Tab settings and their usage?

[Filehero]

Hi,

upon a tip posted here, I looked up the tab "home" feature in the help. Since I'm not sure wether I really grasped the underlying concept (and the use cases addressed with), I'd like to ask for some confirmation or enlightment:
All tab-specific properties that can be set (Home, Icon, Name etc.) are bound to a tab's existence? As long as I don't close this tab or switch off Save settings on exit, I'm fine. But if I want to make this tab customization "really" persistent, I have to save it as (a part of) a tabset, right? But I cannot save this tab's settings to restore it into a new tab individually any time later (like New Tab; Load Tab)?

Sorry for being dumb, but I'm still haven't managed to explore all feature terrains of this amazing piece of software.


Thanks & cheers,
Filehero

[Demset]

I would just set that tab as the Default tab, and always leave it up. Personally, I don't use tabs, so this works well for me. I set up the default tab exactly how I like it, and then just go to dual pane mode if I need to work with two locations at once.

[admin]

But if I want to make this tab customization "really" persistent, I have to save it as (a part of) a tabset, right? But I cannot save this tab's settings to restore it into a new tab individually any time later (like New Tab; Load Tab)?

Correct, you cannot save and later load individual tabs, only (tabs as parts of) whole tabsets.

The concept is interesting though. I wonder why I never thought about this. Technically almost everything is there. A question to answer would be how to reference/identify the tabs? Should they get unique names ("Jungle Trip 2010 as large thumbs")? (Not that I plan to add this right now, just asking...) ... hmm... actually this nicely fits into my Custom Sort Order meditations... Saving and loading tabs by name from a central place (or actually from anywhere in your system -- it would be just "blahblah.xytabdef" files or so), these files could include the custom sort order. So the CSO* would not be saved "with" the folder (no worries, not "in" the folder), but with a xytabdef file. Hmm...

* or MSO, FeatureCreep is right that "Manual Sort Order" is the better term for a non-rule-based order.
EDIT: I researched this and it turns out that "Custom Sort Order" is the more commonly used term for this.

[eil]

correct me please: would this feature be saving all settings concerning particular tab(Visual Filters, View mode, Sorting etc.) in a single file?
if Yes, than i have a feeling that implementing this "specific tab settings saving" can also satisfy those who asked for better Folder View Settings -this mechanism could work quite as a View Presets.

[admin]

correct me please: would this feature be saving all settings concerning particular tab(Visual Filters, View mode, Sorting etc.) in a single file?
if Yes, than i have a feeling that implementing this "specific tab settings saving" can also satisfy those who asked for better Folder View Settings -this mechanism could work quite as a View Presets.

Yes! I'm really starting to like this...

[Filehero]

A question to answer would be how to reference/identify the tabs? Should they get unique names ("Jungle Trip 2010 as large thumbs")? (Not that I plan to add this right now, just asking...) ...

What alternatives do you think of?

Usually, I give all my config kind of things expressive names, much better than worldwide unique IDs.

Cheers,
Filehero

[klownboy]

Hi Don, while we're on the topic of individual tab settings, any chance we could have a tab customized to a point where you could have the Nav Panel on or off per tab as well? I know I asked this before many months ago and was told by another member it's currently not possible until "Custom Event Actions". I do it now in a script called out in a menu or catalog. It would be great feature to be able to click on a tab and either have (or not have) the Nav Panel to see the thumbnails in the full XY frame (e.g., tab - D:\pictures\Ireland tab) and then be able to get back to my normal mode (with Nav - using the tree and Catalog) by clicking on a different tab (e.g., tab - D:\tools\XYplorer\scripts) which I would want to see the tree. Obviously, one can turn the Nav panel off and on by a toolbar button but it would be nice to have it incorpoated as a specific tab feature.
Thanks,
Ken

[admin]

Hi Don, while we're on the topic of individual tab settings, any chance we could have a tab customized to a point where you could have the Nav Panel on or off per tab as well? I know I asked this before many months ago and was told by another member it's currently not possible until "Custom Event Actions". I do it now in a script called out in a menu or catalog. It would be great feature to be able to click on a tab and either have (or not have) the Nav Panel to see the thumbnails in the full XY frame (e.g., tab - D:\pictures\Ireland tab) and then be able to get back to my normal mode (with Nav - using the tree and Catalog) by clicking on a different tab (e.g., tab - D:\tools\XYplorer\scripts) which I would want to see the tree. Obviously, one can turn the Nav panel off and on by a toolbar button but it would be nice to have it incorpoated as a specific tab feature.
Thanks,
Ken

No, this does not belong to a tab. No good to mix levels here.

