most file operations will work fine. Most noticeable is the difficulty to open any documents (!) stored in deep folders; xplorer² tries but many programs are not prepared to handle their documents down deep. We'll have to wait until such a time when microsoft improve the shell (LongPathsEnabled registry tweak won't help). The safe way to open deep files is to shorten the path through a junction as explained here: http://zabkat.com/blog/21Jun09-deep-folder-hierarchies.htm * [P] Deep paths are supported for windows XP and later. If your xplorer² doesn't seem to like them, use TOOLS > ADVANCED OPTIONS menu command and make sure the global registry option GAOPT_XLONGPATHS is enabled. Then you can start creating folders within folders with key to reach unfathomable depths! * [P] Deep items cannot show the Shell context menu or show a property page. You must make do with commands available in xplorer² own menus (there are quite a few of them :) * [P] For better Preview results, use the DRAFT preview tab when browsing super-deep folders. editor², the internal editor/viewer can also reach inside very deep text files (press F3 or F4 keys to load something into editor²). Native previewers and media (audio/video) sadly won't work in the deep. * [P] robust paste (ctrl+C then ctrl+V) in deep folders will allow duplication if a single file is selected. Covers for failure of EDIT > DUPLICATE menu command in deep folders. * [P] Plain delete in deep folders doesn't work but you can use SHIFT+DEL (=trash) key combination to permanently remove selected items. Note this cannot be UNDONE, so be careful. * [P] Dragging OUT of a deep folder and dropping into a regular folder will not work; as a workaround you can use robust copy or plain copy/paste. Note the opposite drag-drop direction (from "shallow" to deep) does work. Dragging with the RIGHT mouse button doesn't show a menu. Instead use the SHIFT modifier while you drag if you want to MOVE files (default operation is COPY) * [P] Extended shell columns or legacy column handlers won't work in deep folders, however most of xplorer² own [S]tock columns work. You can also search for text inside documents, so file searches are pretty much ON in deep folders. [U] The down side is that WDS index doesn't work down deep so all searches are going to be slower. * List of other small details that WON'T work in long paths: custom folder settings, running DOS commands or batch scripts, starting programs if the EXE is stored deep, creating plain shortcuts/links (but hard links, symbolic and folder juctions are fine) * [U] Fast searching for filenames through MFT should work in deep paths but you must run xplorer² elevated (full admin). * Changed manifest for DPI awareness; xplorer² should look crisp on high DPI displays (large text size) without tweaks * global registry setting GAOPT_NOSHELLDOBJ (=2) prevents the use of shell's dataobject for file transfers. Should prevent windows 10 blocking xplorer² when large files are transferred through paste or drag/drop. For best results always prefer robust copy with key which never blocks and has tons of other copy options. * EDIT > EXPORT CSV menu command saves the contents of the active view pane as a comma separated CSV text file (UTF8 encoding). Each file detail gets its own column. This CSV can be later imported into microsoft Excel and similar software for printing etc. You can also do this kind of data extraction using command via clipboard text. * Huge strings are stored in the registry/INI settings in LZW-compressed/base64 encoding to minimize the impact of long paths in settings * [U] total commander WCX (packer) plugins can be used to browse into exotic archive types. Installation is similar to earlier plugins (WLX/WDX) using the TCPLUGINS.INI settings file in shell:appdata\zabkat folder (or in the xplorer² installation folder if run from a USB). [PackerPlugins] 0=C:\Users\me\Downloads\wcx_7zip\7zip.wcx 0_detect=7zip,7z 1=%X2DIR%plugins\other.wcx 1_detect=some,exotic,stuff Users familiar with WLX/WDX plugins may notice the difference in the detect string format. Packers use simple comma separated lists of file extensions that each packer can deal with. Also note the (possible) use of %X2DIR% environmental variable to specify a portable plugin. %X2DIR% is the path (includes trailing backslash) to the xplorer² executable, handy if you are running it off a USB stick. For ideas what kind of plugins are available, see http://totalcmd.net/directory/packer.html These plugins allow xplorer² to enter archives like as if they were zipfolders; you can do all read-related actions in these archives, including previewing, searching and extracting. At present you CANNOT delete or add to these archives. Many plugins work in deep paths too (namespace extensions, even plain ZIPfolders, don't work in paths >260 characters) xplorer² professional users can get access to most of these formats using the 7zNSE shell extension (sadly not very portable) http://zabkat.com/blog/compressed-folder-shell-extension.htm * [U] FILE > ENTER ARCHIVE menu command attempts to browse into "hidden" archive formats, e.g. APPX, JAR or DOCX (all are actually zipfolders!). Requires a suitable generic WCX plugin installed like http://totalcmd.net/plugring/Total7zip.html . An alternative to using this command is to add extension(s) to the detection string of the packer that can deal with extra formats. Then you just press ENTER to browse into such archives. * [P] WLX and WDX plugins should work in deep paths, if they are capable of dealing with extra long filenames. Please try it with your plugin of choice and see how it goes! [3.3.0.2] 27 Oct 16 ---------------- * fixed searching in RTF files when they have localized (non-english) content. The down side is that now to find text in RTF you must tick SEARCH ALL FILES option. * image preview zoom toolbar is transparent allowing you to see the pic underneath it. Move over the toolbar to see it crisp. * fixed win10 problem where xplorer² would block itself whenever large files are copied with drag/drop or copy/paste. TIP: for better all round file operations, supporting extra transfer options, use F5 key (robust copy). * editor² small update to handle very long filenames [3.3.0.0] 13 Sep 16 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/wart-buster-33.htm * Special upper case switches like \D in regular expressions are properly handled, but beware: all filename and attribute matches are case-insensitive. When searching for text in files you have more freedom ticking the case sensitive option (Match character case) to taste. * [P] The LOOK IN field of the find files dialog can accept folders to search from with drag-drop. You can have one or more folders dragged. You can even drop them one at a time — holding down CTRL key they will be added as a comma separated list. Useful when you want to search in hand picked folders but don't want to remember obscure shortcuts like — which copies selected paths as a comma separated list. [U] NOTE: if you supply more than one starting folder or exclusion filters in the LOOK IN field, WDS will be skipped and the whole search will be done "robustly" (and at snail pace :) PS. try drag-dropping a file in the filter part of the find dialog and see what happens! * View registry option CLVOPT_NOEASYBGMENU(=1048576) ensures solid full row selection (undoes the easy background menu and lasso selection mentioned further down). Otherwise you must right click on some area with letters to show the shell context menu. * [P] The custom xplorer² menu also appears in folder tree shell context menu (if enabled through GAOPT_NOX2SHCMENU). Keep in mind that many menu commands don't work in the folder tree but many are useful e.g. open folder in new tab. * ACTIONS > IMPORT SETTINGS menu lets you import settings saved earlier with EXPORT command. If registry based you supply a REG file, otherwise if [Ultimate] an INI file with settings (you must select the file in the active view pane). xplorer² then will restart itself to read the new settings. This helps people that cannot import because xplorer² is running silently in the background. * Global registry setting bEllipsis — if present (set to 1) the file name fields in robust copy and delete progress dialogs will be changed into static controls that show all the filename (but possibly skipping the middle portion of the path). You lose out the possibility to copy the name though. * Image previewer pane (DRAFT tab) supports zooming in/out. Click on a picture with the LEFT mouse button to zoom in, and with the RIGHT to zoom out. Hold down CTRL key to zoom in/out to the maximum extent. To zoom with the keyboard, press CTRL+plus/minus keys, like in your internet browser. You can drag-scroll the enlarged image to see other parts of it. Remember you can also double click on the previewer titlebar to have it floating as a separate window, that can be enlarged to taste. * Image previewer also rotates images (press Ctrl+left/right arrows to rotate (anti)clockwise). There is also an autohiding toolbar for all zooming operations. Finger gestures should also work. Hold CTRL key while zooming in/out to zoom to maximum extent * New tips: 66a, 123a and 140a (see x2tips.RTF in the installation folder). * [P] Quick previewer option QVOPT_NODOWNAX=512 won't let internet explorer preview mode (native tab) to start asking questions about "Do you want to open or save this file", it will just not preview office documents. Note that office stuff are nowadays previewed nicely outside IE. The only people that may need to turn this option off are office 2003 (and earlier) users or those running XP or older. * Easier to access background menu (right click "nowhere" in a folder view) and do lasso (marquee) selection if you click the mouse on the empty space to the right of a filename. Works even in detailed view mode with full row selection enabled. Thanks Timo! * [P] pseudo-column Group ID [S] useful for the duplicates checker view. Items identified as identical will have the same group number. You can use that for restoring the duplicate groups in case they are disrupted e.g. after a change of sort order. * [U] TOOLS > FAST SEARCH menu command dialog has a new drop-down box where you can choose any custom text property to search in quickly * [P] Stock property Stream names holds a list of named alternate streams (ADS), if any exist, e.g. Zone.Identifier for internet downloaded files or SummaryInformation for generic comments. The information is similar to ACTIONS > ADS > VIEW STREAMS menu command, but the advantage here is that the property is searchable. * ACTIONS > SHRED menu command added warning when trying to shred on solid state discs. Shredding doesn't make sense there and it is actually bad for your SSD lifetime. You are better off just deleting the files instead * [P] some total commander WLX plugins can also do thumbnail previews (images). These can be used in xplorer² for the quickviewer panel (DRAFT mode/tab) and thumbnail view mode. Sadly this type of thumbnail isn't added to the cache so it will be slower. * global option GAOPT_SPEAKINTONGS=131072 makes xplorer² talk of error messages that would appear on the statusbar. Party trick at present only available in english (no translations) * [P] /L command line switch is normally used with /F:1 to start a new search, but if it is used for a normal browser window it can carry a CIDA file to pass to the miniscrap pane, e.g. /L:c:\that\file.cida * [P] NEW ITEM ribbon button (that creates new shell items in a folder) is also available as a normal toolbar button. You must find it in the toolbar customization dialog to add it. This feature is also available when you right click on the background of a folder (or on the folder icon in a pane's titlebar) and use EXPLORER submenu. * Main window ribbon shows frequent folders in leftmost "FILE" tab. This is the automatically managed list in GOTO > FREQUENT menu command. Hover the mouse to see the full path * WINDOW > ACTIVATE TAB submenu allows menu access to tabs, in the order they are seen in each pane * various standard shell folders like SHELL:DOWNLOADS etc are available for autocompletion in the addressbar. For example type DOW and hit up arrow to autocomplete to the standard SHELL:DOWNLOADS folder. This is on top of the recently browsed and frequent folders that are also in the drop-down list of the addressbar. For a complete list see http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/shell-commands-to-access-the-special-folders/. There are equivalents for all folders in GOTO > SPECIAL FOLDERS menu * [P] right click on the detailed view header row to add columns from the recently used hyper-filter (DETAILS FROM FILTER menu command). Say you did a search that included a number of additional rules like Keywords or whatever, this command will add the extra columns so you can see what was matched by the filter. * On touch-enabled laptops and the like, scrolling works with the finger (aka Pan gesture). Caution: if you have any AHK scripts that rely on the window class name being ATL:BrowserListView AND you have a touch PC, you must revise your scripts. