XYplorer Beta Club

Posted: **25 May 2016 11:53**

Prevent duplicate tabs ( all of the features can't make up the loss of this )...

Right now I use QTtabBar explorer replacement.. It has locked tabs, intelligent tab naming ( so multiple tabs with the same folder name can provide additional detail if in different parent folders ), coloring of file-names / folder-names and the individual rows by letting you decide how to do it instead of being limited to 10 or less options ( the alternate row-highlighting which is barely visible on some monitors, by the way, and with no way to change the colors )... Etc...

It doesn't let you add tags or labels to every file-type and it doesn't have a catalog of filters and locations, but it does have a tool-bar on the left ( and many other places that you can enable, disable or move ) and in that toolbar you can put shortcuts to your favorite locations in sub-folders or as icons along with other actions...

It also has a tabbing system that makes sense by allowing it to span multiple lines rather than staying on 1 line ( hard to see what you've got open if it isn't visible ).. but, that is also toggleable...

All of the features in the world don't make up for the loss of preventing duplicate tabs from being opened, or not being able to display the tabs on multiple lines... You also force us to use iconize ( with no way to identify the folder other than by changing the folder icon because the name we give them doesn't appear unless we disable iconize but the name still shows us with the name which is annoying ) to gain room rather than providing a better solution ( multiple line support for tabs )...

I saw a post from 2006 where people were asking for this feature... 10 years later and it still isn't included; why should I use your software for the 30 day trial or beyond when intelligent requests are going unanswered this long?

[mod edit: thread title shortened]

Edit - correction for error on my part present in post: Turns out the folder-name is the only thing that shows when you re-name it, but something like this can be automated for 90% or more of cases.. For other cases, it can be quite useful such as long folder names that are locked but don't need to take up all the space such as Downloads, Libraries, Documents, etc... These can easily be shortened...

Posted: **25 May 2016 23:17**

A 10 year old thread... Seems there wasn't that much demand for this feature? If you use the pro version you could script it (not preventing that a tab is opened but closing all duplicate tabs whenever you enter a folder (or non-automated: whenever you click a button / use a keyboard shortcut for the script)).

Posted: **26 May 2016 00:25**

-- edit:

I know I saw one in 2006, one in 2013 and likely others.. I didn't browse though every single google.com duplicate tabs site:xyplorer.com/xyfc/ result... so there might be more, there may only be those... But, what people have never had they may never know or miss.. and those that are annoyed or aggravated during the trial period may not take the time, as I have, to post their grievances on the forum or even contact you about it... But by logically thinking through the outcome of the unbiased criticism / idea, the feature is an efficiency and productivity booster by reducing the mass of data needing to be sifted through to reach the proper destination can only draw praise.. The multi-line tab-bar is a definite tie for first-place in terms of required features, in my eyes.....

--

That's the thing though, I know there is a script that exists for this but this should be a feature that can be toggled... This along with allowing the tab-bar to be multi-line would help make browsing that much quicker.. A simple feature that prevents opening duplicate tabs ( ie catch tab open event, if exists then focus that tab IF not background.. if background then a highlight feature for a new tab would be a nice feature too )...

But why pay $35 when I already have an explorer replacement that does essentially everything I need with locked tabs, the row highlighting any way I define it instead of limiting it to a dropdown without color selection which is hard to see on some monitors ( 3 monitor setup ), file coloring based on definitions I set ( although XY does do a better job because you can filter the current list ), etc...

The catalog is a nice touch, as is the labeling and tagging and the tree system is actually well designed ( although it doesn't seem to automatically close the old folders that have been changed out of, but I may have missed a config option despite checking one that seemed like it would do it ).. Some of the other features I really like include the preloading of the context / right-click menu so it opens instantly rather than reading the registry for each right-click ( like the default explorer does ) which increases speed a great amount for those of us that have a lot of additions such as Git / SVN / DropBox / etc.... over traditional explorer and explorer replacements that don't micro-cache / preload the context menu...

IF you have a tab open that goes to a duplicate tab already open ( ie on address change / on folder open ) you'd also need to check if exists... if so close the current tab if it isn't locked and/or isn't named and focus the other...

