2nd pane, anyone?

[admin]

DON... will u please make it clear when u want us to drop a subject...

You mean DP? If you like to talk about it I won't stop you. I don't read it anyway.

My status quo on DP:
(1) I have the impression that many folks think they need DP for better file management (where better could be faster, easier, or more satisfying in whatever way).
(2) I have the impression that a file manager without DP is not taken seriously by the majority of today's professional reviewers.
(3) I don't care for (1) nor for (2).

So...?

(4) XYplorer will not become a(nother) DP file manager. I certainly won't blur the thing I'm shaping since years to be the tool that suits my work style best (yes, I'm using it as well!). How corrupt can you become?
(5) I *might* add an optional 2nd pane (which is a long shot from being a "DP file manager"!) just to be able to mention the words "dual pane" on my website. Just to make it easier for people to swap tools, and for reviewers to give more stars...

[axfleming]

(2) I have the impression that a file manager without DP is not taken seriously by the majority of today's professional reviewers.

I have the impression that the majority of today's "professional" reviewers don't appreciate the value of a good file manager, period, whether SP or DP.

[graham]

admin wrote:

(2) I have the impression that a file manager without DP is not taken seriously by the majority of today's professional reviewers.


I have the impression that the majority of today's "professional" Rolling Eyes reviewers don't appreciate the value of a good file manager, period, whether SP or DP.

I agree with this view, but why is it?

I was, in my working life, used to working in an environment where one studied the user manual issued with every software project - they were massive volumes but essential reading if one wanted to make best use.

Today, users don't read - probably can't! If the program is not immediately obvious then it is overlooked. This is a shame for programs like XY as the features are often difficult (hidden) to find without some searching or recourse to asking the people here. A recent post demonstrated this re. previews.

So, what is the answer?

This is the difficulty with all modern programs and one MS has had to learn, not always successfully. Users will not read manuals and expect it to present solutions intuitively. XY needs, imo, to address this but I am not sure how!

But XY is used by IT literate professionals - true, but that does not mean they are prepared to spend time learning the nuances of a program or ask the knowledge base.

It is a modern problem and it is not going away - maybe the next few months spent on XY should be to present a New Look and attempt to provide intuitive access to features. The number of ideas thrown up by the Beta enthusiast must surely be able to crack this one - that would really put XY in a league of its own.

[jacky]

(1) I have the impression that many folks think they need DP for better file management (where better could be faster, easier, or more satisfying in whatever way).
(2) I have the impression that a file manager without DP is not taken seriously by the majority of today's professional reviewers.

Oh I'm pretty sure this isn't just an impression! Why so many people actually only swear by DP is beyond me, but God knows there are many many people to consider this the main feature a file manager should have.
Not that it helps/improves one's daily life - I think - but regardless, that's how it seems to be.

(5) I *might* add an optional 2nd pane (which is a long shot from being a "DP file manager"!) just to be able to mention the words "dual pane" on my website. Just to make it easier for people to swap tools, and for reviewers to give more stars...

To be honest, I think there are occasions where a DP setup might come in handy. Maybe for some people such a thing would be enough, I don't know (should ask jc is that's would make him uninstall x2 or whatever other DP file manager he keeps around for those times...) but i think the features that would actually make the need for DP really go away, are :

- User-commands shortcut (is that the new/final term for "scriptable hotkeys" ? I forgot ) that would allow one to move/copy selected files to a predefined location using one keystroke only.
Then when custom TB buttons are in, it will be doable within one click only as well.

- Sync. A feature that will list two folders, telling the user which files are the same and which different (and how), allowing to decide which operations to do (what to delete/move/copy...) would be, IMO, the last thing here. Cause I think this is the real use of DP : compare two somewhat similar locations(, in order to put the two in sync).
But a sync feature will be better than DP, if only cause it's faster (obviously) and better (as XY could compare files based on content, not just dates/sizes which may be totally inaccurate).

[j_c_hallgren]

To be honest, I think there are occasions where a DP setup might come in handy. Maybe for some people such a thing would be enough, I don't know (should ask jc is that's would make him uninstall x2 or whatever other DP file manager he keeps around for those times...)

Ok...since you asked (and I'd have likely commented anyway) I looked back at the early posts in this thread from last fall, and found that what I wrote then (on pg 2,3, etc) still applies, such as:

As did another case, when I was matching up some HTML files with the TXT files that were extracted from the HTML....the conditions were similar, in that file size was of no use to sync, nor were the dates as they were totally different, nor were the file names as they were variants of base HTML file names, but sorting both panes by name, I could easily visually match up the files via dual pane and locate the unmatched ones, which needed more work done.