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it doesn't affect you :) * [P] TOOLS > FOLDER STATISTICS (Alt+D) menu command works inside all folders (not just filesystem). However if you want to enter zipfolders and the like, you must make sure you browse the root of the archive before issuing the command. * [P] Folder statistics window allows searching for text through ACTIONS menu or pressing Ctrl+F. To find the next occurrence press F3. This way you can search for things like "error" that implies read access problems. * Edit > Copy names menu command gathers file paths in the order they appear in the list, i.e. it respects the active sort order * fixed problem with homegroup access. Alternatively, instead of using the homegroup folder you can directly access the remote computer by name using \\PC-NAME (using the appropriate name after \\) * Even without /N command line switch, xplorer² should be more careful not to timeout on unavailable network locations on restart. You should also see less unresponsiveness when you disconnect VPN connections while the program is running. If a network read seems to get stuck you should be able to abort it pressing ESCAPE key (the status bar should say so, but even if it doesn't press ESC) * global registry setting nPingTimeoutMS is the maximum delay for a network folder to respond before it is considered a dropped connection. Default is 5000 milliseconds but if your network is slow you may need to increase it. Set to 0 if you want to turn off pinging. * advanced settings editor has a search box at the left bottom of the window, where you can put a keyowrd to search for a property. The keyword is matched with the name or description. You may have to click a few times on NEXT button to find the property you are after. Note this only works for the current tab (global or layout settings). Click on the other tab to repeat the search there. [3.2.0.2] 20 Apr 16 ---------------- * Following public outcry, undid the recent change for network folder tree synchronization. It should make tree expansion faster in all modes (even when advanced option "Faster network access..." isn't selected). * When running as a forced administrator (elevated) xplorer² will show a [*] on the window titlebar. You can also tell the same looking at the state of the menu command WINDOW > ADMINISTRATOR, which is disabled if you are running elevated. * Czech translation corrected, prepac :) [3.2.0.0] 13 Mar 16 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xls-folders.htm * [P] All text rules (including filenames) can have an optional leading ':' colon character meaning an EXACT match. Whereas a string rule like TEST will match TEST1 and thatTEST, using :TEST will only match TEST and nothing else. It implements IS relationship instead of CONTAINS. For text rules other than filenames you must also tick the VERBATIM box. For finding text in files, use "whole words" option (a leading : doesn't work for grep). * Mass rename dialog makes some additional checks when you preview the results to detect subtle problems, e.g. 2 files ending up having the same name. xplorer² will catch these errors but you may need to reconsider your parameters. Up to 50 files are treated in preview mode to get a better feel of what's going to be renamed * frame registry flag DPF_NOTITLE (see registry.txt) forces window titlebar to show no paths, just the program name * [P] All regular expressions now use a more PERL-compatible syntax, thanks DEELX! Applies to filenames, file contents and text properties search. * In-place editing of file properties in the detailed view mode. Similar to in-folder renaming, when you click on any other editable column in detailed view mode you get to change it like as if using a spreadsheet. You can change things like dates, keywords, exif data, music and video information and so on. Limitations: some innate properties like Size etc cannot be changed; some properties are file type-dependent and are not applicable for generic files. Advanced property editing requires windows Vista or later, before that you get basic stock property editing. If you need to edit text properties with multiple values (e.g. keywords, composers etc), separate keywords with semicolons (this; and that; other). * Tools > Options menu, Advanced page has tickbox to enable in-place editing of many file properties. This mode also requires "slow double-click to rename" and "full row selection" options enabled, if you want to use the mouse (otherwise press F2 key or use RENAME menu command, then press TAB until you reach the column you are after; SHIFT+TAB goes backwards). To cancel any changes press ESC key while editing. NOTE: a limitation of windows listview control means that it cannot be scrolled when its edit field shows. So to use TAB key please make sure all the listview columns are visible, or scroll it manually before editing. Scrolling only works in windows XP or older (!) * Demo video added in HELP > HOW DO I? pane (or click on the blue [?] at the far right end of the ribbon toolbar) that explains how to use the new in-place property edit mode (search for NEW video tag). * [P] File tags can be edited if you add the keyword stock property in the details pane. You can create a custom details pane definition file and add this line under comments property:

Keywords: val For more information see here http://zabkat.com/blog/customize-details-pane.htm Please note that more files support generic comments than keywords. * [P] Mass rename dialog gets a history for its "what to match" entries in a combo box. * In single window mode (bSingleWindow registry tweak enabled) xplorer² will reuse an existing tab showing a folder rather than creating another tab with the same path. Note this is for external program invocations, e.g. in explorer replacement mode. * Added access to program options and the command finder in ribbon's quick access toolbar (the one on xplorer² main window titlebar). These commands don't show by default but you can put a tickbox next to them if you want them showing as buttons. Remember you can add any command you like up there by right clicking on the ribbon. * registry setting rgbZipFolderBgcol sets the background color when browsing special folders like ZIP/7Z/RAR archives. You can tweak it through the advanced registry settings editor (Layout Settings property page). * Menu command FILE > SHELL EDIT, launches the "edit" command for the selected item(s). This is unlike FILE > EDIT command that starts editor² on the selection assuming TEXT documents. Shell edit can be an image editor for an PNG or JPG for example. This functionality is available from shell context menu, but it is not accessible enough for some apparently. There is a global registry setting szShellVerb that controls which action is launched. It defaults to "edit" but you can change it to any other verb you like. You could even add a custom verb ("meOwnVerb") and then use the registry editor to assign command actions, a different one for each file type you want to play with. Note that if a selected file (type) has no EDIT verb in the registry, then this command will do nothing. You can only access commands that are present in the shell context menu. If you need portable associations, have a look here http://forum.zabkat.com/viewtopic.php?p=69064#p69064 * [P] DriveBar's context menu adds a "Safely remove" menu item for removable drives that don't have an Eject menu command (usually external hard disks). This command makes sure that xplorer² doesn't hold any locks to the device. Note it won't work 100% if the device adds multiple drive letters, in which case you must use the "Safely remove hardware" icon from your window's taskbar. * Right click on the addressbar to make it have large icons (and taller input fields). Useful for users with extremely high screen resolutions/DPI (and for the visually impaired that won't be convinced to buy glasses :) * 7zip/RAR archive plugin now works on windows XP too, so you can enter such "folders" with xplorer² (requires windows desktop search 3 or 4 installed but not necessarily running). See here for more information http://zabkat.com/blog/compressed-folder-shell-extension.htm * [P] The stock property Contents (which shows the number of direct subitems of a folder) can be tweaked to filter for particular file types. The global registry value szFileCountRule can be either a comma separated list of filename wildcards to match (default='*' to match and count all folder contents) or even the name of a previously saved complex filter. This innovative property allows you e.g. to find all folders that contain 3 or more MP3 files and such tricks. * Focus rectangle always shows in folder panels (useful for sticky selection). Solved a long term disappearence mystery that affected theme-enabled windows vista and later. * Length of frequent folders list (GOTO menu) obeys nHistoryItems restriction as set in program options (General page) * [P] Some xplorer² v3.x license holders will need new license keys to use this version. This applies only to those that got a FREE v3 replacement key within their 1-year-free-updates entitlement. If you bought a v3 key or you have a lifetime cover then you won't need to pay again. Only keys that show a date BEFORE 1/1/2015 will need to be replaced. * [P] docking framework improvements (dragging panels) * [P] Signed by stock column also returns the counter-signature (timestamp), if any. Note if there is a double signature it will only show information about SHA-1. * A few bugs for windows 2000 fixed (yes xplorer² still works back there :) [3.1.0.0] 22 Oct 15 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/tc-plugins.htm * [P] TC column and preview plugins support (aka content WDX and lister WLX). These extend the file attributes you see in detailed view mode (searchable too), and the quickviewer preview capabilities. There are tons to download from http://totalcmd.net. The easiest way to integrate these plugins in xplorer² is to install them with TC then copy the plugin sections [ContentPlugins] and [ListerPlugins] from WINCMD.INI into a file called TCPLUGINS.INI which should be placed in shell:appdata\zabkat folder (or in the xplorer² installation folder if run from a USB). If you are running the 64 bit version of xplorer² you must use x64 versions of the plugins. Example: [ListerPlugins] 0=C:\Users\god\Downloads\listplugsample\Debug\listplug.wlx 1=C:\Users\god\Downloads\wlx_TotalHLT_1.7b160\Highlight.wlx [ContentPlugins] 0=C:\Users\god\Downloads\wdx_textsearch\TextSearch.wdx NOTE: lister plugins appear in NATIVE preview mode (tab) and have precedence over windows previewers. To limit any TC plugin to certain filetypes only you can use detect strings in the initialization file, e.g. 2_detect = ext="DB" | ext="DB3" | ext="SQLITE" | ext="SQLITE3" | ext="FOSSIL" Finally note you DO NOT need to install that other program to get the plugins working in xplorer², just download the plugins and edit the settings file manually, entering the paths to the plugins. For more information including a user friendly plugin manager tool see http://zabkat.com/blog/tc-plugins.htm * [P] office documents can be natively previewed in zipfolders and other virtual folders * [P] global setting szGrepExcludeTypes is a comma separated list of extensions that can be used to exclude certain document types from filter searching. Also faster IFilter text extraction lookup. Note some TC content plugins can also be used to search for text in files, in case a windows filter is not available. * Mainframe setting DPF_NOHTMLIMG (see updated advanced settings editor) turns off the small thumbnail preview in the details pane. This image isn't required if you have the quickviewer turned on for example. * Advanced registry setting