Store the drive XY is installed on as ?

[nerdweed]

Don,

A very small wish but it would be really helpful for a set of users.

Scenario: XY is installed on D:\. Store all settings for D:\ like open tabs, favorite folders and favorite files, tagged files as ?:\ instead of D:\. This would remove the task of manually relocating tabs and files and tagged files.

I understand this would create panic for those users who copy just xy to another drive as this would lead to incorrect paths, orphaned tags, etc but holds true the other way as well.

I trust it wouldn't be much work for you to have both the options available through a tweak to cater both the sets.

[admin]

This can be done already for tabs using a tweak (v8.80.0101 - 2010-02-05 12:18):

Code: Select all

    + Added Portable Tabs. With Portable Tabs enabled the locations of 
      tabs are stored relative to app path (in the pane.ini files) IF 
      app path is on a removable drive. 
      Portable Tabs are useful only when you run XYplorer from a USB 
      drive; it renders these tabs pointing to locations on app drive 
      independent from the drive letter assigned by the host system.
      Currently available only as a tweak, let's see how it works out:
        [Settings]
        PortableTabs=1

Could be expanded to other things but needs thinking. Currently I got other things on my mind.

[nerdweed]

Don,

The drive letters can change on internal drives on multiboot systems.

The relocate tabs can be used, but it has a set of limitations/inconsistencies. If we look at the below Folder structure

D:\Videos
D:\Videos\Good
D:\Videos\Amazing
D:\Videos\Excellent

1. If I have a open each of these folders in a locked tab (not relocated) - 4 tabs. Now I go to D:\Videos tab and click on any of the folder, it would reuse the locked tab. However; if I relocate the tabs to start with ?, it doesn't. It appears to happen with unlocked tabs as well

2. Similarly, if I set favorite folders to start with ?. And if try to open them on a relocated tab, it opens with ?, and with the drive letter on a non-relocated tab.

Now only if there is a way to convince XY that my internal drive is removable and save as ?, things would be so good.

[admin]

1 + 2: fixed in next version.

And you get this:

Code: Select all

    + Tweak PortableTabs enhanced: Set it to 2 to store tabs in a 
      portable way always (regardless of the app drive).
        [Settings]
        PortableTabs=2

[nerdweed]

Thanks Don. You are superb.

Sorry, but still there are two inconsistencies.

1. Favorite folder / favorite files on XY drive are not yet stored as relative paths. - If I do a Ctrl+B to set a favorite folder, it stores as D:\, instead of relative path
2. tags.dat saves stuff relative to XY drive while tooltips show paths relative to <xypath>. Would it be possible to save it relative to XY drive instead. No issues, if not - I will move XY folder to the root, then to reduce a series of ..\s to a single ..\ . Though, I personally feel storing them as ?: gives the liberty to move/rename XY folders across the drive. But, you know the implementation.

Edit:
3.Forgot mentioning, mini-tree is not relative. Just to ask, is it kept for a reason or missed out
4.The breadcrumb appears differently when a ctrl+backspace is done and right clicked on folder icon on the tab bar. Again this should be, due to tabs saved relative to <xypath>.


And I must say, the Portable File Icons play wonderfully here, when .. and ..\.. are displayed in the breadcrumbs.

[admin]

Quick answer: The tweak PortableTabs is (as the name says) only meant for tabs. Storing other paths portably is certainly a valid wish, but needs a little more thought (on my side), and currently i have other things on my list. Generally, of course, portability is one of THE strongholds (uh, correct English?) of XY, so if more users find this important NOW, I will reorganize my todo list.

4.The breadcrumb appears differently when a ctrl+backspace is done and right clicked on folder icon on the tab bar. Again this should be, due to tabs saved relative to <xypath>.

Is that a bug report? Not sure what it means...

[nerdweed]

Quick answer: The tweak PortableTabs is (as the name says) only meant for tabs. Storing other paths portably is certainly a valid wish, but needs a little more thought (on my side), and currently i have other things on my list. Generally, of course, portability is one of THE strongholds of XY, so if more users find this important NOW, I will reorganize my todo list.

Yes. It's ok. Someday it would happen.

4.The breadcrumb appears differently when a ctrl+backspace is done and right clicked on folder icon on the tab bar. Again this should be, due to tabs saved relative to <xypath>.

Is that a bug report? Not sure what it means...

Didn't think it as a bug earlier, but it is. I trust it should be ok, if it stays here.