So it's the cases when an automated sync just can't be done or easily done that DP is the most useful to me...ok, so it's a rare case, usually about 2-3 times per month, but when I need it, having x2 comes in quite handy! And most often, it's the unmatched ones that I need to work with and process.

[jacky]

So it's the cases when an automated sync just can't be done or easily done that DP is the most useful to me...ok, so it's a rare case, usually about 2-3 times per month, but when I need it, having x2 comes in quite handy! And most often, it's the unmatched ones that I need to work with and process.

Ok, but I wasn't referring to the Sync feature but Don's (5) of (maybe) just adding another pane (List), without anything more to it (maybe at least just a "scroll both" thing?).
So you'll get a dual pane with two list of two folders at once, is that enough for you? Reading what you describe, I'd say it's enough to locate which files you were needing to work on, right?

(Although I wonder if this could really be done.. because add another pane/List, people will want for it to support everything, like VF, and then will want special KS for "move/copy to other pane", etc)

[j_c_hallgren]

Well, the lite/free vers of x2 that I use supports a sync based on choice of one of these: names, dates, content
And allows one to select items that are unique/identical/newer/older/undetermined.

It allows me to scroll both panes together or each by itself...and move/copy to other pane, so those features would seem to be minimal required, IMO.

[admin]

(Although I wonder if this could really be done.. because add another pane/List, people will want for it to support everything, like VF, and then will want special KS for "move/copy to other pane", etc)

Yes. This is the main reason behind my "maybe". As you might have guessed I'm already fed up to the rim with the DP whining. But hey, it's waaayyy down on the roadmap, so I stay relaxed...

Right now it's "XYplorer -- Single Pane and Proud" (damn, I have to produce this T-shirt collection!). Or, MTSP (Multi-Tabbed Single Pane), or was that Most Terrific SeXY Plorer?

[admin]

Well, the lite/free vers of x2 that I use supports a sync based on choice of one of these: names, dates, content
And allows one to select items that are unique/identical/newer/older/undetermined.

It allows me to scroll both panes together or each by itself...and move/copy to other pane, so those features would seem to be minimal required, IMO.

Well if it's only that, I could do sth like the Rename Preview dialog with 2 synched panes, and some basic columns for comparison like Name, Size, Modified, CRC.

But, if X2 does it well... you can as well throw up its dialog...

[axfleming]

IDM has been developing a text editor for years called UltraEdit.
I believe it is at version 13 or something.
Later they released a product called UltraCompare, now at version 4, as a companion to UltraEdit, although UltraCompare works well standalone.
UltraCompare compares two text files in a side by side view, highlighting changes and allowing editing of the files.

Since dual pane explorers are really only good for comparing directories, why not have a separate application that does this, instead of violating the single pane character of XYplorer?

[j_c_hallgren]

Since dual pane explorers are really only good for comparing directories, why not have a separate application that does this, instead of violating the single pane character of XYplorer?

I think Don has enough trouble keeping up with one version of this app! And besides, there are a number of unique features of XY that I'd use with a limited function DP format, such as the preview, which is needed to help determine what exactly is within some of my duplicate files..

[axfleming]

I think Don has enough trouble keeping up with one version of this app!

Exactly the reason why I wish there is increased revenue for XYplorer in the future!

This would allow him later down the road to hire someone to take care of boring admin duties, bug checking, bug fixes, and some other customer service duties so that he can focus on implementing new features and promotion!

[axfleming]

Plus, he appears to me to be a programmer's programmer.
With a larger team, wouldn't someone like that jump at the opportunity to create a version for another platform, such as the Mac?

[Uagadugu]

I think Don has enough trouble keeping up with one version of this app!

Whoa, hold on there, buddy. I think Don knows his capacity and what he can and cannot do. Some of you guys are hilarious. Most of the requests on the wish list are so user specific it is not even funny. A lot of them go like this:
"I want this because I like it. Can you do this for me?"
Some of you sure are getting your money's worth for that lifetime license, aye?
Why can't Don have a whole slew of products? What, you want to restrict him to being a one-trick pony?
Let Don decide what he wants to do, muchos gracias.

[j_c_hallgren]

Why can't Don have a whole slew of products? What, you want to restrict him to being a one-trick pony?

Not saying he can't! Just that trying to maintain two similar variants of a program can be a real PITA! As saying goes: Been there, Done that!

(BTW: Back in my prior career as a COBOL mainframe programmer, I had to keep up with, and maintain numerous programs in a given system...sometimes in excess of 200 modules! Now granted, I didn't write all of them, but have had applications of 25-30+ modules that I wrote completely...so at times, I would have preferred to have one module that did most of it, but that wasn't possible...)

Oh, and I got a good from your post! I agree that a number of the wishes seem to be "just for me", but I'm quite happy to try and help adapt these to a wider usage in some cases...