QVOPT_THREADED controls whether native previewer is running in a responsive background thread. If you have problems with some document types use the advanced settings editor to turn it off. * Advanced registry setting rgbRibbonBG controls the background color theme of the ribbon toolbar. xplorer² should get this color right automatically, but if it doesn't then just select another color using the advanced settings editor. * [P] Advanced global setting GAOPT_XCOLSFGTHREAD (see registry.txt) forces all [X] file attributes that you see in detailed view mode to be extracted on the main thread. This solves problems with some buggy plugins and column handlers that would crash otherwise. * [U] When searching for filenames only (no other properties) in NTFS local folders, and if running in administrator mode, files are found very quickly using the MFT and no indexing. To get this mode working on modern windows you need to right click on xplorer² icon and pick "Run as administrator" menu command. This also works if you start searching from "My Computer" folder where all the local NTFS drives will be searched by name. * Goto > Frequent folders submenu maintains automatically a list of folders you browse frequently. These names are also added in the addressbar for easy access. Note that "frequent" is different than recent or bookmarked. It's just folders that over the long term you are visiting more often. * Window > Reopen tab menu command restores the last tab closed, kind of undo an accidental tab close. * [P] Less trial nags when xplorer² is used in explorer replacement mode (before you buy a license) * A few bugs fixed * Better windows 10 compatibility [3.0.0.5] 27 Jun 15 ---------------- * In explorer replacement mode, xplorer² won't "steal" folders from windows explorer, if you happen to browse within windows explorer to begin with. [3.0.0.4] 5 May 15 ---------------- * corrected some dialog glitches in high DPI screen resolution * better colaboration with new compressed folder NSE plugin (see http://zabkat.com/blog/compressed-folder-shell-extension.htm) [3.0.0.2] 30 Jan 15 ---------------- * [U] WDS search for filenames when no wildcard is specified in NAMED field is much faster, matching stems or extensions. * In explorer replacement mode you should see less messages "There was a problem sending the command to the program" when opening folders outside xplorer². Please note you should NOT force xplorer² in administrative mode otherwise this message will be seen almost every time. [3.0.0.1] 16 Jan 15 ---------------- * A few small bugs fixed [3.0.0.0] 1 Jan 15 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2_v3-ribbon.htm Happy new year! * [P] Everybody will need NEW unlock keys for v3.0, but many will get free replacements. To check if you are entitled for a free or discounted v3.0 key use HELP > REGISTER PROGRAM menu, or the equivalent command under LICENSE MANAGEMENT in ribbon's leftmost tab. If xplorer² cannot find your old license key (but you know where it is yourself) you can use this upgrade page http://zabkat.com/upgrade.htm . For more information see http://zabkat.com/u_info.htm * [P] right click on the column header of a detailed view mode folder pane and you get to access Customize > Column sets menu conveniently at location. Likewise right click on the tab-strip (not ON a tab, but at the empty area to the right) to access Customize > Folder groups menu. Everything in context where it should be. * [P] Customize > User commands > Add current menu command also works if the selected item is a shortcut to an executable * [P] View > Visual filter > Autofilter menu command includes a list of complex filters, if you have any saved from Find File and other similar dialogs * Bookmarks menu includes an item "Explorer Favorites" which takes you to the folder that you see in the tree of your windows explorer * editor² Search > Match tag menu command handles XML tag names with a dot (.) correctly e.g. will match its closing tag * Large toolbar skin included in all distributions so that the ribbon looks nice. 5 new icons were added so your old skin files may need updating. * View > Ribbon menu command can replace (toggle) the traditional menubar with a modern Ribbon user interface. Requires windows Vista or later. Think of it as a plain menu mode for the less initiated. To get the menu back turn off the ribbon from its "file" (leftmost, dark blue) tab. Showing the ribbon hides the main toolbar too but you can have other toolbars showing with bookmarks, custom commands etc. Make sure you watch the demo video about the ribbon in HELP > HOW DO I? menu command. * The mass rename dialog has a new special token "File attribute" which can be any available file property as seen in detailed view mode. This way you can use ID3 tags and all the rest of it to rename files. * [P] Redesigned mass rename function, supporting search and replace in filenames as well as the older "replace whole name" mode. There are two search-and-replace modes, the first will replace only ONE occurrence of the matched substring, the second will replace ALL occurrences. The new $-token $[xx:yy] represents part of the filename (start from xx character and yy letters long) and can be used to remove or replace a section of the original name. For more information please refer to the quickstart guide. Regular expression rename is left as a future exercise! Note for people that hate change: using "replace whole name" mode and not ticking "preserve extension" option, this command works like it always used to :) * [U] Select a SINGLE folder in a (normal) pane and right click on it, you will find a menu command "Add to search index" (it is the LAST command in xplorer² submenu). You can thus easily add folders to windows search (for fast searching) without going through Indexing Options. All the subfolders will also be added; if you need more control about what to exclude then use Indexing Options instead. * In explorer replacement mode xplorer² adds itself in the autoplay list for "generic content" so you can open your USB sticks with xplorer² through autoplay. * Goto > Find Target menu command also works for normal items (ie. those that are not links or junctions), and will get the REAL path of the item if it happens to be redirected by various reparse points. For example, say that the folder junction c:\test\junction points to W:\dir. If you browse a file in c:\test\junction\SUBDIR\FILE then hitting on it will jump to the real file located at W:\dir\SUBDIR\FILE. * Volume mount points (kind of junctions to root drives created by MOUNTVOL command line tool) are correctly handled by CTRL+L command * [U] Tools > Fast search menu command gets a new GUI giving you control of what properties to fast search for (previously through registry settings). Tick on Everything to search in all file attributes, or tick only those properties you are interested in (name/text contents/comments/tags). * Folder tree will make sure the selected item is visible when you browse using the keyboard. You can scroll the tree left/right using . * [P] Robust copy progress dialog gets a graph plotting the transfer speed over time. Transfer speed isn't affected by pausing and other messageboxes. * Addressbar autofilter gets a [X] button that clears the filter quickly for those mouse oriented, and shows all the files * in explorer replacement mode, WIN+E key (if enabled from Tools > Advanced options menu command) will properly bring xplorer² window to the front * [P] plain text files can also be used to load/save scrap window contents (not just the binary CIDA format). Use the file type selector "Path text files" in the Load/Write contents menu commands. There should be one full path per line, as when importing text from the clipboard. You can also pass a TXT file as a command line parameter with /F:1 switch. * View will not scroll away to show the focus in large changing folders (e.g. downloads) as long as you CLEAR the option "Automatically re-sort contents after moving/copying etc" found in Tools > Options menu, Window page. Another way to make the view lock where you are looking is to click on one of the items you see. To show the selected items after that press key. * New stock column "Characters" available from dialog, counting the number of characters in pathnames. This helps identify long filenames that could be an issue copying e.g to CDROMs. Above 260 characters problems begin in all cases so try using small file and folder names. * various combo boxes (except those doing paths) get new autocompletion mode through a drop-down list instead of having to press the up-arrow key * Actions > Shred menu command renames the file to gibberish before deleting it. Makes it even harder to identify! * Better protection for unlocking files before cutting/moving items. Now the only way you can't delete files in xplorer² must come from an external fault (e.g. buggy codec) * proper HTML thumbnails shown and also good offline HTML preview with the Native tab. For windows XP you just need a registry hack: http://forum.zabkat.com/viewtopic.php?t=1730 * [P] more responsive (threaded) native preview tab and faster when you preview the same file type in a row. * Tools > Options menu, Window page has a new option to sort folders after files (at the end) * symbolic links with relative targets are correctly handled ( find target command etc) * registry property nInfotipDurationMS controls the time (in millisec, 5000=5 sec) infotips remain in view — if enabled from Tools > Options > Window. Increase this value if your infotips contain a lot of information and you want to see them for longer. * When you click on [?] buttons to see dialog help, any previous IE help window is reused to show the quickstart guide * All Organize dialogs (e.g. Bookmarks) have a right click context menu to manage the lists (on top of the toolbar buttons); and a new toolbar skin. * [P] Drivebar shows label for each drive as a tooltip * various small "features" fixed [2.5.0.4] 20 Jun 14 ---------------- * registry setting GAOPT_HOOKWINKEY (=536,870,912) installs a global hook to start xplorer2 with WIN+E key IF xplorer² is set to replace windows explorer. Note that you must leave the background xplorer² process running for this to work. Once you quit with this shortcut key will open windows explorer. As with all hooks this will somehow impact your computer's performance. This does NOT work if you are using a 32 bit xplorer² on 64 bit windows (explorer replacement doesn't work altogether...) [2.5.0.0] 13 Apr 14 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/replace-explorer-2.5.htm * registry setting GAOPT_NOBROWSECPAN (=524288) controlling whether xplorer² browses into control panel items or not. For windows vista and later these "folders" are better handled by windows explorer * Edit > Copy names command works in the folder tree too. This in addition to command that copies all the active tree branch to the clipboard. * [P] docking panes have context menu (right click on titlebar) for various operations (dock/float/hide etc) * custom drive icons are read from AUTORUN.INF files (if present for removable drives) * corrected PDF text extraction for windows 8.1 * repaired removable media EJECT command from shell context menu * picture thumbnails extracted from phones and cameras (thumbnail view and draft QV tab) * [U] running the professional version in parallel to ultimate doesn't disable fast desktop search * various small bugs fixed * [P] robust copy correctly handles file symbolic links (copies the link not the file). Sadly like all symlink operations you must be running as full administrator otherwise you get a funny error message. * [P] registry setting nUnbufferedCopyMB (default=1GB) sets a size limit above which robust copy is done without buffering. That supposedly fixes problems where your RAM is clogged by extremely huge file copying. * [P] When robust delete dialog encounters some reparse point (e.g. folder junction or symbolic link) only deletes the reparse information, without touching the target folder. This makes the "confirm folder junctions" checkbox in the dialog rather irrelevant. * More consistent handling of symbolic links, now you can see previews of them (text or pics) and even search for text in them (in the actual file target) * New files inserted in a pane (e.g. pasted or dropped) are marked (selected). This lets you see which files were newly added. This feature is controlled by local