You could seamlessly transition tabs by opening and closing non-essential tabs, reduce clutter and improve efficiency with a system like this... Why it doesn't exist in XY when a ton of other productivity / efficiency features such as Labeling ( and the search system for labels ) and tagging ( plus search ) exists is beyond explanation; it should've been implemented a long time ago...

You have a lot of features, but the one that matters to me isn't included and there are downsides to not having it, plus other downsides ( listed below )... It is a deal-breaker that preventing duplicate tabs from opening isn't included in the already extensive list ( this should've been one of the first polish features for this software in my opinion )...

Another major flaw also bothers me ( listed at part 2 of this )... These can be polished a great deal, but it is UI not functionality ( except number 2 )...
1 ) When searching via Find Files > Contents > .... you have to not only go back to Name & Location in order to click search instead of being able to click search in that field ( a better idea would be to have a Search button in the tab-bar of Name & Location, Size, Date, etc... so you could add / change any options and click it without going back to something that doesn't make sense, or change Name & Location to Search, and add a new tab for Name... Search could contain the location too, or it can be separated out too but if you do that then I'd opt for a separate Search button ( a Clear filters / Reset button would be nice too - reset to last search, or defaults you set up... )

2 ) When searching file-contents, every file that is checked triggers a file-changed event... For applications that monitor for changes inside of directories, this is killer.. A game I use to develop logic has an auto-refresh system that detects when a file has been altered and reloads the scripts; luckily my auto-refresh system prevents the built-in system from activating while another refresh is currently ongoing, but with a structure with over 1000 files, triggering that many refreshes during a search makes me not want to use it and opt to use Notepad++ Find in Files search dialog ( which doesn't use a separate thread so it locks the gui stopping the coding process during the search... annoying... but better than triggering a refresh sequence that is activated 1000 times for 1000+ files which takes even more time to finish that the search ).. For some reason you open a file with write permissions and maybe even call save when you close it, not sure on that because the timestamp stays the same from what I saw, but I didn't look at all of the possible timestamps available ( created, modified, accessed ); but it still triggers an on-change event..

I'm sounding like an old record, but by not preventing duplicates from opening ( even without the seamless integration with other tabs feature -- the absolute basic feature would be enough for me ) is the deal-breaker for me because the point of locked folders is to have them exist to fall back on, etc... As explained above, you could have a wonderful seamless system with the addition of preventing duplicate tabs from opening... You could even add another checkbox so only locked/pinned folders are compared which would be fine by me too ( for those that want duplicate folders to open for some reason )... 2 check-boxes and a few conditional helper-functions in strategic places would go a long way in my books, and I believe there will be a great deal of users that would enjoy this feature... I'm used to it, and I can't really live without it which is why it is a deal-breaker for me...

You do have a nice piece of software that I'd gladly pay the money for ( slightly on the high side, but a good file-manager that is portable and with a lot of the capabilities would be worth it for unlimited updates at the $20 to $30 range ), but without the one basic feature I've grown so used to, I'd be more frustrated than satisfied and wouldn't make a good customer... Even with scripting I don't want to manually run a script, and I don't even know if you provide hooking / broadcast an d catch support to change behavior of interaction, each time I want to check for duplicates... Now if you had a nice hook system where I could write something like ( in Lua for Garry's Mod )

Code: Select all

// Called when an open tab address / path changes..
// Where _tab is the reference to the actual tab, or the id to grab the actual tab to perform actions... Where _path is the new path, and _path_old is the one we're switching from ( in the event we want to prevent the change we return false, and focus the tab that is already at that path if exists...
hook.Add( "OnPathChanged", "MyDuplicateTabCheck", function( _tab, _path, _path_old )
	// Check our managed list of opened tabs ( can be a simple table with the id as index, or the object, or using path as string index, etc... )
	local _opened_tab = tabs:Exists( _path )
	if ( _opened_tab ) then
		// We have a tab already open and we simply want to leave _tab at the current location ( return false ) and focus the tab already opened...
		_opened_tab:Focus( );
		return false;
	end

	// Returning nothing means no change of behavior is called... The above would work in going to or from a tab, even returning back to _tab if back is called... Simple and effective... Adding additional logic for closing the tab would be just as simple...
end );

// Note: The OnTabOpened hook could have identical logic but the function args would be different to include if it is a background tab or not ( which sets focus, or it could be a different hook ).. All of the hooks could share the same function logic, essentially...
// Basically return false to prevent opening the new tab and set focus to the newly opened _tab if we are not in background mode... etc... etc... etc...

