Saving Workspace

[Stef123]

Layout, Tabset, Workspace - not sure if I use the right term.
My intention: Saving the structure of BOTH panes - preferably the sidebar too (catalog + tree) but not mandatory - to quickly restore/switch between various Move/Copy/Collect scenarios.

I figured Tabsets would do this, but came to realize it refers to one pane only. So how would I save my workspace as described above?

[admin]

Not possible (without scripting) but sounds like a good idea.

[Stef123]

Can you point me to a script that does this? I really need this, not having it is bound to be a show-stopper in corporate usage. There is no way I can force people into fussing about pairing appropriate panes, they're used to the easy way from other file managers (not to mention speed and safety)

What about favorites that also call up a corresponding partner on the other pane? That would suffice, too. Such a favorite must store
- both paths
- what pane is active (to immediately start into the right direction)
- view settings for each pane

[admin]

There is no script I know of (I just know it could be done).

As I said I like the idea. I'll think about it... Ideas and input welcome...

PS: "view settings" -- you mean Details, Thumbnails etc?

[Marco]

http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8691
Ask FluxTorpedoe for more info

[Stef123]

Thanks Marco,

for coming to the rescue. Highly appreciate it. The community spirit in here is awesome - never seen anything like it. Maybe I shouldn't start at the beginning but rather dive into the deep end of customized scripting.

Things are the other way round with XY: No need for scripting to accomplish outstanding feats (already implemented per se). Instead, a respectable repository of sripts for "basic" things I took for granted (SessionManager, LayoutManager, clickable Breadcrumbs)

Fine with me, either way. My only worry: That a script may not work anymore after people upgrade to a higher XY version.
Btw, can I run scripts portable?

"view settings" -- you mean Details, Thumbnails etc?

Yes, exactly.

[j_c_hallgren]

The community spirit in here is awesome - never seen anything like it. Maybe I shouldn't start at the beginning but rather dive into the deep end of customized scripting.

Yes, weh have a GREAT core group of highly dedicated users here of varying skill levels and we all try our best to help others here! And the speed at which you get a reply is impressive as well -- no waiting for days for a reply but just hours (in most all cases) and in some cases, just a few minutes! Plus the interaction with Don makes it SO much better as he's almost always watching here.

That's the side benefit to XY that I tell potential new users...you won't be left hanging unlike some other products.

[FluxTorpedoe]

Hi'

The community spirit in here is awesome

I second EDIT: I triple that!
Starting with the involvement of the dev!

Regarding your concern of scripts obsolescence, it's true that XYplorer is evolving incredibly fast, but AFAIK Don always takes great care of avoiding regressions (rant: other big corps should take lessons). So you're more likely to run into the opposite problem: downloading scripts that need a recent version of XY!

And to answer your original question, yes, as Marco kindly pointed out, SessionManager was meant to do just that, and more.
Its main problem is only human: the lack of clear info and update of the first post. My bad. "Fix" will come someday with screenshots for a small tour.
For the rest, I'm using it... several times an hour to switch between projects, or simply reset my main tabs/layout to their default frequently. (*)
BTW, I'll post a small update to it in a few minutes, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to post in SessionManager thread.
EDIT: Update available here.

(*) e.g. I just did switch back & forth between my "XYplorer" session (with active scripts tab, scripts revisions tabs on the other pane, XY.exe test tab, backup tab, etc.), and my main "Local" session (personal tabs, incoming, etc.).
And next I do intend to switch to my "Video" session to quickly preview what I'm gonna watch to relax...

[admin]

FYI, I caught fire on that Dual Fav thing. I'm just working out a way to integrate it with the normal favs. Well, I'm virtually finished with it. Just curious: Are there more folks out there that would use a Dual Fav? It will do the following:

- Go into Dual Pane mode (if not already in)
- Load a location into each pane (can be a path, a quick search, a visual filter, etc, anything that works as "location" in the extended sense).
- Set a view mode (Details, Thumbs ...) in each of the panes. Maybe also a sort order, and a list style.
- Activate one of the two panes.