registry setting variable nMarkNewFileMS which is the time (in milliseconds) xplorer² waits after a file operation is initiated to mark added files. Set this to 0 to disable this new marking feature. If a pane contains a prior selection (>=2 selected items) then this feature is suppressed. * [U] Global registry value szSystemPropsList is a comma separated list of system properties to extend the file column and search attribute system. See here for the list of available properties: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd561977(v=vs.85).aspx . Some of them are already available as shell folder columns but some are only available through this route. Requires windows VISTA or later. * in explorer replacement mode, "Open containing folder" menu command from 3rd party programs (e.g. Google Chrome, Firefox) will correctly open and select items in xplorer². This is by far the most time consuming (wasted?) feature added in xplorer² in terms of development resources, enjoy! * When you opt to replace windows explorer with xplorer² during installation, you get more folder types handled (including "virtuals" like MyComputer). Installer allows you to replace explorer for the current user or for all users with a tickbox. xplorer² is configured to automatically run when you boot up windows (silently). * In the rare occasions when xplorer² cannot read a special folder (e.g. some items in control panel), you get the option to read it with windows explorer instead. [2.4.0.1] 12 Nov 13 ---------------- * fixed some problems with windows 8.1 compatibility * the poorly documented registry options szCustomDateFormat and szCustomTimeFormat (strings for date/time formatting different than that defined in control panel) are added to the advanced settings editor * lengthy split/merge file operations (Actions menu) get a more responsive progress dialog (you still have to wait ages though :) * Optional registry options szQVDraftExtList and szQVNativeExtList (see REGISTRY.TXT) control what extensions will get previewed for the Draft and Native preview tab respectively. So if you want to get just previews of JPG and TXT files in draft mode set szQVDraftExtList to "jpg,txt" (comma separated list of extensions, NO wildcards). These are layout specific, not for the global section. You can even have exclusion lists, e.g. "-jpg,-txt" will preview anything BUT jpg/txt. * editor² gives a clearer warning when saving on a readonly file [2.4.0.0] 6 Sep 13 ---------------- * [P] robust MOVE now works even if you are moving to the same partition (drive letter), as long as you specify a filter in the dialog. Supply a fake filter like "*" if you don't really need filtering but you need robustness. Note that this kind of Move operation is going to be SLOWER than a simple drag-drop on the same partition -- but you asked for it :) * [P] registry option GIOPT_ROBUSTMOVE (=268435456) makes F6 move commands always go "robust" but at the great expense of speed. Available through Tools > Advanced options menu command (Layout page). * [P] Robust file operations in silent mode are not halted for any messages as long as there are queued jobs waiting. This means you can queue jobs and go away. At the very end you will see a summary of errors (if any). * Mark > Sync wizard dialog has a field to ignore a prescribed date difference (it applies when modification date is used for comparisons). Tick it to consider files within the specified date range as identical, or clear the checkbox to use the default +/- 2 seconds tolerance. * [P] When using robust copy , if there is a filename collision (target file exists), you get a chance to supply a different filename so you can "manually" rename and keep the old target file or folder. Just type in the new filename (no path) and click on YES button. You don't need to type the extension even! The rename opportunity is offered when the copy options are set to "Ask confirmation" for overwriting existing objects. * [P] Docking panes like tree have a PIN icon on their titlebar. If you click on the pin you toggle the autohide/docked mode. When set to autohide the panel is minimized, brought into view by hovering the mouse over the panel button (or clicking on the minimized button). Click on the titlebar pin again to fix the panel in docked (expanded) mode. * Text extraction (search for keywords) works for PDF documents even if you have the latest Adobe reader — but it is recommended you switched to PDF X-change viewer especially if you are on 64 bit windows. * Background context menu menu (when you click on empty space) on some virtual folders includes an NSE submenu that routes to some special namespace extension commands, e.g. add new secure FTP connection. Several special folders have such commands (requires windows Vista or later) * [U] Tools > Fast search command more flexible when started from local folders outside the system index like C:\. It will search whatever folders are in the system index, under the current folder. * Various small bugs fixed * Quickviewer (Native mode) won't get in the way when renaming or deleting items; console window likewise won't block folder delete/rename operations * Right click on a USB drive icon (e.g. on the drivebar or tree) and use EJECT context menu command to safely remove it. This ensures that xplorer² at least won't be locking it (but it could be locked by other applications on your system, try the Safe device removal icon on the taskbar notification area too) * [P] AddressBar filter box works in miniscrap pane too (filter and select modes only), e.g. start typing a filename while the miniscrap has the focus and see what happens. * Default document categories e.g. {pictures} are recognized as quick filters in the addressbar * Symbolic links inherit the actual file dates at the time of creation (note the modification dates will diverge in the future) * Subfolder sizes are calculated automatically (if relevant advanced option is set) even when you aren't in detailed view mode * [P] Window > Set title menu command in scrap containers can be used to supply a custom titlebar name. You can also type your text in the addressbar as an alternative means of identification. Useful for multiple scrap windows. [2.3.0.0] 1 Mar 13 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/xplorer2-v2.3.htm * Tools > Options menu, Advanced page has a button to access control panel's folder options. Note that some of these options have no effect on xplorer² * Tools > Map network drive menu offers quick access to the respective windows function (also available by right clicking on My Computer icon) * Tools > Options menu, Advanced page has a tickbox to make network access faster (plain icons, no overlays/tooltips/folder sizes, partial tree expansion). Combines the old advanced registry options GAOPT_TREENONETENUM and GAOPT_ECONOMYNETWD. * [U] Tools > Fast search menu takes advantage of WDS v4.0 capability to search remote computers, if invoked while browsing some network folder. Likewise the Find Files command uses the remote computer search index if available. The remote folders must be shared. * Right click menu in Draft quick viewer has option to show the end (tail) of files instead of the beginning. Only applies to plain text files * If you don't have the NAME column first, the rename command uses a dialog window instead of failing. * [P] Tools > Fuzzy groups menu command in a scrap window organizes the contents in groups according to how similar are their names (or any other text attribute). It can be used for fuzzy duplicate checking, e.g. how many folders you have that share a common artist name. For best results fiddle the fuzzy factor up/down. * New filter box next to the addressbar allows quick selecting, filtering or [P] searching in the current view. Use the drop-down button menu to switch among the available modes and to fine-tune the operation. Press to operate on the inactive (dual) view. For more information please refer to the quickstart guide. * registry option nCharsAutoFilter (available through the advanced settings editor: Layout settings > General). If your filter box is set to plain filename filtering, this setting controls after how many characters typed the focus will jump in the filter box, for easier visual filtering. Set to 0 to disable this function. * Use the advanced registry settings editor (Layout settings > Main frame) to choose the relative size (percent) of the filter box in the addressbar. Set to 0 if you don't want the filter box. * [P] smarter registration: if you copy the xplorer² unlock key from the email you receive when you buy xplorer², it will be automatically inserted in the registration dialog. * Installer has option to add xplorer² to your folders' context menu. This can used as a soft alterative to replacing your windows explorer with xplorer². * Double click on the filter icon on the statusbar to toggle the active filter. Double click on the "show hidden" status bar pane to toggle showing hidden files and folders. [2.2.0.2] 14 Nov 12 ---------------- * Russian translation restored * Fixed drivebar bug [2.2.0.1] 6 Oct 12 ---------------- * [P] check duplicates command gets a prominent progressbar, useful for long file comparison operations * [P] Customize > Keyboard hotkey control allows more key combinations to be used as accelerators ( etc). Navigating this dialog with the keyboard is a bit harder, sorry! * Added new file attributes I for NOT content indexed (not that interesting :) and P for sParse files * New tips: 4a, 27b, 46a, 124b, 125a, 161a, 167, 168, 169, 170 * [U] Tools > Find files menu command will use windows desktop search if available (requires windows XP with desktop search 4 installed). This will dramatically improve the search speed in indexed folders. For more accurate results use CLICK FOR ROBUST SEARCH button after the end of the quick search. If you don't have desktop search, please download it from here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=23 * [U] registry tweak GAOPT_NODESKSEARCH disables desktop search, xplorer² operates only with 'slow' search as it used to (available through Options > Advanced settings menu, Global page) * [U] Tools > Fast search menu will do a simple desktop search under the current folder. Instead of defining complex search rules, just give it a keyword (whole word) to find either in the file contents, filename or some other file property. AQS syntax isn't supported, just plain text. * [P] Tools > Save search (in a scrap window) saves the last search parameters (filter and location, not the results) to a file. Repeat an older search using Tools > Recent search menu. To start a saved search from the command line use the arguments /F:1 /L:path_to_saved_search.x2fnd (or double click on a *.x2fnd file) * [P] Drag-drop a file on a filter window (e.g. find files dialog) and its details (name/date/size) are used to define a filter. Useful for locating renamed pictures from a camera. * Edit > Copy to command offers to create a folder for the HERE field if it doesn't exist * [P] Last complex filter (e.g. for command remembered between sessions * Tools > Options menu, Advanced page, has a tickbox for preserving file dates when setting comments with * [P] Searches are now possible within external devices like phones and cameras * [P] Drivebar won't show letters for empty card reader slots * [P] Better estimation of time remaining for robust copy and delete commands [2.1.0.2] 17 Apr 12 ---------------- * A few corrections for windows 8 compatibility [2.1.0.1] 27 Mar 12 ---------------- * [U] Actions > Export settings menu asks you whether you want to export to INI (for portability) or to REG file. If you want to export the registry make sure you save settings in the registry (from Tools > Options > General) * [P] Robust deletion dialog shows the path of the first few files/folders selected for deletion * [P] You can click on the SHORTCUT TO property in the Details pane (if a link file is selected) to browse the target item [2.1.0.0] 4 Mar 12 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/new-xplorer2-v2.1.htm * Added Downloads folder to system folders list (Goto > Special folders) * [P] Right click menu in scrap containers includes command to Open file location (container folder) and one to remove items from view (equivalent to ). * Tree option FTCOPT_AUTOCOLLAPSE (=256) collapses open branches before opening new ones - so that you don't end up with too many open branches during