1) if we speak about a 0-click way of displaying the content of a hovered folder within the tree/list, then there could be an option to define some desired quantity of a nested items to be displayed in this hover-box (for instance, it may be 40 or 50 or 60 nested folders/files)admin wrote:Actually I've been thinking about this as well. But what with large folders? Does not work without scrollbars
i don't think that i will use this feature though. much more i prefer the approach which is described below
2) my thoughts concerning this whole idea (displaying the content) are:
xy could become even more useful in case a convenient way of displaying the content of any folder (without opening it) is implemented
this is how i have (since 2009) this remarkably useful feature/possibility in my operating system:
the image shows the result after the many-sided 'shell toys' program was installed (1 of its numerous options was activated: 'folder contents')
in this example the whole content of the 'security' folder is available with 1 right click
of course, slight moving of the cursor is also needed to get the corresponding 'folder contents' menu item hovered
any of 3 nested folders may be opened directly from this context menu
any of 4 nested files may be executed directly from this context menu
this is probably the only reason i still keep this program (while not really using all its other numerous options)
so in xy i miss very much a similar built-in possibility to have a convenient 1-click way to quickly see/check (and even directly load a file or directly open a folder) the content of any folder just by invoking its context menu
by the way, now xy offers the quite limited possibility of displaying the content of a folder without opening it. but:
- it only works in the tree
- it only works when there is the expansion icon
- it only works above the expansion icon
- it only displays the nested folders (not the nested files)
- it displays the vertical scroll bar even if there are plenty of vertical space (20 folders is the strange and non-configurable limit, as i see)
- it displays the 'new folder' option which cannot be removed from this menu
- it displays the icons (of folders) which cannot be removed from this menu
unlike xy's current approach, the approach that i have now (and propose to implement in xy) works in the list too (not just in the tree); it works independently of a folder's content; it works independently of the absence/presence of an icon; it works conveniently (all the folder's title is ready to be right-clicked, as compared with a small expansion icon)
the 'shell toys' program (old and abandoned but reliable) already offers the way/example which is seemingly ideal or almost ideal:
1. the context menu item is clearly, briefly and informatively called 'folder contents (7 items)'
2. examples of some other possible cases: folder contents (0 item), folder contents (1 item), folder contents (2 items), folder contents (35 items)
3. the nested menu is handy divided into 3 parts: a) nested folders: in the order they are located inside the right-clicked folder, b) separator, c) nested files: in the order they are located inside the right-clicked folder (a nested file is displayed with the dot+extension)
4. the nested context menu is fortunately never horizontally truncated (even if the title of a folder/file contains hundreds of symbols)
5. the separator is not displayed in case only folders (or only files) are present
6. no distracting (and occupying precious vertical extra-space) icons. but they may be turned on in the preferences of 'shell toys'