XYPlorer not creating thumbnails for .XAR image files, while Windows Explorer is creating. How to fix it?

[cadu]

Hi,

I'd appreciate your help to make XYplorer creating thumbnails for .XAR image files, since it isn't doing that for now.
I recorded my screen briefly showing the issue in context and my XYplorer Preview/Thumbnail settings: https://bit.ly/3kOCmY4
I don't have any codec pack installed. It seems a handle for creating XAR thumbnails is installed when installing Xara Designer, the app which creates the XAR files.
After installing Xara, Windows Explorer is creating thumbnails for XAR files.
Why XYplorer isn't creating them as well? How to fix it?

Thank you!
Carlos

[highend]

Output of

Code: Select all

 text "Preview handler:" . <crlf> . get("previewhandler", "xar");
 text "Association    :" . <crlf> . get("assoc", "xar");

?

A fresh v22.30.0000 shows .xar thumbnails out of the box without any configuration at all (Xara Designer Pro X x64 from MAGIX is installed)

1.png (58.43 KiB) Viewed 1376 times

[highend]

I've removed that Xara version (and the included thumbnail handler was removed by the uninstall tool as well) and installed Xara Designer Pro x64 (from Xara, not MAGIX).
This one doesn't include a thumbnail handler. At least none that is visible via shellexview from Nirsoft.

It works (out of the box) ONLY for 64x64 thumbnails but not for the other two defaults of 192x192 or 300x300
and adding "xar" to the "Preview as Thumbnail" category won't change that...

1.png (28.77 KiB) Viewed 1349 times

2.png (45.09 KiB) Viewed 1349 times

[cadu]

Hi highend,

Many thanks for all feedback and testing the .XAR files on your system.
I'm using Xara (not from Magix) and testing the Small Tiles 64x64 thumbnails, XYplorer v22.30 could preview the .XAR files.
However, any other thumbnail size is not working.
So is XYplorer able to create only 64x64 thumbnails, even Windows Explorer can create any thumbnail size preview?
Would there be any workaround to force XYplorer to generate any size thumbnail (e.g. 300x200)?
I've attached the info/screenshot from get("previewhandler", "xar"), and it seems Xara is properly assigned in the registry.

Xara Thumbnail Info.png (236.31 KiB) Viewed 1323 times

[admin]

Try to add xar to this tweak:

Code: Select all

Thumbs64Ext=afphoto.afdesign.afpub.sldasm.slddrw.sldprt.xar

[cadu]

Try to add xar to this tweak:

Code: Select all

Thumbs64Ext=afphoto.afdesign.afpub.sldasm.slddrw.sldprt.xar

Many thanks admin!
Your tweak solved the thumbnail creation.
As showed in the screenshot, after I have added Xara handler as an "Image Previewed Format", XYplorer preview panes and the mouse "blow up" pop-up started showing previews for .XAR files as well.
Outstanding

XYploner Preview XAR (panes+mouse blow).png (127.42 KiB) Viewed 1302 times

[admin]

Did you already add "xar" to the "Preview as Thumbnail" category ?

[cadu]

Did you already add "xar" to the "Preview as Thumbnail" category ?

It's working now. I just updated my previous post.
I couldn't find a setting named "Preview as Thumbnail".
The fix happened after adding XAR in configuration "Preview>Previewed Formats>Image Files".
Do you mean that tweak, or is "Preview as Thumbnail" another configuration?
Thanks!

[admin]

I meant this, but all the better if it is not necessary:

[admin]

Is it even necessary now to add XAR to "User-Defined Preview Handlers"?

[cadu]

Is it even necessary now to add XAR to "User-Defined Preview Handlers"?

No, it isn't necessary. Just ignore "User-Defined Preview Handlers" I mentioned in my previous post (I edited it removing the content).
That's was my first tweak, but although XYplorer preview panes started working, mouse bow up didn't.
Then I noticed that the right tweak to enable both preview and mouse blow up is adding XAR in configuration "Preview>Previewed Formats>Image Files".

Thanks for the screenshot. I noticed the "Preview as Thumbnail" now.
Although you said "all the better if it is not necessary", I added XAR file there as well.
Nothing changed (everything still working properly), but just for contingency I thought about keeping XAR in "Preview as Thumbnail".
Would it mean any overlap/overhead for XYplorer? Better remove it?

[admin]

Can you show screenshots of the XAR preview on the Preview tab with and without having XAR in "Preview as Thumbnail"?

[cadu]

I just performed a test in an XYplorer clean installation.
I can confirm the following:

1) For showing thumbnails, it is only necessary to add .xar in XYplorer .ini (Thumbs64Ext=afphoto.afdesign.afpub.sldasm.slddrw.sldprt.xar).

2) For showing the preview in both preview pane and mouse blow up, it is necessary to add .xar in "Preview as Thumbnail" as well.

These two steps are enough!

Coming back to the previous discussing, I had added .xar also in "Preview>Previewed Formats>Image Files". This isn't necessary at all, just stick with "Preview as Thumbnail" instead which will generate a consistent behavior for previewing through pane and mouse blow up. previews . I may be biased and may introduce some in step 2, and later in a 3rd step I set "Preview as Thumbnail".

I can't explain how XYplorer worked in my initial attempts without adding .xar in "Preview as Thumbnail". But once it is added, if you uncheck or remove .xar, there is a message on the pane (screenshot):
"[Preview now] File type exclude from preview in configuration".

XYploner Preview XAR (File type exclude from preview in configuration).png (18.94 KiB) Viewed 1255 times

[admin]

1) Adding it ONLY to "Image Files" will not make it preview?

2) Please show a screenshot of the Preview Tab with a XAR preview:

[cadu]

"Image Files" seemed to work initially, but I was biased because I tested only using the same selected xar.
If you change to another xar file, the preview doesn't work always.
Once I set "Preview as Thumbnail", the behavior was consistent and definitive.
Anyway, here the screenshots from preview pane in full resolution/maximum size (width/height), using both configurations.
I cleaned the thumbnails cache before previewing through each configuration.

XYplorer Preview Pane.png (604.54 KiB) Viewed 1241 times