I have stored XY in D:\Portables\MyApps\XYplorer\ and current active folder is "D:\Portables\MyApps\Iconizer\". You could see the differences in the way breadcrumb is populated and in the relative path, the active folder isn't bolded

This is what I see if I right click on the folder icon on Tab bar when the relative path is ..\..\MyApps\Iconizer

Relative.png (4.7 KiB) Viewed 2030 times

And, this is what I see if I right click on the folder icon on address bar or do a ctrl+backspace. Or, even if I just open "D:\Portables\MyApps\Iconizer\" with an absolute path.

Absolute.png (10.53 KiB) Viewed 2030 times

Could you please confirm if tabs would be stored relative to <xypath> only or is there a chance that it can be saved relative to <xydrive>.

[admin]

Breadcrumb issue confirmed and fixed.

Could you please confirm if tabs would be stored relative to <xypath> only or is there a chance that it can be saved relative to <xydrive>.

Yes, <xypath> only.

[nerdweed]

Thanks Don.

Have moved XY to the root now. So ..\ looks as good as ?:\

[admin]

Thanks Don.

Have moved XY to the root now. So ..\ looks as good as ?:\

Added something experimentally. In the next version you can try it:

Code: Select all

    + Tweak PortableTabs enhanced: Now it's a bit field with the 
      following values:
        1 = store tabs portably
        2 = regardless of the app drive, else only if app path is on a 
            removable drive
        4 = relative to app drive, else relative to app path
      For example, set it to 7 to store tabs portably regardless of the 
      app drive and relative to the app drive:
        PortableTabs=7

[nerdweed]

Works perfect. You can replace the word Experimental with Phenomenal. Start shouting

Some very small things
1. I trust you don't need to show the absolute paths in [square brackets]
2. You would kill me I say this but I am saying it just because I saw this and not complaining. If a new tab is created whilst on portable tab, and if the portable drive is typed into the address bar it resolves as relative, but not if a new tab is created from an absolute path or browsed from My Computer (by navigating up from relative location, right to my computer and then clicking on the portable drive or entering a path for the portable drive)
3. The tweak comments for portable tabs need updating
4. Why do you call the options as bit field. The only valid options are 0,1,3 and 7. 2,4,5 and 6 have no use.

[admin]

Works perfect. You can replace the word Experimental with Phenomenal. Start shouting

Some very small things
1. I trust you don't need to show the absolute paths in [square brackets]
2. You would kill me I say this but I am saying it just because I saw this and not complaining. If a new tab is created whilst on portable tab, and if the portable drive is typed into the address bar it resolves as relative, but not if a new tab is created from an absolute path or browsed from My Computer (by navigating up from relative location, right to my computer and then clicking on the portable drive or entering a path for the portable drive)
3. The tweak comments for portable tabs need updating
4. Why do you call the options as bit field. The only valid options are 0,1,3 and 7. 2,4,5 and 6 have no use.

1. Why not? Overkill?
2. Read it 3 times but did not understand (or could not reproduce).
3. Yep, thanks.
4. 5 is also valid. It works as a bit field, even if some combinations make no sense. Call it an imperfect bit field. In a GUI it would look like this:

Code: Select all

[x] 1
    [x] 2
    [x] 4

[PeterH]

It works as a bit field, even if some combinations make no sense.

Sure it's a bit field. Each bit has it's meaning.
And I think it's most common that some combinations of bits might make no sense...

[nerdweed]

1. It seems crowded, specially when you have PortableTabs=7, you don't need to see the whole path for the drive letter or even the drive letter since Address Bar anyways shows the absolute path.

RelAbs.png (2.46 KiB) Viewed 1883 times

2. You can forget it, its not important. But if you still want some action, read the quote

I will explain step wise, PortableTabs=7 and XY is installed on D:. With point, I mean the relative path shown in the tooltip while hovering over the tab.
a. You are on ?:\Portables
b. Click on New Tab, the New Tab would point to ?:\Portables
c. Now if you click on Address Bar and enter a new path on D:, lets says D:\Portables\Documents - infotip will show the relative path
d. Now browse upto My Computer and then select D:\ again, it won't be a portable tab
e. Similarly, if the Favorite Folders have been edited to be portable, and you launch a Favorite Folder, it would open as a portable tab only if the tab it opens on was portable earlier, else it would open with an absolute path

3. My pleasure

4. Aah, I see. Your explanation makes sense. I was having a flat view and thought it should be this way.
[x] 0 -> Non Portable
[x] 1 -> Portable on Removable drive
[x] 2 -> Portable on any drive (relative to app path)
[x] 4 -> Portable on any drive (relative to XY drive)

[admin]

1. Agreed. I'll take it away in the case of portable drives.

2. That's kind of by design. At least I'm not surprised.