browsing * Searching for text in files in RAW encoding mode preselects the case sensitive and search all files options, so that you can make the most of its powers (e.g. you can search for $EF$BB$BF to find all files that have the UTF-8 BOM marker). * [P] double click on a dock pane's titlebar to make it float (toggle). * Actions > Export settings and other similar input boxes have a [...] button that allow you easy path selection. Note that path autocompletion works there too. * [P] Find files and similar dialogs allow regular expressions for filenames too (NAMED field). Set the fuzzines indicator to 0 (usually 100) to enable the regexp mode. For syntax see http://zabkat.com/x2h_2b.htm#table1a * [U] Tools > Options > General, save program state on exit possible to go to an INI file (instead of registry) for portability. The default location is the user settings folder (e.g. C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\zabkat. It could also be placed next to the program but make sure the folder is writeable (i.e. not while installed under C:\program files\zabkat). The /I: command line switch mainly caters for INI files, but it also supports REG files for compatibility with older xplorer² versions. * [U] Advanced options editor can work with INI settings file, if passed as a command line argument, e.g. x2SettingsEditor.exe "C:\x2settings.ini" * Actions > Folder settings > Default menu command will fix the pane style, sort order, columns and grouping for all folders according to the current settings. Untick to revert to the classic 'last setting used is the default' mode. When the default mode is active, if you make any changes in some folder (e.g. switch to thumbnails) these will turn back to default once you browse some other folder. * [P] show in groups mode now supports collapsible groups (windows vista and later), use the little group header icons to collapse and expand a group. WARNING: items in collapsed groups remain selected so be careful if you delete after collapsing a group!. To collapse/expand a group with the keyboard, select the group header then press left or right arrow keys respectively. * registry setting CLVOPT_NOSELCOLLAPSED (=262144) forbids item selection when its group header is collapsed (see registry.txt) * [P] arrow key collapses all groups (windows vista or later). To expand all groups press to refresh the folder. * editor² checks if a ED2.INI file exists next to the program (portable mode) and uses it automatically instead of registry. You can pass any custom settings file using the /I: option as before. * Actions > Set comment menu command gets its own dialog. When you select multiple files to set, you have the option to either replace the existing comment verbatim, or you can just enter one word (tag) to add or remove from the existing comment * [P] Plain text rules in hyperfilters support regular expressions if the relevant option is ticked. * [P] View > Details pane menu command opens an information pane like that one in windows explorer, showing extended information on the focused item. This is a combination of quick content preview and file attributes, depending on the current file type. You can edit many properties 'in-place' by clicking on the IE-like anchor links. NOTE: this pane won't work perfectly if you have internet explorer 5 or earlier. * Better icons for executable files and folders in thumbnail view mode * [U] in portable trim, put a CIDA file next to the xplorer² executable to use it as the default contents file for the miniscrap pane. * New demo videos added in Help > How do I? pane. Marked with NEW they hilight the biggest new additions * New detail column (attribute) for MD5 file checksums ( command). The old plain checksum column works but it isn't very reliable identifying small differences. If you want to calculate MD5 sums of large files you may have to increase the relevant bytesize limit from Tools > Options, General page (near the bottom). Sorry, not working in windows 9x! * [P] To customize the attributes that appear in View > Details pane put a HTML file called "X2DETAILS.HTM" in the installation folder. NOTE: this is an advanced operation for experienced users only. * All program icons can be customized using the "translation" trick mentioned here: http://forum.zabkat.com/viewtopic.php?t=8379 [2.0.0.2] 25 Oct 11 ---------------- * a few small bugs fixed [2.0.0.1] 20 Sep 11 ---------------- * registry tweak GAOPT_NOX2SHCMENU stops xplorer² adding its own menu items in the standard shell context menu (available through Options > Advanced settings, Global page) * fixed a couple of bugs e.g. infotip formatting [2.0.0.0] 22 July 11 ---------------- VERSION INFO: http://zabkat.com/blog/23Jul11-xplorer2-v2-released.htm * [P] Native tab in quick previewer utilizes the windows vista/7 preview handlers for office/PDF/etc document preview (a lifesaver if you have the buggy Adobe X) download preview handler extensions http://www.smartftp.com/client/addons/sourcepreview/ * [P] Native preview automatically resizes images and text * fast thumbnails for windows XP/2000 utilizing thumbs.db system cache (note: thumbnail size must be fixed to 96 pixels, see Tools > Options > General) * option for large icons in folder tree (right click nowhere in tree and pick command from menu) * large toolbar icons supported, create an alpha-transparent bitmap called x2skin_XL.PNG and put it in the installation folder, see http://zabkat.com/x2skin.htm. Recommended icon sizes in range [24,48]. * when item icons are set to PLAIN (Tools > Options > General) there are no icon overlays extracted (shortcut, shared, TSVN etc) * network folder access speed with tree-autosync enabled improved dramatically; make sure you have GAOPT_TREENONETENUM enabled from Tools > Advanced options (global page: tree only partially expands network folders) * [P] Bookmarks > Dual submenu can save folders left/right (top/bottom) to be restored later as a set * [P] Autofilters now hide folders in general, a separate menu command shows only folders * Various list Organize dialogs are now resizable * [P] infotip information available as a stock column too. Convenient for showing file type specific information (e.g. dimension for images, duration for music etc). Use to place it on detailed view mode or on an infobar with right-click. Recommendation: use this as the ONLY piece of information on your infobars, removing all other columns. * [P] robust copy and delete dialogs use checkbox to quickly activate last filter used (if any) * [P] robust copy option to preserve all file/folder dates after copying (created etc). Normally only the last modified date is preserved. * [P] shell context menu includes a custom xplorer² submenu where you can put any menu command to suit your needs (use Organize menu) * Link icon overlays shown in thumbnail view mode too * First stage (name parsing) of network reads also escapable (press ESC key if it takes too long) * User command token $> for the odd (sic) need to pass all selected items through a list file. This is equivalent to $A token but the paths are saved to the file %TEMP%\x2tmpList.txt, then this file is used as the $> argument. Useful for situations where you need to pass too many files to some external tool. * Toolbar context menu has switch whether to use small or large icons (if XL skin available) * Improved handling of phones and digital cameras, now you can see thumnnails in such folders * If in single pane mode, xplorer² window title shows the full folder path * [P] Global registry setting nMenuBreak=X causes long menus e.g. Bookmarks to split vertically in columns every X items. To be used along nCustMenuIcons registry setting * editor² optionally saves settings in a .INI file (instead of the registry) if you use the /I command line switch with a .INI filename Also loader automatically detects common unicode and UTF8 text files without a BOM * [P] Actions > Folder settings > Save and Clear menu commands ask if you want to apply the same settings to all subfolders * Search for text in plain text files (, Find files and similar commands) automatically detects unicode and UTF8 files even without a BOM (encoding identification) * File > New tab opens all the selected items/folders in separate tabs * Right click on a tab to lock it (toggle). Locked tabs stay put and any browsing in them results in opening a new tab. * [P] all view panes (tree, quickviewer etc) are dockable. You can rearrange them by drag-drop to any side of the main window or have them floating (detached). Hold down while dragging to float a pane * [P] View > Toolbars > Lock dock sites command fixes the arrangement of docking panes so that they cannot be moved. Dock bars also lose their titlebars if you long the way the old splitter panes looked like! * [P] Clear contents context menu command in miniscrap pane deletes the default content file. * [P] Free trial extended to 31 days (last 10 days have more nags/delays) * [P] Your old xplorer² license key won't work but you may be entitled to a free or discounted upgrade, use the PURCHASE button in Help > About box to find out. If you bought xplorer² more than 2 years ago you'll need a new purchase. [1.8.1.4] 24 Apr 11 ---------------- * slow startup on account of digital signature check eliminated * added easter eggs -- only joking :) [1.8.1.3] 6 Mar 11 ---------------- * [P] Help > Activate with key menu command easy way to use your unlock key to activate xplorer². This menu is disabled if you are already registered. * Folder deletion from the tree got easier, now you don't have to activate the confusing 'Don't lock browsed folder' advanced option. * Hide protected operating system files policy from Folder Options (Control panel) is observed, unless you use the registry tweak GIOPT_SHOWALLHIDDEN(=256) — then xplorer² will behave like it always had. (it only makes a difference for windows 7 and later) * various small bugfixes (e.g. symbolic links) [1.8.1.2] 25 Jan 11 ---------------- * added french translation - thanks to Denis Neuhart * added spanish translation - thanks to Pablo Torralba Fernandez * added brazilian translation - thanks to Emre Akkas [http://globalme.net] [1.8.1.1] 21 Dec 10 ---------------- * bugfix for editor² UTF-8 file handling * hires toolbar skin available for editor² click here http://zabkat.com/skins/ed2skin.png (place the PNG file in xplorer² installation folder) * fixed handling of $xx escape sequences in xplorer² find in files command etc [1.8.1.0] 4 Dec 10 ---------------- * updated lists of recognized audio/video formats for WMP * High color PNG toolbar skins supported, see several new skins available at http://zabkat.com/x2skin.htm * /I: command line option for PORTABLE edition can take a standard INI (instead of REG) file so you can have your settings kept in a file without a round trip to windows registry * Actions > Export settings menu command exports all the keys under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ZabaraKatranemia Plc to minimize on UAC confirmations * [P] View > Visual filter > Autofilter command works in scrap windows too (for generic filters) * registry option GIOPT_CACHETHUMBS(=524288) forces items to cache their bitmaps (not recommended!) * vista/7 drag-drop images and labels closer to windows explorer format * [P] robust copy shows progress on windows 7 taskbar button too (whoopy!) * [P] drivebar supports right click context menu for all items (root drives) * fast and sleek thumbnails for windows vista/7 using shell icon cache * better appearence for windows vista/7 menu icons * Help > Tell a friend menu command now leverages your social networking powers to spread the word on xplorer² (thanks! :) * Help > Online support and Crash information now send emails to customer support * [P] text rules in filters (e.g. Keywords) allow for ? and * wildcard characters, e.g. "ab?d" will match abCd, ab1d and abd. * [P] Text filter rule dialog has a Verbatim checkbox; tick it to cancel wildcards, commas etc (find exactly what you type) * numerous small bugs fixed and annoyances removed * paste text and images in folder now creates unique names (x2scrap2.PNG etc) * [P] Edit > Extract text command extracts plain unformatted text from documents, e.g. for a file called LETTER.DOC it will create LETTER.TXT with just the text contents. (windowsXP or later) * registry option GAOPT_SAVEUNICODETXT available through registry settings editor (used for extract text and paste text as file