[klownboy]

Hi Don,
It sounds like Dual Fav could be quite worthwhile. I don't frequently go into dual pane mode, but being able to have pre-defined dual panes, I may be doing it much more often (e.g., after connecting a flash or external drive or simply working between two frequently used folders). Will we be able to define multiple Dual Favs and possibly activate particular ones via a CTB or Customized Keyboard shortcut at some point in the future? We could define them and click either with the left or right mouse button on a CTB to cycle between multiple Dual Favs using script functions, CTBicon and CTBstate along with <get trigger>.
Thanks,
Ken
Edit: I've been using FluxTorpedoe's "Session Manager" more and more each day, but forgot it would save a dual pane configuration along with a slew of other things. It's always a good thing to get this type of functionality built-in to XY though.

[admin]

Yes, all yes. It will be a new kind of "location". You can paste it into the Address Bar if you like.

[grindax]

.

[Stef123]

Thank you Flux,
downloaded your update, but had no time yet to try it out.

FYI, I caught fire on that Dual Fav thing. I'm just working out a way to integrate it with the normal favs.

Glad to hear that. The implementation sounds perfect the way you describe it. If both additions (second pane + view settings) are an optional checkbox (kept between calls of the fav command), favs will have supreme flexibility - leaving it up to the user to accommodate them to his liking, which may be different for various tasks.

Usage scenarios galore. I've seen people who set up directions L->R to match their external drives located left or right of their screen. Users of horizontal splits designating the upper pane to the Download folder (up in the cloud), lower half to their ToDo folder (or right into the trash) - workflows differ. In any case, it is a really fast way to switch tasks provided you give your favs meaningful names = based on task, not visual appearance.

[Stef123]

I'd like to see the functionality of Tabsets expanded such that you could have tabsets that apply to both panes.

Yep, I definitely second that suggestion, too. But I think of it as another (related) feature to favorites (the new, extended version of favorites).

Layouts - as they are called in other programs - should include sidebars and toolbars, imo. They're great for more complex tasks, to have several pre-defined drag-locations as targets. To one side onto the tree or catalog, to the other side onto several tabs. People working like this (I get around a lot) usually set up their center pane larger than the two sidebars/ other pane, to simulate some kind of dashboard: uncluttered view ahead, controls and in- out- baskets on the sides.

Spatial-oriented layouts like that seem to come naturally to many users, facilitating workflows and freeing the mind to concentrate more on the task at hand, and waste no thought on the appropriate tool setup.

I'm using it... several times an hour to switch between projects, or simply reset my main tabs/layout to their default frequently. (*)

(*) e.g. I just did switch back & forth between my "XYplorer" session (with active scripts tab, scripts revisions tabs on the other pane, XY.exe test tab, backup tab, etc.), and my main "Local" session (personal tabs, incoming, etc.).
And next I do intend to switch to my "Video" session to quickly preview what I'm gonna watch to relax...

I am relieved to read this, because I was beginning to feel a bit awkward, constantly tripping up on things and asking for advice and modifications. Had been wondering, "Is no one else experiencing these things? Everybody here using file mgmt in a totally different way?

There is a fun factor involved in setting up tools and scripts and pulling up buried features. But for business purposes, I sobered up and started timing myself doing various tasks one way or the other, and I began judging tools from other perspectives, ease of use, safety (XY ranks top with Undo, Ask on Drag nDrop), and yes - speed.

Bottom Line: I really appreciate your script, Flux. Thanks for the effort and thought you put into this.

[FluxTorpedoe]

DualFavs sound like a good idea for quick tasks (e.g. exporting), or for newcomers to warm up! Will try it...

Layouts - as they are called in other programs - should include sidebars and toolbars, imo.

That's what "sessions with layouts" do in Session Manager (content of toolbar can also be associated to sessions, if checked in options). BTW, thanks for the nice words.

Note though that unfortunately, as of now there's no way to save/recall separators position in XYplorer, e.g. the horizontal position of the vertical tree separator, the horizontal/vertical position of the dual pane separator...

"Is no one else experiencing these things? Everybody here using file mgmt in a totally different way?

Looks like it!
e.g. How people manage to work efficiently on different projects/uses with a single set of tabs is a mystery to me...

But it's obvious that we all have our own approaches...
& that's where XYplorer shines!