Help Menu failure.

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Ken Chant
Posts: 8
Joined: 23 Apr 2020 10:54

Help Menu failure.

Post by Ken Chant »

When I click on an item in the left hand column of the Help window, noithing happens. I get the same zero response on all the tabs (Contents, Index, Search, Favourites).

highend
Posts: 13274
Joined: 06 Feb 2011 00:33

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by highend »

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Ken Chant
Posts: 8
Joined: 23 Apr 2020 10:54

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by Ken Chant »

Your solution worked like a charm. Many thanks, and I've made the requested donation. Ken

highend
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Joined: 06 Feb 2011 00:33

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by highend »

Wow! Thanks Ken!
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Ken Chant
Posts: 8
Joined: 23 Apr 2020 10:54

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by Ken Chant »

Unhappily, when I shut down my computer and then re-booted, the Help menu right hand panel was blank again, even though the chm file is still unblocked. I solved the problem (I hope permanently) by setting up a User Button on the lower tool bar that opens the xyplorer.chm file. I now ignore the help tab in the top bar, and just click my button instead. Indeed, I have set up a dozen or more User Buttons that open various folder and/or files.

highend
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Joined: 06 Feb 2011 00:33

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by highend »

Mh, never heard of such behavior before. What script / command do you execute with that button?
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Borut
Posts: 1412
Joined: 19 Oct 2010 19:29

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by Borut »

Ken,

not sure if Solution #2 from this page is applicable on Windows 10 - maybe you could try it, if you have not already:

https://www.xyplorer.com/faq-topic.php?id=chm
Win 10 Pro 64bit

Ken Chant
Posts: 8
Joined: 23 Apr 2020 10:54

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by Ken Chant »

My solution to the blank Help panel was working well, until my computer shut down overnight, and when I restarted it in the morning, all my user buttons had vanished (including the one that opened the "xyplorer.chm" file)! I think the problem arose from the fact that I was using the uninstalled version of xyplorer. That was because a Windows problem (error 2894) had prevented me from actually installing the software. That problem has now been solved (by doing a Windows reset), and so this morning I installed "xyplorer". I'll now redo my User buttons, and see what happens. In the meantime, now that I'm using an installed version, the inbuilt Help tab is working perfectly.

But now, can you tell me if there is any way to add a short caption to my User buttons (like those under the installed buttons). Currently, the captions under my User buttons show the full path to the folder or file. I can't find any way to shorten them. I don't have any script in my User buttons, because I use them only as shortcuts to open quickly sundry folders and/or files. I just enter a path in the "Name" panel, and an icon path in the "Icon" panel. The two lower panels I leave blank.

Ken

highend
Posts: 13274
Joined: 06 Feb 2011 00:33

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by highend »

That sounds like you've placed your portable version of XY in a UAC protected path but didn't start it with admin permissions -> It wasn't able to store its settings on exit -> Buttons gone

Regarding the buttons:
Use the name part for the caption. At least it allows you to create the exact name you want it to display

Use this mini script (e.g. put it on another button).
1. Copy any path or file (incl. path) to the clipboard (normally CTRL+P)
2. Execute the script
It will create a goto "<the path or file you've copied to the clipboard before>";
text out of it and copies this one back to the clipboard

Btw, it won't do anything if the first item in the clipboard doesn't contain a backslash (hence, no windows path)...

Code: Select all

    $clp = gettoken(<clp>, 1, <crlf>, "t");
    if (strpos($clp, "\") != -1) { copytext "goto " . quote($clp) . ";"; }
So you only need to create a new button, enter the caption and the icon and after selecting the "on left click" field you just hit CTRL+V and have the necessary "script" in it...
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RalphM
Posts: 1932
Joined: 27 Jan 2005 23:38
Location: Cairns, Australia

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by RalphM »

Hi Ken

I leave the answer to your question re caption to others but it seems to me that you might want to have a look at a few other functions within XY that might help you with accessing often used folders.
  • Favourite Folders:
    By marking/unmarking them in the tree or list as favourites you can easily access them with a R-click in the tree which pops the list of all favourite folders.
  • Catalog:
    You can create a catalog with either the favourites as described above (though not dynamically updating with changes) or just with links to often used folders without using the favourites.
  • Tabsets (my favourite):
    Open a set of tabs pointing to folders that you use in a certain context, save it as a tabset and reload it when your working in that context again. You can have several tabsets, so the options are virtually unlimited. There's even a script in the forum to extend the functionality to actually manage sessions.
Ralph :)
(OS: W11 22H2 Home x64 - XY: Current beta - Office 2019 32-bit - Display: 1920x1080 @ 125%)

Ken Chant
Posts: 8
Joined: 23 Apr 2020 10:54

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by Ken Chant »

I cannot resist saying that Highend's latest solution, when I first read it, might as well have been written in Swahili (especially the first two lines). It made as much sense to me as perhaps a passage of biblical Greek, dealing with some tricky theological issue, might make for him. (I'm assuming, Highend, that you are a computer wiz, but not a biblical scholar. My humble apologies if I'm wrong!)

However, I finally worked out that all I needed to do was to insert into each User button, first the desired caption; then the icon address; then (in the "Left Click" slot) a "goto" command, followed by the relevant full path in quote marks. I've done that for all 14 User buttons that I have so far placed on the Toolbar. They all work swiftly and smoothly, and they each have a brief caption underneath. So, my hearty thanks for a simple and effective solution.

My thanks too, to fellow Aussie RalphM for his three suggestions, which I will also be happy to employ. I'm very new to XY, but hope eventually to get sufficient expertise to benefit greatly from its use.

Have a great day, gentlemen, both of you, and thanks once again for your quick and friendly response.

Ken

highend
Posts: 13274
Joined: 06 Feb 2011 00:33

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by highend »

Ken, you did recognize that it is Swahili? Great! I was afraid nobody uses this language anymore! :mrgreen:

I just wanted to explain why your previous attempt failed...
The operating system protects a handful of folders on your system drive with special permissions that don't allow applications to write into them if they weren't started with administrator permissions themselves.
E.g. by right clicking on a .exe file, choosing "Run as administrator".
The portable version of XY writes its setting files directly into a subfolder of it and if you've placed XYs folder into one of those UAC (user account control) protected folders like:
C:\Program Files\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\ then it would fail to write its settings (if not started with admin permissions).

Still Swahili? Sorry, in that case I don't speak it very well :ninja: :oops:
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Ken Chant
Posts: 8
Joined: 23 Apr 2020 10:54

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by Ken Chant »

Well, I'm a Pentecostal with some experience of speaking in tongues, but that probably doesn't count! Although if I did suddenly break out in Swahili, that would be a marvel indeed!

However, I actually was able (I think) to follow your explanation, and thanks for trying to clarify the matter for me. I happen to possess three fully earned doctorates, but they are all theology-related, and have left me in dismal ignorance in matters computer. But hey, I'm only 87; by the time I get to 107 I might even have become somewhat fluent in computerese!

highend
Posts: 13274
Joined: 06 Feb 2011 00:33

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by highend »

It counts! :D

I guess you speak XYplorish in less than a year :appl:
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Ken Chant
Posts: 8
Joined: 23 Apr 2020 10:54

Re: Help Menu failure.

Post by Ken Chant »

Thanks Highend and RalphM. Have a great day, crowned not with a virus but only with joy. Ken

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