commands) * [P] new column for authenticode digital signature for executable files downloaded from the internet * [P] Infobars (View > Toolbars menu) now support a Selection [S] column like the main statusbar, enable it by right clicking. Thus each pane can have its own selection information [1.8.0.14] 20 Aug 10 ---------------- * fixed 64 bit version demo videos (Help > How do I? menu command) [1.8.0.13] 3 Aug 10 ---------------- * a few translations updated (Russian) * editor² gets Edit > Insert tag menu command for HTML/XML tags [1.8.0.12] 14 May 10 ---------------- * xplorer² is now digitally signed by Nikolaos Bozinis (me) * editor² upgraded to match HTML tags (Search > Match tag menu) [1.8.0.10] 6 April 10 ---------------- * Improved memory handling for browsing large folders * registry option GAOPT_SAVEUNICODETXT(=8388608) paste text in folder (x2scrap.txt) saved as unicode file [1.8.0.7] 23 February 10 ---------------- * quicker startup times (network folder icons for the tree done in background thread) [1.8.0.5] 11 February 10 ---------------- * new status bar indicator for 'show hidden files' state * more windows 7 warts eradicated * keyboard only command to toggle show/hide hidden files (menuhack ID=33163) * non-standard layouts easier to recognize from window title * Window > Administrator menu command easy access to run xplorer² elevated when you need to write in C:\Program files and other locations normally blocked by UAC * [P] column handlers like TSVN and audioshell now work for vista and windows 7! * View > Select columns menu command has a filter box for easier column selection (for the 300-odd columns in W7!) * [P] Additional rules definition (eg for find dialog) property is now combobox with autocomplete, e.g. type SVN and hit up-arrow to find a column that contains SVN in its name * Explorer replacement mode (if selected from the installer) takes over HKCU\directory\shell\open key so more programs will use xplorer² for folders [1.8.0.0] 25 November 09 ---------------- * Mark > Sticky selection now compatible with lasso mouse selection mode * PNG, AVI and such files now can have comments attached (workaround); also commenting doesn't change file dates * Goto > Special folders > Compatibility files (vista or later) jumps to the folder containing any "compatibility files" in the current folder (written by legacy applications without sufficient access rights) * View > Tile horizontally easy access command to switch dual panes from left-right to top-bottom * [P] Edit > Paste (Ctrl+V) in scrap windows and the mini-scrap accepts file paths (text from clipboard) to import items. Separate multiple items in separate lines * [P] Edit > Copy columns includes group header titles, if any (if you are showing in groups from Arrange by menu) * [P] Customize > User commands > Add current menu command adds a tool based on the selected EXEcutable item in the active folder * advanced settings editor (Tools menu) can now edit lists like File Types (see Global property page). Clear a checkbox to "delete" an entry, click "Add new" to add a new one * Tools > Options > Advanced page has a button to cancel xplorer² replacing windows explorer (so that you don't need to uninstall xplorer²) * [P] Help > About shows installation date and licence key date under the reference number * Goto > Special folders includes links to My pictures and My music folders * Actions > Split file dialog includes a standard size for RapidShare uploads (100MB) * New tips: 2a, 49a, 56a, 74c, 81a, 102a, 166 * Tab context menu includes a "Move across" command which sends the tab to the other (inactive) pane * external registry settings editor offers to close xplorer² if found running * installer asks if you want separate window/layout (NOT recommended!) when xplorer² replaces windows explorer * [P] file copy overwrite confirmation dialog shows item icon and information about the new item (bigger/smaller, newer/older) * windows 7 libraries are enumerated just like in windows explorer * registry option nMaxTButWidth sets the maximum width for text-enabled toolbar buttons * [P] robust copy option to overwrite existing folders at destination; this means that if you copy a folder and its target already exists, it will be deleted first then the source folder will go on top, effectively removing all old items at the destination. Overwrite confirmations will follow whatever policy you have for files (Existing objects overwrite section) * [P] Bookmarks and user commands on toolbars are valid drop targets (e.g. drag-drop a file on a bookmark to copy/move a file in the bookmarked folder) * sticky selection now works in Vista/win7 too * Actions > Split file shows estimated file pieces and Merge files restores the original modification date * Use drag-drop to rearrange folder tabs * Help > How do I? menu command opens pane with on-board tutorials for common file management tasks (requires internet connection) * Tools > Options > Advanced "Quick view docked to the right" means to the right of window, not tree * right-click on folder tree background to select sorting by date or name menu commands * Help > Tell a friend menu command for those who like xplorer² enough to recommend it to their pals :) * Mark > Sync wizard can now check file metadata (column). Unless the column is a date, the comparison is in the sense identical/different, similar to comparison by Name only * [P] Tools > Check duplicates can also check for any file metadata (e.g. find pictures that have the same "date picture taken") * [P] Autofilter categories can be used as components in comma-separated wildcards e.g. -{documents},-{source code}. They are valid in the addressbar too. * Tools > Advanced options launches the GUI registry settings editor (and quits xplorer²) * Help > Crash information locates the crash minidump file (if there were any recorded program crashes). You can then drag-drop it to an email and send it as attachment to xplorer² customer support. * [P] Customize > Color coding now supports checkboxes so that you can turn individual color filters on/off. Right click to tick/untick all checkboxes * Edit > Paste commands also accept images and text from clipboard; they create picture or text files from clipboard content, respectively, called x2scrap.* * Actions > Change attributes includes a checkbox to change the security of selected items so that everyone is granted full read/write access. WARNING: this totally whacks all prior security information! * [P] special paste commands Multi Paste and Sync-o-paste offer to suppress any overwrite confirmation dialogs (XP or later) * [P] Edit > Copy to dialog, the queue option is now a persistent tickbox called "Use queue" * Script wizard dialog box is resizable like mass rename wizard * FTP folder file dates are properly DST and timezone adjusted and refreshed... not sure if that's any good though :( * Every 3 months xplorer² will prompt you to check if there are program updates to download * File > Mass rename command doesn't stop if errors are experienced, renames as many items as possible * Tools > Options > Advanced has tickbox for automatically resizing the Name column in detailed view mode * [P] All permanent delete/trash commands go through the new robust delete dialog that continues after errors, has silent mode etc. All delete operations are queued and executed sequentially * [P] registry tweak GAOPT_NOROBUSTDEL(=1048576) disable robust delete, all deletions through explorer * Help > Command finder locates menu commands using a keyword, if it matches the menu command's text or its description * [P] Mark > Quick search understands global saved hyperfilters e.g. :{earlier_saved_filter} such as you saved e.g. in Find Files dialog (predefined) [1.7.2.7] 28 June 09 ---------------- * registry setting GAOPT_ECONOMYNETWD(=524288) disables network drive icon extraction, combating the slow startup of some Vistas * added trialpay option for xplorer² lite (get xplorer² as a free gift, see http://zabkat.com/x2-trialpay.htm) [1.7.2.5] 3 June 09 ---------------- * windows 7 compatibility * Help > Check for updates online more user friendly [1.7.2.4] 17 April 09 ---------------- * small but important bugfix for search text in files affecting non-english locales * greek translation (finally!) [1.7.2.3] 26 February 09 ---------------- * added UndoFolderAssociation.REG file in the installation folder for people that want to undo folder association to xplorer² without uninstalling the program. See this page for more information: http://zabkat.com/blog/11Jan09-default-folder-association.htm [1.7.2.2] 6 January 09 ---------------- * find blacklist now supports wildcards, e.g. add "*.svn" under registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ZabaraKatranemia Plc\xplorer2_UC.global\Find Blacklist to exclude all folders with .svn in their name from searches. Separate multiple exclusion filters by commas. [1.7.2.1] 13 December 08 ---------------- * registry setting DPF_NOMENU=262144 hide main window menu bar. Issue commands through toolbars or keyboard shortcuts [1.7.2.0] 23 November 08 ---------------- * [P] improved color coding performance (Customize menu) in large folders * Added 48x48 program icon * "Don't lock browsed folder" advanced option now allows easier folder deletion * Full manual and help updated * registry option FTCOPT_OPENSUBFOLDERS=64 (for binTreeOptions) tree expands branch of active node when synchronizing with the active folder * user commands and those from the addressbar can be applied to ALL selected items if you use a double prompt e.g. >> or $$. Single prompt characters will apply the command only to the focused item as usual. * installer asks you (via a checkbox in Additional Tasks page) whether to associate xplorer² with folders so it will open when you click on folders on your desktop etc. This does not include virtual folders like "recycle bin", "my computer" etc. * [P] Global registry option nCustMenuIcons how many bookmarks, user commands etc that can be placed on toolbars (5-100) * Settings editor modified to accept plain numbers as well as slider bar control * [P] xplorer² registration information shared so you can have both 32/64 bit running on the same PC. The program settings are shared too. * Mass rename wizard dialog made X-resizable * editor² v2.9 with x64 compatibility and some bug fixes * [P] 64 bit compatibility; to download the separate 64 bit version see http://zabkat.com/x2-64bit.htm * registry option GAOPT_NOMINIDUMP=16384 don't install crash handler and no minidump generated otherwise in case of program crash %TEMP%\x2minidump.mdmp is written in the temp folder to aid remote debugging * registry option DPF_NOMIDDLECLOSE=131072 middle/double click won't close tabs * registry option GAOPT_NOCASCADEFRW=32768 don't open new frame windows cascaded (displaced bottom/right) * [P] registry option GAOPT_IGNOREADSERR=65536, robust copy operations won't complain for file stream loss — use at own risk! * registry option FTCOPT_SORTBYDATE=32 (for binTreeOptions) sorts tree nodes by date modified * mass renamer removes illegal characters from filenames (e.g. those introduced by ID3 tags) for _underscores * added environmental variable X2DIR=xplorer2 executable folder, useful for portable runs. You can set tool paths relative to xplorer2 and use them in custom user commands, e.g. %X2DIR%..