Option to put Info box to right side instead below file list

wapo54001 · Post by **wapo54001** » 24 Apr 2008 19:43

I have recently downloaded the trial version and studied the program, the FAQs, and the key cheat-sheets and can't find this capability mentioned.

I would like to see an option for the info panel to be located to the right side so that there would be three full height columns on the screen:

| Tree | Files | Info |

Several reasons:

1) widescreen format is becoming common, and this would be a good use of the shape.

2) I (and I am sure, others) would like to use the "Preview" tab more effectively. When previewing a document or PDF for the purpose of moving it to a permanent folder, you want more vertical to be visible. Currently, I use a program called PaperPort to view files and move them to appropriate folders. XYPlorer would be (more) outstanding for this application if the tree were full height on left of the screen, the file list of the currently viewed folder full height in the middle, and the preview window full height on the right to allow a view of the full height of the document.

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 25 Apr 2008 04:08

Hi and welcome to the world of XY!

Some of what I will say here is just my opinion, so, taking that into account:
1) The majority of users still use conventional ratio displays, I suspect, so this may possibly only benefit a limited user base.
2) But mainly, the layout of the IP doesn't really work well in a narrow area so I'm not sure how it would work even with a wider screen to begin with.
3) I used PaperPort on my old W98 system so am aquainted with it....I use a fair amount of PDF's now so have some of the same issues...I have found that using the various toolbar icons and/or keyboard shortcuts to max/min or max/last sz the IP, I can see enough of the current document to be able to determine what to do with the file, and while doing so, I find that only seeing a handful of files on list isn't that much of a problem...

I'm not at all saying that your idea is without merit, but I do believe that most of us here haven't found it to be an issue before.

wapo54001 · Post by **wapo54001** » 25 Apr 2008 04:20

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I agree that many will not be affected by this, but I still contend that the capability to set up in the side-by-side format will make an excellent program even better.

Actually, in my own case, I do not have a wide-screen -- I use dual 19" monitors. I just downloaded the program today and have used it for a few hours, so I'm still learning the ropes. This was something that I just instantly wanted.

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 25 Apr 2008 05:00

wapo54001 wrote:Actually, in my own case, I do not have a wide-screen -- I use dual 19" monitors.

OH! In that case, maybe one of our other dual monitor users may then be able to give you some hints on what things they do to handle this situation...

BTW, even if I can't directly help out, I try and reply to new users here fairly quickly but today, I was doing yard work most all day...

Post by **admin** » 25 Apr 2008 08:06

j_c_hallgren said it all.

Just one thing to add: I once had the idea to (ab)use the Tree area for previews (just for the image, video and document preview, not the whole Info Panel). Rational: when doing file previews you normally don't need the tree at the same time.

wapo54001 · Post by **wapo54001** » 25 Apr 2008 15:52

Well, that depends upon what your intent is, and perhaps few people use it as I intend to. In my case, I have a folder with a variety of document files which accumulate over time -- mostly PDFs, but also MS Office and a few pictures -- which I occasionally clear out by distributing the files to various folders for long term storage. It is important to have the tree so that I can move each document to various folders in the tree.

In my case, with dual monitors, it is also possible to open XYPlorer in one screen and Windows Explorer in the other screen, and move each file previewed in XYPlorer to the correct folder in WE. Also, I can expland the Preview screen to include most of the vertical height of the monitor and make the file display a narrow window with only three or four files visible per column. But the three-across format would be the best of all worlds.

For this particular use of the program, I feel that PaperPort has a superior screen layout, but XYPlorer is far superior in its ability to display the file in the Preview window with a single mouse click, and then allow me to move it without first closing it in the Preview window. That really cuts down on the mousing around when compared to PaperPort.

I know that we all have different uses for this very flexible program. In my case, the Preview tab is *by far* the most important capability for me.

I certainly don't know what kind of coding effort it would require to make this happen, and it may well be a less-valuable feature in the eyes of the many, and it's not make-or-break for me, either, due to my dual screen.

