Rapid Access vs Favorite Folders - feature request

[Darcey]

Loving the Rapid Access feature with the drag and drop folders into the tab to add them...

When in the rapid explorer tab I found myself wanting to know the full path and to go up a folder but not to the rapid access list.

I know this is kind of like how "favorite folders" works but the way of adding folders to it is so much better than the way it's done with "Favorite folders", would be it be possible to add settings so that you can set it to work like that instead of rooting to the rapid access list and work like favorite folders.

Which brings up the dilemma of having favorite folders and rapid access working the same way as rapid access would cover all the features that favorite folders does just with a much nicer way of adding folders to it.

But would be good for now to just add settings for rapid access:
- allow up (not rooted to rapid access)
- use directory path not relative rapid access path
- open rapid access in new tab (preserve existing tab that is open)

Then I can remove "favorite folders" from my toolbar.

Thoughts?

[xy123]

I suggested something similar (or same) here viewtopic.php?t=27424.

[Darcey]

I suggested something similar (or same) here viewtopic.php?t=27424.

Nice, glad it's not just me then.

[admin]

Going up would take you to the real path, right? Out of the Rapid Access space.

[connor]

I suggested something similar (or same) here viewtopic.php?t=27424.

Nice, glad it's not just me then.

You're not alone.

[Malarki]

I agree that the parent of a folder found in RAF should always be that folder's real parent, not the RAF space. So a "go up" or "move up" would have the real parent as the destination.

I'm not sure what the best is for "go back" (breadcrumb left-arrow), if you've gotten to a folder via RAF. Return to the RAF, I suppose; or disable "go back" in that case since RAF isn't a working folder. Currently "move up" is disabled, apparently for that reason; and that's a command I use often.

[admin]

I agree that the parent of a folder found in RAF should always be that folder's real parent, not the RAF space. So a "go up" or "move up" would have the real parent as the destination.

Be aware that this kind of breaks the tree. It's not done this way with shell special folders in any software I know of, nor in XYplorer as long as it exists, and shell special folders are functionally identical to RAF.

[Malarki]

I see your point. Special folders like Desktop and Downloads don't show a usable parent either. But in those cases there's a good reason (the parent would be deep in the Users folder) and their status never changes - they're always special.

However, navigating to a work-a-day folder via the RAF differs in two ways: (1) it makes it into a special folder only for that instance; which can be confusing and (2) there is no good reason to lock out the real parent. In fact we often or even usually want real-tree access to these presumably heavily-used folders.

Around half of the folders I've linked in the RAF need real-parent access when I'm in them. So I may find that getting to them via RAF brings more baggage than is worthwhile.

That's my two cents and only from early use. RAFs are fairly new and you should probably get more feedback before changing to a model that bends things philosophically eg. breaks the tree.

[admin]

Good points!

Others (including myself, actually) have also already felt the desire to go up to the parent node (no matter how real it is) instead of the virtual Rapid Access node.

So I will add something... there will be new problems though, because bending things philosophically comes with a price. For example, if you go up and down again, you will be in a new place, you will be in the real world.

[Borut]

[...] if you go up and down again, you will be in a new place, you will be in the real world.

That would probably be OK (at least for me). I guess that RAFs are maybe predominantly used as quick gates/"shortcuts" to some areas of special importance to each user. So, after a "real world walk and back" you stay in real world, however your RAF-gate at the top of the tree is still there, if you wish to reenter there and stay in the RAF branch.

[Borut]

26.10.0102: Cool! Even this: After exiting the RAF area by going up (and hence now landing in the "real world"), and then after changing locations in the real world, a sufficient number of final Backs eventually brings one back into the initial RAF folder (i.e. back into the RAF area). I find this very cool and (at least for me) very "as expected" (although I did not want to express that as a wish in my previous post).

[Malarki]

I like v 26.10.0102 also; thanks for such immediate action!

There is one glitch / unexpected effect: If I navigate from the RAF to Folder1, then breadcrumb up-arrow from Folder1, all is OK - I'm in the parent of Folder1. But then breadcrumb down-arrow is disabled. In contrast if I get to Folder1 by traditional navigation, up-arrow followed by down-arrow returns me to Folder1.

Maybe this is the effect you were referring to in breaking the tree. It isn't a big deal; just odd.

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Thinking more about the Special Folders in Windows (Desktop, Downloads, Documents etc) I realize that at least several of them suffer from being deep in the Users tree. For some it doesn't matter but I got tired of Documents being there and finally pointed it to a second hard drive. It was filling up my C: drive and my nightly imaging of that drive often had lots of stuff I didn't want to archive.

I understand that, to maintain the concept of different Users, Windows had to put some of these folders in the Users subtree; but it was an imperfect solution and drove Windows to then gimp the "up-arrow" action since the Parent of these was of no working interest.

RAF special folders aren't conceptually User-specific so needn't carry over the limitations of those that are.

[admin]

Yes, good point and interesting task. I think I found a good solution. Next beta.
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[Malarki]

v26.10.0103 - all breadcrumb arrows work as I would expect, starting from a RAF and going into multiple folder levels then in and out of those. Thanks!

[jupe]

I just upgraded to .0103, and I am pretty sure it is caused by this change, now if I have Network node hidden from the tree, and try and access a UNC path XY freezes up and requires a taskkill.