\yourTool.exe $n (note backslash included) * Actions > Export settings now writes instructions in REG file to remove old registry information first * Going up folder (Goto > Up a level) always selects the folder you came out of * /N command line switch makes xplorer² not read network and other slow folders on startup, in case they are unavailable * middle mouse button toggles the selection status of the item under cursor, good for vista where sticky selection doesn't work. If you don't have middle mouse button just press left & right simultaneously or click the scrollwheel * registry field nCodePage (under main key) adds custom code page in various text file encoding drop-down lists, e.g. a value of 1253 will add Greek codepage and you can search for greek text in plain text files easier. * Documents without image preview get a large icon in thumbnail view, like windows explorer does it * various bugfixes [1.7.1.1] 29 February 08 ---------------- * new tip 5a advertising the skins available for download: http://zabkat.com/x2skin.htm * addressbar can parse webfolder http:// addresses * polish and bulgarian translations updated [1.7.1.0] 14 February 08 ---------------- * right click "<<" symbol in pane titlebars to breadcrumb "My computer" (access root drives) left click takes you to My Computer * ctrl+F2 allows to rename files and folders starting with a . (dot) eg .svn * registry option rgbActiveBgcol (if defined) also provides background color for tree pane * global registry option GAOPT_COLCALWAYS=8192 filename color coding applied on inactive views too * mirror scrolling tries to keep the two views alinged (if they have same pane style), even with scrollbars * registry key binFileOpFlags controls confirmations for file operations initiated by drag-drop or Paste this is a boon for commands like Sync-o-Paste and MultiPaste NOTE: requires windows XP or later * Goto | Drop target browse the folder that accepted the last drag-drop operation next best thing for "undoing" accidental drops, especially when moving items on the same partition * [P] registry option nCopyThrottleMS optionally introduces a delay (milliseconds) in robust transfers so that your system resources aren't drained (but copy speed drops!) * Middle mouse button over a folder pane opens new tab; if on a tab it closes said tab * [P] Actions > Folder settings > Save includes custom grouping information (Arrange By > Show in groups) IFF the group is a named (saved) one under Customize menu * webfolder/webdav access a bit more bearable (albeit at the expense of date/time information) For best results access these folders from a shortcut NOT under "my network places" (http:// path in the addressbar) * [P] color coding includes "italic" font style (note: either bold or italic, not both!) * Command in Help menu allows turning the GUI translation (if any) from english <-> local language * [P] pushpin button in quick previewer tab strip for more convenient access to View | Lock viewer command * toolbar skins supported; just drop a bitmap file called x2skin.bmp in the installation folder (x2skinBW.bmp for disabled icons) If you want to redesign buttons on your own you need this http://zabkat.com/skinz.zip (includes instructions) At present only 16x16 pixel buttons are supported Here's a list of available skins: http://zabkat.com/x2skin.htm * support for showing headers in all view modes, convenient for sorting UI (vista only) (checkbox available in Tools | Options | Advanced) * registry setting nRefreshTimeoutMS controls how long panels delay till they refresh themselves after receiving a filesystem change notification * Additional checks and improvements for Windows Vista compatibility * editor² v2.8 improvements: Edit > (Un)Comment to (un)comment out a selected block with adjustable comment lead string Warning issued when attempting to load a large binary file Partially aware of changes (saved) in the active document made outside editor² TopMost command in system (corner) menu to pin it above other windows keyboard-only command scrolls current line to the top of the window * [P] various Organize dialogs (bookmarks, folder groups etc) allow selection of custom icon for menus and toolbars defaults for bookmarks and user commands available; icons can be in DLLs or ICO files * [P] Tools | Folder statistics loads in a separate thread so you can continue using the main window while it is gathering folder data * support for Vista's symbolic links (Edit | Paste special menu), a cross between hard links and shortcuts IMPORTANT: UAC blocks this command so you have to Run As administrator! * Goto | Find target command and "Shortcut to" column are aware of junctions and symbolic links * registry flag GAOPT_FOLLOWJUNCTIONS=4096 to treat junctions as normal folders for search, flatten etc * various bugs fixed * registry setting DPF_SHOW1TAB=65536 forces tab strip visibility even when only one tab is available * global registry string "szAltBrowser" can contain path for browser executable other than the default internet explorer * [P] robust transfer will not jump the queue if there's already an active copy operation also more details are available for queued operations (Edit | Queue status) * [P] improved loading speed for CIDA files; keyboard ESCapable too! * GUI registry settings editor updated for all new registry settings above [1.7.0.3] 23 June 07 ---------------- * full help file updated for v1.7 * registry option GAOPT_NOVISTAGLASS=1024, disable fancy selection bars etc in vista, make it look like XP * registry option GAOPT_VISTADDICONES=2048 show images while drag drop (default=OFF since it crashes some vistas) * registry option DPF_XPTABHILITE=32768 gives active tab an orange tinge like in XP * "New" shell context menu within folder background menu now works * in all "Organize" dialogs (bookmarks etc) copies the full text in the clipboard (copy button too) * command line option /I:settings.REG forces xplorer2 to use alternative settings file (portability) best to place the REG file in the same folder as the executable * command line option /W allows writing to registry even in portable mode * registry setting DPF_CASCADECRUMBS=16384 puts all folder hierarchy in breadcrumbs in cascading submenus (sadly it only works with the mouse) * right click on a subpath in each pane's titlebar to see a menu of its subfolders (breadcrumb-esque) to access the old "recent folder history" hold down while right-clicking (or use ) * improved sorting speed for explorer (non-stock) columns * registry option DPF_MINIMIZE2TRAY=8192 forces main window to minimize to tray (only if a single instance is present) * creates new folder even if tree has the focus (under hilighted node) * [P] scrap shell context menu works for all selections, even those with multiple folders involved * [P] registry option GAOPT_THREADEDPDF=512, enables pdf text background thread extraction (requires Adobe Reader 7+) * x2SettingsEditor.exe now part of the distribution, no more registry hacking for xplorer2 advanced options (you will find this in the program's installation folder c:\program files\zabkat\xplorer2) * registry option GIOPT_PROTECT1SEL=65536 if you want to protect single item "selections" under Eat first click policy * [P] quick previewer now shows items from mini-scrap * [P] mini scrap is a valid source of command scripts * All "log" windows (including Keyboard Use) have Find command in context menu to search for text (or ) * Each pane has folder icon on its titlebar; right click on it to access folder background menu * New tips: 1b, 6a, 9e, 26a, 33a, 61a, 62, 74b, 98b, 157a * fixed multimonitor window positioning quirks (?) * "shortcut to" column also shows target of internet shortcuts (.URL) * editor2 upgraded to v2.7 featuring better visuals as well as: /M command line switch similar to xplorer2 (ensure window will not open minimized) when file is modified a [*] sign appears on the titlebar various small bugs fixed * quickviewer (text preview) hilights and executes URLs with your internet browser * Actions | ADS | Split streams menu command extracts secondary streams in separate files * in thumbnail view, left-right arrows will (mostly) scroll as expected when at the end of line * Mouse-friendly "GO" button to the right of addressbar * registry option GIOPT_ADDRBARENDOK=8192 allows addressbar to activate as you select an item from history list (ENTER not required) * keyboard-only command ctrl+Y repeats the last menu command executed (extra arguments may be required) * added friendly date category "last hour" for recently modified files (and group) * Mark | Selection | Show brings as many of the selected items in view as possible (also used for "scroll to top") * registry option GIOPT_DIREXTENSIONS=16384 enables filename "extensions" for folders (past the dot) * [P] when in Quicksearch, press in the addressbar to show only the matching files (filter visibility) * new split dialog preset category for DVDs (just how big are your files? :) * [P] stream loss warning during robust copy can be supressed for the remaining files clicking "Yes to All" * [P] Customize | Keyboard menu allows modifying the keyboard shortcuts for most xplorer2 commands. * [P] Customize | "Keyboard use" updated to show all keyboard assignments to commands * more fine tuning for windows vista * When "Don't lock browsed folder" advanced setting is checked, current directory is set prior to command/script execution to active folder * Actions | Set comment allows multiline comments (will look a bit weird in the single-line column!) * Tab-strip right click menu has command to save all paths in a comma separated list (try pasting in a scrap :) [1.6.5.2] 1 December 06 ---------------- * full manual available for downloading * fixed large icon (48x48) bug with custom drive icons * registry option GAOPT_NOCUSTOMICONS (==256) stops extracting custom drive icons (for non-standard >32x32 icon sizes) [1.6.5.0] 9 November 06 ---------------- * /M command line option forces xplorer2 window to open (i.e. not be minimized) when the program starts * new "D" attribute for directories useful for folder detection in hyperfilters * addressbar understands bookmark names for browsing folders; use up/down arrow for autocompletion * Ctrl+Alt+F10 repeats last shell context menu command on selection (keyboard only command), makes sense only for similar selections! * fixed drawing bug with XP gridlines * tips & tricks dialog is modeless, allowing you to test its recommendations while it's being shown * toolbar context menu has option to "Lock toolbars" * [P] custom groups are automatically reinstated on startup, IF last group was in the saved list (Customize menu) * [P] fuzzy filename matching with % tolerance in search etc dialogs: 100% exact match, 90% fuzzier, etc * [P] generic document categories (images, music, text etc) can be used as filename filters, autofilters etc. You can amend the extension list under global registry key "File types" to taste * [P] View | Pane style | Mini thumbs for 2nd (smaller by default) thumbnail size * registry variable "nThumbMini100" controls how much % smaller (or larger) is mini-thumb from normal thumbnail * registry variable GIOPT_PACKEDTHUMBS=536870912 for tight vertical bunching of thumbnails * [P] Mark | Quicksearch will mark files that contain the text in _any_ column, even dates etc * [P] File | Clear removes all contents from scrap panes (also available from mini-scrap context menu) * Help | What's new? command offers access to "changes.txt" in the installation folder * improved windows vista compatibility * [P] when showing in groups, shift+column click on the major column will do a secondary sort on it within the group * registry setting GAOPT_TREENONETENUM=128 causes the tree not to exhaustively enumerate all network contents (computer names) during . Manual expansion still enumerates everything though. * [P] right-drag a folder to a scrap and there will be a context menu option to flatten it for subfolders (instead of the usual files) * new tips: 1a, 12b, 63a, 71a, 98a, 124a, 124b, 134a, 144a, 144b * [P] View | Mini scrap, enjoy all (most) amenities of a scrap container in the main window to jump into it from a view; load/save contents with context menu mini scrap automatically saves its contents when you close it (that's controlled through CLVOPT_AUTOSAVESCRAP registry option) context menu contains command "save as" to change CIDA filenames on the fly from a normal pane sends items to mini-scrap IFF there's no other scrap window open (registry GIOPT_NOKEYSENDMS to disable this) * editor2 now understands code pages (/C:nnn command line option & View menu) * more extensive use of keyboard application buttons * advanced option to close old window after cloning a new layout (different registry key) * some obscure GIOPT_xxx constants moved to a different registry key (see registry.txt) * [P] Tools | Check duplicates now behaves as "check for duplicates under this folder" * [P] Group view now supports Name as a column, doing A-Z grouping of file names [1.6.0.1] 25 June 06 ---------------- * registry option DPF_X2TITLETRAIL forces xplorer2 to appear last in titlebar (see registry.txt; if set you lose dirkey compatibility) [1.6.0.0] 5 June 06 ---------------- * Alt+Shift+GRAY_+ select all files with basenames same as the one in focus (GRAY_- to unselect) * New tips (see x2tips.txt in installation folder): 75a, 152c, 155a, 160a * [P] View | Raw contents can be used for filesystem folders too * [P] Folder groups now save any fixed tab names too * [P] Customize | Color coding sets up text attributes for certain