Set Info Panel tab to non-Preview on XLS (or other) files?

[j_c_hallgren]

Ok...here's the situation: Given that XY uses Excel to do a preview of XLS files, and thus most often creates a worksheet called "Object" when Excel is active at same time, I'd love to have a option (even a tweak) that XY would switch to another tab on IP, such as Properties, when I scroll in/thru list and thus select a XLS file, so that until I explicitly selected Preview tab, and thus requested it, I could avoid having to close the unwanted worksheet in Excel.

Was that understandable? Right now, I can disable XY preview via config for XLS but that blocks it all the time...or I can try and remember to have IP on any tab other than Preview when I'm likely to select a XLS file in list, but if that was somehow automated, that's what would be much better.

This may well also apply to other files, such as DOC that invoke a major app to handle it.

[jacky]

Was that understandable?

Yes it was, but I disagree with you.

I understand that being a keyboard guy you probably use the arrow keys to move into List, and therefore when scrolling down get each file to become both focused & selected, thus triggering the Preview (When IP shown & on Preview tab).

But I would say, this is the normal & expected behavior, as doing so (having a file focused&selected) is the way to get to preview it, when the Panel is shown on Preview tab.
Adding a new behavior like you suggest does not sound good to me. Because imagine you have two XLS files on a folder, and want to preview A first, then B. Then you couldn't, because moving on to focusing&selecting B would somehow NOT have it being previewed, even though this is the way to get this operation done!

Said differently, it sounds very unlogical (to me) to have a way to preview a file, and check this file's extension on XY thus implying you want to be able to preview such files, yet ask XY that when you do what's necessary to preview the file it would to not preview it!!

I think this one should be on you : if you know you're gonna scroll through some files and don't want them all previewed, then hit Ctrl+1 to go to Properties or F12 to hide the Panel, and if you find a file you want being previewed, hit Ctrl+Q !

[j_c_hallgren]

What you said (in parts) doesn't exactly match what I had envisioned...

For example, when I move from A to B, it's not that I wouldn't be able to preview it, but would have to do another action first to do so...

I sometimes also happen to select the wrong item with my touchpad, or when moving up/down list, hit an XLS file along the way...it's this type of situation that I'm hoping to improve the handling of.

Maybe this variant makes it easier: When I have Preview tab active, and then select a XLS file (by up/down or single click), and with a 'tweak' for this behavior also active, it would default to Raw View tab instead first, and then IF/when I select the preview tab, I would get the std XY preview.

So if I had a set of 5 files on list: HTML; TXT; XLS; JPG; DOC and had Preview tab active, and scrolled thru list, I'd stay on that tab except when on the XLS file, where it would use Raw View instead...and could get Preview by clicking that nearby tab...ok, so it'd be a bit more effort, BUT much less than dealing with the effects in Excel of having that preview done (closing Object, maximizing worksheet, getting lockout, etc)

[jacky]

For example, when I move from A to B, it's not that I wouldn't be able to preview it, but would have to do another action first to do so...

Yeah, I know that, I wasn't clear there you're right. What I meant was, you would indeed have to make another action, while your original action was actually fulfilling all the needs for the file to be previewed: Panel open, on Preview tab, file is both focused and selected.

I sometimes also happen to select the wrong item with my touchpad, or when moving up/down list, hit an XLS file along the way...it's this type of situation that I'm hoping to improve the handling of.

Well, clicking somewhere else then you intended to can never be prevented. I mean, you meant to click on the button to maximize and clicked on Close instead, that's not good. Doesn't mean there should alway be a popup or something whenever you click somewhere...

I understand the XLS file on the List while moving Up/Down, but as I said, I think that as soon as you start "scrolling" up/down using keys on your List, while keeping the Panel visible and on Preview tab, this means you want to have all files you'll come accross to be previewed.

I understand what you're saying, but again, this could becomes a pain the day you'd want to go through a bunch of files that you want to be previewed, to have to "re-open" the Preview tab again & again...

All that being said, after thinking about it some more, I'd say that maybe yes, if possible maybe it could be added as another INI Tweak, that would activate the Raw View Tab whenever a file gets focused&selected with Preview Tab visible (ie. instead of starting to "preview" it) whenever that file is from the "Office & Web" section and checked (to be previewed).
So that any "Office & Web" file to be previewed would have to be focused&selected first, and only then the Preview tab should be open, as some kind of "confirmation" (since it can imply using IE and Excel, Foxit/Adobe, etc).

[j_c_hallgren]

It's pretty much just XLS and Excel that is the problem...
For example, I open Excel and create a new worksheet by default...or have an existing workbook open...all ok so far...
Then I go into XY and preview a XLS file that I didn't intend to..
The Excel session is now locked into that previewed file!

Until I switch to another file (non-XLS) in XY, I can't get back to my worksheet in the Excel session...which can be quite irritating!
And quite often, (not sure of exact seq), I end up with that "Object" worksheet open in the Excel session that I have to close out of...

I'd always advocated a INI Tweak for this behavior mod, and think the extra effort to switch tabs in XY will be easy/painless compared to having the lockout/Object issues.