I am still on the evaluation version, and certain things are not working correctly so it's hard for me to evaluate other alternatives within the program. For example, thumbnails aren't working (I only get icons), and pressing the mouse key down on a file does not bring up a full sized image of the file except in the Preview window. Also, pressing the Delete key does not delete the highlighted file. I'm not sure if this is Evaluation-related, or something else. I did download the version that requires no installation. Perhaps that is the problem? I will investigate further today, and maybe download the installation required version of the program.

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 25 Apr 2008 15:58

wapo54001 wrote:and pressing the mouse key down on a file does not bring up a full sized image of the file.

I'll just address this one item as I can maybe do so quickly: MDBU (Mouse Down Blow Up) functions when one has the cursor over the preview image in Info Panel, so if you're not these, you won't see it...the cursor changes to a magnifying glass when you can do the MDBU, and there are also some Config options that relate to it, so check the wiki for details...

You can start at http://88.191.26.34/XYwiki/index.php/Pr ... wn_Blow_Up

wapo54001 · Post by **wapo54001** » 25 Apr 2008 16:15

Oh, I see! Yes, clicking in the preview area does work for me. It does say that you can do the same if you are using thumbnail view and you click on the thumbnail. That part doesn't work for me because I am not getting thumbnails at all. I must have a configuration item set wrong. I'll investigate, thanks for this tip.

Actually, if I could get the thumbnail and click-on-thumbnail to work then maybe the Preview window location issue simply goes away because I might not have to use the Preview screen at all.

Oops, I've just discovered that JPEG thumbnails are working, but nothing else. Further investigation needed. I hope that I can get thumbnails for PDFs and Office documents.

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 25 Apr 2008 16:32

wapo54001 wrote:Oh, I see! Yes, clicking in the preview area does work for me.

Good! There are some unique things in XY that a new user may not see immediately...that's why the wiki is SO useful, as we can all tweak it to make it even better for those who come behind us...

The other item on IP that I'd direct your attention to is the little orange down-arrow...there are some options within it that are handy...
And on the Properties tab of IP, if you click on the Created/Modif/Access dates themselves, you can thus change them...it's another non-obvious thing.

Not sure what your Delete problem is...if it wasn't working, Don woulda heard about it for sure! What exact symptoms are you having?

Update/Addendum: Also, as far as I know, MDBU only applies to those image types that XY previews natively, such as JPG, BMP, etc

wapo54001 · Post by **wapo54001** » 25 Apr 2008 17:55

Magically, the Delete key is now working, and I have no idea why it didn't then and why it is now! (Other than it's a computer and that's the way it is!)

As I learn more, it appears that the several great features that apply to previewing or briefly looking at a file in order to identify it and decide what to do with it, are not available with the file types that are most important to many of us -- PDFs and Office documents, but especially the PDFs

I guess the best feature of PaperPort 11, which I have been using, is that it will create thumbnails for most kinds of files, especially documents of various types and virtually all images. So when you look at a folder, there is a thumbnail for every file in the folder with only rare exceptions.

Nevertheless, PaperPort is mouse-click intensive to select, view, deselect, and then move a file to a new location. XYPlorer is greatly superior in that regard and, if I can live with the partial view of documents in the Preview window, it will be my choice going forward.

I know from following the Yahoo! PaperPort list that there is a lot of discontent over PaperPort that would be resolved if PaperPort had the fast preview and ability to manipulate a file without first deselecting the view. By extension, I would guess that you'd get a lot of crossovers from PaperPort if XYPlorer could be configured to be "document-centric" rather than image-centric, or if key document formats could be included to work as the .jpg and .gif currently work.

But thank you for all of the help you have provided; I will be a regular visitor at the Wiki website.

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 25 Apr 2008 18:19

wapo54001 wrote:By extension, I would guess that you'd get a lot of crossovers from PaperPort if XYPlorer could be configured to be "document-centric" rather than image-centric, or if key document formats could be included to work as the .jpg and .gif currently work.

Part of what makes XY so lean&mean is that it doesn't have a lot of embedded code to preview certain file types (Office/PDF/etc), but rather relies on the IE (and WMP) interfaces to handle the 'heavy lifting', whereas JPG/BMP's can be processed with minimal overhead effort...

BTW, I've found that, by using Foxit Reader instead of Adobe, I can reduce the system overhead yet get a similar result...and most times, Foxit allows me to gain control over keyboard just a bit easier.