file types (hyperfilters) * registry option GIOPT_QSNOFCONTENT (=268435456) stops quicksearch looking in file contents (only scan text in columns/details shown) * [P] Robust transfer options can be saved & restored for common scenarios * Improved icon overlay extraction for TortoiseCVS etc * View | Lock viewer freezes quickview to whatever item it is currently showing * [P] View | Arrange by | Custom groups to organize a pane's content using your own hyperfilters (winXP) * [P] Customize | Custom groups submenu to manage such custom categories * registry option nThumbSpacing for tighter icon spacing in thumbnail view mode (recommended: 3 pixels) * Edit | Duplicate now allows you to rename the new item (if single) * dragging/opening from a single folder respects the visible item order * filter, group and other view changes preserve the old selection status * Help | Licence agreement shows the small print associated with program usage * Edit | Paste special new submenu to handle NTFS folder junctions * Goto | Find target now traces junction targets as well as regular shortcuts * Generic text input dialog is now resizable [1.5.0.1] 02 March 2006 ------- * full manual published * registry option GIOPT_NODIRTHUMBS=134217728 stops extracting folder thumbnails in XP [1.5.0.0] 06 February 2006 ------- * registry option szNewFileExt provides extension for NewFile (F7) command e.g. set it to txt to create text files * [P] date rules in hyperfilters now can count in years too * [P] Ctrl+Alt+Up/Down goto next/previous group * updated quickstart guide & new tips: 19a, 27a, 47a, 108a, 152b, 159a * [P] Mark | Quicksearch marks items searching for text in _any_ text column shown & in file contents (you can also type the wanted phrase in the addressbar using ':' as a prompt) * [P] Show in groups (Arrange by menu), requires winXP secondary in-group sorting by shift-clicking on column header * Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down move focused item up/down in the listing (override sort order) * Mark | Total size, marks items summing up to "Total size" for subsequent copy (approximate) * Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Grey+ select current group (- to unselect) * [P] robust copy with hyper filters (only for filesystem source+targets) Filter in F5 dialog can be just a wildcard you type, e.g. "*.cpp,*.h" * [P] new transfer options for robust copy: clear "A" source attribute and copy only existing files * [P] 20 icons in bookmarks and customize menu (more items can go on toolbars) * [P] paste special | Multi paste drops same copy on all selected folders (always copy, not move!) * Ctrl+Alt+C copies selected paths as a comma separated list (useful for searching in multiple folders) * Advanced option for user-friendly date columns (today/yesterday/...) * [P] stock column for shortcut target path * size on disk column now shows ADS (streams) size too * folder thumbnails shown properly (winXP) * added UNC path $U token for network-wide file access * ctrl+alt+P copies only active column (main sort) * status bar pane for item index * statusbar tooltips * registry option GIOPT_NOCOLCACHE(=16777216) don't cache column information (for CVS users) * registry option GIOPT_RENFULLNAME(=33554432) F2 selects all filename, including the extension * [P] folder context menu (right click "nowhere") contains explorer commands too * [P] scrap optionally saves CIDA file with UNC names for PC-independent access (use Save as type in SaveAs) * [P] recent file list in scrap windows (CIDA files accessed) Actions menu * Brazilian translation [1.4.0.1] 20 October 2005 ------- * "extension" in folder names is now ignored when sorting by type * indonesian translation [1.4.0.0] 12 October 2005 ------- * ctrl+E toggles equal/maximal panes * Ctrl+U swaps all tabs; Ctrl+O will keep the second view folders if that's active * new tips: 12a, 82a, 99a (see x2tips.rtf in installation folder) * left/rightFolder command line arguments can also be the name of a saved folder group (Customize menu) to set on startup * more options in Advanced page (previously available through registry editing) * drivebar (view | toolbars) * copy queue (F5/F6 dialogs and Edit | Queue status) * alt+enter gives preference to item properties whenever possible * search text in files with regular expressions (grep/filters/file search) for syntax see http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vclib/html/vclrfcatlregexp.asp * multi-way sort (shift+click column header) * added a couple of file version stock columns for win98 * topmost toggle in system menu pins any x2 window above other windows * GIOPT_NOLEFTDND=4194304 to disable left drag-drop (see registry.txt) * GIOPT_SHELLAUTOCOMP=8388608 autocomplete path fields explorer style, not with F1 (available from advanced options) * tooltips for infobars * a few bugfixes * a few translations NOT updated (chinese) [1.3.0.0] 6 June 2005 ------- * Last active complex visual filter (Alt+H) saved and is available on restart with Ctrl+J * registry setting "nHoverTimeoutMS" controls delay before hover auto-expansion of tabs or tree nodes during dragging. In millisecons (1sec == 1000ms) * new stock column: Streams counts files' ADS (see tip #165) * Most customized icons are now read properly * New tips: 9d, 88a, 88b, 93a, 152a, 156a, 162-164, 165 * File | Browse can open multiple selected items (asks confirmation) * right click to rename a tab (semi-permanent) * View | Visual filter | Auto-filter filters one particular file type out of those available in the folder * % progress display for robust copy & resizable dialog * fixed bug with MP3 comments * settings saved properly during windows shutdown * Raw "encoding" for file text search (FindFiles command too) to search file raw bytes without interpreting text content in any way (e.g. BOMs or text filters are ignored). Makes all searches binary & case sensitive. * Text encoding settings available in find files dialog * possible to change folder time/date with Actions | change attributes (not for 98) * Tools | compare subfolders automates the tedium of creating dual-pane flat scrap windows for comparison/synchronization of folder hierarchies. * Sync wizard: "Loose name matching" option matches items by name ignoring their relative position in the folder hierarchy. Useful for dual scrap windows, but note you can't sync-o-paste the results of such a comparison * "scenario" combo box in Ctrl+F9 dialog offers easy access to typical synchronization scenaria * quickviewer gets extra tab "Normal" showing the exact preview of the focused item (ActiveX) for word, excel etc documents. "Draft" preview is the traditional quick mode for text, graphics and media. You can even edit word documents(!) to switch between normal/draft modes * registry option "rgbActiveBgcol" to set background color of active folder * "rgbFilterBgcol" registry option changes bg color when a visual filter is active, hiding some of the items in a folder pane * new media-related stock columns for detailed view (most for windows XP only) * all filesystem columns available for selection in scrap windows (may cause confusion if any non filesystem items are present) * "autosize columns" added to the context menu of infobars * new translations: Swedish, Hungarian and Chinese simplified [1.2.0.1] 30 March 2005 ------- * batch files get CMD extension if running under NT * spanish translation [1.2.0.0] 12 March 2005 ------- (sadly we lost some translations since some translators didn't respond to my call) * PDF, office document etc searching & previewing via IFilter (win2000 and later) now quick preview shows text (unformatted) and you can also search within such "binary" files for contained text. For PDFs you need this add-on: http://www.adobe.com/support/salesdocs/1004717.html Additional filters from: http://www.ifilter.org/Links.htm * editor2 [2.6.0.6] copies only text in clipboard * Actions | ADS | (un)bundle: pack all selected files' streams for transport. This helps preserve file comments and other ADS when you copy on floppy disks etc Unbundling command is for extracting all the original streams (for NTFS partitions) * Actions | ADS | view streams: inspect alternate streams e.g. comments (mainly for the curious, no real utility :) * help button [?] for dialogs sends to bitesize help * new stock column: contents: # of subitems (useful for locating empty folders) * sorted out webfolders a little, still suck compared to ftp * "bSingleWindow" registry option for single instance/window operation (see registry.txt) * Tools | Options | Advanced option to calculate subfolder sizes automatically (subfolder size _not_ automatically calculated for root or network drives) * enabled column selection in virtual folders * new file attributes: O-offline files, J-junctions/reparse points * new advanced property page in Tools | Options * new command tokens: ${column_name} is substituted with the contents of column_name for each selected item (useful for batch files or/and mass renaming) $? command/script token asks for user input * Actions | Export settings to save registry key info to a file You can import the .REG file on another computer to have the same settings there. * copy option: rename target instead of overwriting another one to calculate the size upfront and warn about free space * when doing folder groups, extra tabs are closed * double-click on a tab to close it, on some empty space to get a new tab * ctrl+alt+ins opens tab in inactive pane * view | toolbars | info bars, customizable status bar for each pane (right-click to select columns) * Easier access to duplicates finder from main window (Tools | Check duplicates) * new advanced option for custom icon overlays (e.g Tortoise CVS) * free space status bar pane also shows percent free * tree now shows zipfolders if forced with Alt+T [1.1.0.3] 27 December 2004 ------- * folder icons in tabs * select items with same extension as focus (see tip #155) * bXPNumberSort (see registry.txt) allows "friendly" numeric sorting of filenames * in scrap windows flattens all selected folders (see tip #156) * fixed the odd bug * new language: chinese [1.1.0.2] 23 November 2004 ------- * small bugfix * new languages added: french & japanese [1.1.0.0] 3 November 2004 ------- * folder tabs (File | New tab) allowing many folders for each pane; use Window menu to close tabs * saving tabs (Customize | Folder groups) * robust copy operations with additional options for overwrite confirmations and error handling (see Edit | Copy to dialog) * registry tweak: GIOPT_ROBUSTPASTE(=131072) to decide if Edit | Paste goes robust (default=explorer paste) * Edit | Duplicate (creates "copy of" file) * /T commandline option NOT to restore tabs * tabs move left/right with context menu * tabbed folders included as targets in F5 copy dialog * Actions | Folder settings | Suspend temporarily custom folder settings * File | Trash (toolbar button only): delete permanently (like shift+delete) * More translations [1.0.0.3] 8 August 2004 ------- * fixed bug with WMP9 locking x2's process after exit * registry tweaks for various 2x-friendly titlebar settings (see registry.txt) [1.0.0.2] 12 July 2004 ------- * GUI translated to various languages (external resource DLLs) (actually just German for the moment, a few others under way) * console2 now properly handles unix (LF) text output * tree/quick viewer can be tiled vertically: see nTreeQVTileVertical in registry.txt * keyboard shortcuts for toolbar buttons in Find and Organize dialogs * flyby text showing the path for back/forward navigation and quick-bookmark * View | Visual Filter | Rule based (hyperfiltering for visibility) "Same filter" forces the active pane filter to the inactive pane * Actions | Import clipboard for scrap windows: insert items from text paths in clipboard; one FULL path per line, no quotes or comma separators Useful for importing from other apps like PIMs * sorted out UTF-8 bugs in editor2 [1.0.0.1] 21 June 2004 ------- * faster reading for large FAT32 folders * Tools | Options | Window: new options for setting the background color of the inactive browser panel and checkbox for track (hover) select view mode * status bar panel to show free disk space; refresh rate controlled via "msFreeSpaceUpdateInterval"; set to 0 to disable the feature (see registry.txt) * quickview szAudioExtList/szVideoExtList moved to xplorer2.global registry key * full manual now available for downloading [1.0.0.0] 10 June 2004: Initial release