ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
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ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
I've been a PowerDesk user forever, but it just got too painful on Win7 and/or on networks. Decided to take a look at XYplorer, and purchased a lifetime licence after only one day of the 30-day free trial. I am really impressed!
I kept looking for features from PowerDesk that I've come to rely on, and sure enough, they were right there in XY. Configured the list views to my minimalistic preference, found how to display filesize in bytes instead of KB, found how to display drive icons on the toolbar, found that the Catalog was a superior replacement to PD's "favourite" feature, etc, etc. The depth of this program is amazing.
Only thing I haven't found yet (and I understand it's on the roadmap) is browsing Zip files. It was a favourite feature of mine from PD, and I encourage the developer to put it into XY.
I am really impressed by the Catalog. I created a bunch of entries for various network resources that I use everyday. Helps this old-guy's brain to remember and organize disparate network locations. Well done.
I also really like the ability to create Junctions. I used to use a standalone utility to create soft links, but the Junctions work much better. Well done!
I like the software licence -- can install it on every computer that I use. Nice touch. It's not often I shell out $70 for software, but I think I made the right decision, partly because of the right-minded licence.
One nit: I would like to see some tweaking of the "save on exit" routine. Specifically, I've turned off the "save on exit" so I can re-arrange at will during any session. I defined several resources in the Catalog, then forgot to do the manual save, and lost the resource definitions. Would be nice if the "save" function for the catalog was separate from the main "save on exit" toggle.
I kept looking for features from PowerDesk that I've come to rely on, and sure enough, they were right there in XY. Configured the list views to my minimalistic preference, found how to display filesize in bytes instead of KB, found how to display drive icons on the toolbar, found that the Catalog was a superior replacement to PD's "favourite" feature, etc, etc. The depth of this program is amazing.
Only thing I haven't found yet (and I understand it's on the roadmap) is browsing Zip files. It was a favourite feature of mine from PD, and I encourage the developer to put it into XY.
I am really impressed by the Catalog. I created a bunch of entries for various network resources that I use everyday. Helps this old-guy's brain to remember and organize disparate network locations. Well done.
I also really like the ability to create Junctions. I used to use a standalone utility to create soft links, but the Junctions work much better. Well done!
I like the software licence -- can install it on every computer that I use. Nice touch. It's not often I shell out $70 for software, but I think I made the right decision, partly because of the right-minded licence.
One nit: I would like to see some tweaking of the "save on exit" routine. Specifically, I've turned off the "save on exit" so I can re-arrange at will during any session. I defined several resources in the Catalog, then forgot to do the manual save, and lost the resource definitions. Would be nice if the "save" function for the catalog was separate from the main "save on exit" toggle.
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Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
Hi and welcome to the XY forums!jacksonmacd wrote: Would be nice if the "save" function for the catalog was separate from the main "save on exit" toggle.
And glad you are happy with XY thus far! You'll find a dedicated group of fans here in the forum!
As to your comment re save of catalog: Have you looked at File>Settings>Save Catalog? You can select various items to save within that Settings menu...
And until XY gets zip support, I encourage you to look at some of the ways here in forum that other users have found to interface to external zip pgrms...don't recall which appl is easiest to use but may be another one than what you're using now.
Still spending WAY TOO much time here! But it's such a pleasure helping XY be a treasure!
(XP on laptop with touchpad and thus NO mouse!) Using latest beta vers when possible.
(XP on laptop with touchpad and thus NO mouse!) Using latest beta vers when possible.
Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
Alternatively, you could re-enable Save settings on exit, but with lists you don't want to save in Configuration > Startup & Exit > Remember most-recently-used lists > Apply to, disabled.j_c_hallgren wrote:jacksonmacd wrote: Would be nice if the "save" function for the catalog was separate from the main "save on exit" toggle.[/quoteAs to your comment re save of catalog: Have you looked at File>Settings>Save Catalog? You can select various items to save within that Settings menu...
Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
Welcome!jacksonmacd wrote:Only thing I haven't found yet (and I understand it's on the roadmap) is browsing Zip files. It was a favourite feature of mine from PD, and I encourage the developer to put it into XY.
Something that may work for you to be able to at least see the contents of a zip file is to make a tweak that will use the preview pane to show a zip file's contents.
To do this, just edit the configuration file and add .zip to the key "OfficePreviewCustomExtentions" -- for example, mine looks like
Code: Select all
OfficePreviewCustomExtensions=.gif.zip.
Again, welcome!
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Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
j_c_hallgren wrote:Hi and welcome to the XY forums!jacksonmacd wrote: Would be nice if the "save" function for the catalog was separate from the main "save on exit" toggle.