Funny that you always ask for reduced interfaces: less borders, less controls. Do you come from another world? Are you an alien? Planet Linux?

[admin]

A question to answer would be how to reference/identify the tabs? Should they get unique names ("Jungle Trip 2010 as large thumbs")? (Not that I plan to add this right now, just asking...) ...

What alternatives do you think of?

Usually, I give all my config kind of things expressive names, much better than worldwide unique IDs.

Well, I cannot think of (good) alternatives. I think I was just asking a question and then answered it myself. Stream of consciousness...

[klownboy]

Funny that you always ask for reduced interfaces: less borders, less controls. Do you come from another world? Are you an alien? Planet Linux?

Linux no, though I did use DOS for many years before Windows came into existance. Alien, I am across the pond. I suppose that's kind of alien.

No, this does not belong to a tab. No good to mix levels here.

I'm more than fine using XY as is. I can't say I agree that an individual tab setting for whether the Nav Panel is on or off does not belong on a tab. I see it as a type of folder/tree view setting personnally that would be nice to have tied to a tab. Look at it this way, in some "locations" you want to see nothing but thumbnails viewing pictures or PDFs, why not see them on the whole XY frame and in other "locations" you need the tree for general file operations. And tabs are what? Locations.
Thanks,
Ken

[j_c_hallgren]

No, this does not belong to a tab. No good to mix levels here.

I can't say I agree that an individual tab setting for whether the Nav Panel is on or off does not belong on a tab. I see it as a type of folder/tree view setting personnally that would be nice to have tied to a tab. Look at it this way, in some "locations" you want to see nothing but thumbnails viewing pictures or PDFs, why not see them on the whole XY frame and in other "locations" you need the tree for general file operations. And tabs are what? Locations.

Fully agree with klownboy here as I've had a continuing issue with one folder that has mostly all XLS files and I'd LOVE to have the status of IP and which IP tab is active tied to that tab so that I can avoid the issue of my Excel creating an empty "Object" when it does a Preview...I could then keep the IP tab for that tab on another safer one, like Raw View.

It may not be on the same level as a tab but to the user, it's how they want to view that tab so linking them would solve a nbr of issues.

[admin]

Technically no problem. But let's talk about this again once we have Save/Load Tabs. This idea from today is real hot. If it weren't for football I would code it right away, together with Permanent Custom Sort Order and Custom Desktop Folders (Graphic Folders?).

[eil]

i have an idea for those who desire tab-wise layouts - when Tab Presets will be implemented, the solution could be in adding something like "run_always" and "run_once" parameters for scripts.
by default, all saved Tab Presets can have this parameters blank(or it may be left for user to add those).
run_once =every time user loads preset, script is done once.
run_always =every time tab gets focus, script is done.
in this way, those who desire, may insert scripts for switching on/off Tree, Catalog etc.

maybe i know little and it's too difficult to implement, but for me it seems quite similar to as how View modes change when switching among tabs.

[admin]

i have an idea for those who desire tab-wise layouts - when Tab Presets will be implemented, the solution could be in adding something like "run_always" and "run_once" parameters for scripts.
by default, all saved Tab Presets can have this parameters blank(or it may be left for user to add those).
run_once =every time user loads preset, script is done once.
run_always =every time tab gets focus, script is done.
in this way, those who desire, may insert scripts for switching on/off Tree, Catalog etc.

maybe i know little and it's too difficult to implement, but for me it seems quite similar to as how View modes change when switching among tabs.

Not very user-friendly but technically easy. But if its just about switching on/off Tree, Catalog etc. i probably can be persuaded to add this trivial stuff when the time is ripe.

[eil]

Not very user-friendly but technically easy. But if its just about switching on/off Tree, Catalog etc. i probably can be persuaded to add this trivial stuff when the time is ripe.

that's the main plus of this concept -it's not only about those on/off, 'cause script can be anything!. to make it friendly part of interface like we have in buttons edition can be added. yet, such customization is anyways not for most regular users.