And glad you are happy with XY thus far! You'll find a dedicated group of fans here in the forum!
As to your comment re save of catalog: Have you looked at File>Settings>Save Catalog? You can select various items to save within that Settings menu...
And until XY gets zip support, I encourage you to look at some of the ways here in forum that other users have found to interface to external zip pgrms...don't recall which appl is easiest to use but may be another one than what you're using now.
No - I had not seen the SaveCatalog command. Too much stuff to cover.... ;-)
Handy to know, but it still requires manual intervention. One of the other replies below may be more to my liking.
I use 7-Zip. Easy enough and it works well, but not quite as integrated as what I am used to with PD. Again, the other suggestion about preview pane may work for me.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Jack
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Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
avsfan wrote:Welcome!jacksonmacd wrote:Only thing I haven't found yet (and I understand it's on the roadmap) is browsing Zip files. It was a favourite feature of mine from PD, and I encourage the developer to put it into XY.
Something that may work for you to be able to at least see the contents of a zip file is to make a tweak that will use the preview pane to show a zip file's contents.
To do this, just edit the configuration file and add .zip to the key "OfficePreviewCustomExtentions" -- for example, mine looks likeThen save the config file and restart without saving and you should be set...Code: Select all
OfficePreviewCustomExtensions=.gif.zip.
Again, welcome!
I definitely will try this.
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Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
nas8e9 wrote:Alternatively, you could re-enable Save settings on exit, but with lists you don't want to save in Configuration > Startup & Exit > Remember most-recently-used lists > Apply to, disabled.j_c_hallgren wrote:jacksonmacd wrote: Would be nice if the "save" function for the catalog was separate from the main "save on exit" toggle.[/quoteAs to your comment re save of catalog: Have you looked at File>Settings>Save Catalog? You can select various items to save within that Settings menu...
I guess the #1 thing I want to avoid is clobbering the layout of columns and the list sort order. However, it was not obvious to me which of the checkboxes to clear so that SaveSettingOnExit would not touch the layout of the columns. Suggestions?
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Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
jacksonmacd wrote:avsfan wrote:Welcome!jacksonmacd wrote:Only thing I haven't found yet (and I understand it's on the roadmap) is browsing Zip files. It was a favourite feature of mine from PD, and I encourage the developer to put it into XY.
Something that may work for you to be able to at least see the contents of a zip file is to make a tweak that will use the preview pane to show a zip file's contents.
To do this, just edit the configuration file and add .zip to the key "OfficePreviewCustomExtentions" -- for example, mine looks likeThen save the config file and restart without saving and you should be set...Code: Select all
OfficePreviewCustomExtensions=.gif.zip.
Again, welcome!
I definitely will try this.
Well, it displays the zip contents, but hangs XY when I try to move away from the zipfile. Something not right... so I removed the customExtensions. Actually, using 7-Zip is not so bad -- just a matter of getting used to it.
Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
Tabs and Tabsets would be the one, except that way - if you have more than one tab open - all but one tab, including its location, are discarded.jacksonmacd wrote:I guess the #1 thing I want to avoid is clobbering the layout of columns and the list sort order. However, it was not obvious to me which of the checkboxes to clear so that SaveSettingOnExit would not touch the layout of the columns. Suggestions?
An alternative might be Folder View Settings, which allows you to:
1. define specific view settings for a folder and optionally, its subfolders, including view mode and column layout;
2. define a default folder view which will apply to all folders that don't have a specific FVS applied.
Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
I just want to add my name to the list of ex PowerDesk users.
What a disappointment it was after installing Windows 7 64 bit and finding that no version of PD did very well.
I am now a proud owner of XYplorer.
Thank you XYplorer!
What a disappointment it was after installing Windows 7 64 bit and finding that no version of PD did very well.
I am now a proud owner of XYplorer.
Thank you XYplorer!
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Windows 10 on six computers
Windows 10 on six computers
Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
No one else have anything good to say about XYplorer?
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Windows 10 on six computers
Windows 10 on six computers
Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
I'm still here.jadinolf wrote:No one else have anything good to say about XYplorer?
Now 80 years old and still lovin' XYplorer!
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Windows 10 on six computers
Windows 10 on six computers
Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
Hey: congratulationsjadinolf wrote:I'm still here.jadinolf wrote:No one else have anything good to say about XYplorer?
Now 80 years old and still lovin' XYplorer!
(For the 80 years, and for loving XYplorer )
W7(x64) SP1 German
( +WXP SP3 )
( +WXP SP3 )
Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
jadinolf, congratulations for 80 also from my side. All the best!
Win 10 Pro 64bit
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Re: ex PowerDesk user finds a great replacement
Oh yes, 80 years XY love, that's about as much as I could possibly expect.
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