It makes sense, as long as the source is properly organized the feature shouldn't be difficult to add in because the logic is quite simplistic...

Cheers...

Posted: **26 May 2016 02:18**

But why pay $35 when I already have an explorer replacement that does essentially everything I need with locked tab

And that's the real point. If you don't need XY's features and already have a tool that fits your needs... Don't switch, don't pay a single dime for it. In the end Don decides what he thinks is essential for this software and / or if there is enough need from the user base to implement something worthwhile. You either life with it, stay with your current tool or write your own / better one.

I for myself never had the need for what you're requesting in the last 6 years. If I don't want duplicate tabs... I just don't open them^^ I know, too easy. And if I were annoyed by the current behavior I'd write a script to change it.

My 2 cents: Posting large walls of text won't lead you anywhere. A better approach would have been: A few lines describing what could improve XY and kindly asking if this can be implemented... More users who support that wish: Better chance of being implemented.

Posted: **26 May 2016 04:28**

I browse through my tabs quickly using whichever tab I'm in, if a tab ends up with a duplicate it shouldn't open... Multi-line tab bar increases visibility...

The thing is the features XY provides are very nice and I like them, I'd love to use it but I do need those two features added to be as efficient and then some... toggle to prevent duplicate tabs from auto-opening ( very little code required to add this features ), and allowing tabs to show on more than 1 line. I really would prefer to use XY over QTTabBar because of the other features, but lack of visibility and being able to open the same tab over and over can be annoying ( especially in the current limited visibility field )..

Then I need a few things fixed for me to be really happy with XY ( the file on-change event being triggered for every file that has contents searched issues needs to be fixed, and the issue where the long file-names don't copy correctly [ transfer fails ] is a major issue because that's listed as a feature that exists but it doesn't )...

I like the quick-search using the labels and tags, it's very useful... but if I can't easily see all tabs open at once, it hinders productivity and efficiency which is why the two features should be a no-brainer to add.. As for the main issue with the on-change event being triggered; it prevents me from using find-in contents of file feature which would be nice to not have N++ tied up in searches if something else can do it...

A few other things bother me such as not being able to open new tabs always on the right / end of the list, no matter what setting I choose it always is to the right of the opened tab, even if it is locked ( I'd prefer the locked tabs to behave like Chrome / Firefox locked / pinned tabs where they remain on the left )... This isn't a huge issue and I can ignore it.. But, as said I really do like XY and would love to use it and give my money to the developer, but without 2 basic features which exponentially increase productivity and efficiency I can't consider it as a stand-alone utility for all of my exploring needs, and the time required to add the tags and labels may not make it worth it if the other 2 features aren't added...

The one bug doesn't bother me as much for the on-change event triggering as I have a utility that performs the action despite not being properly coded ( locks ui thread preventing work being done during search ), etc..

The "wall of text" is the full explanation for everything... I really hope the developer reads it and notices how useful those two features will be!

Posted: **26 May 2016 07:53**

You could try toggling these two tweaks under the [Settings] section in XYplorer.ini

Code: Select all

; Tweak: autoselect first tab with a matching locked homezone when current tab is locked
TabBinding=0
; Tweak: reuse existing tabs when changing locations
TabReuseTabs=1

[How to Tweak]

Posted: **26 May 2016 09:46**

I found those settings early on, even with them set to re-use tabs it doesn't seem to re-use at all despite setting them to 1... and now with double-checking the ini file and it appears that some of the settings were reset O_o; may have something to do with a lot of the crashes I've been experiencing while opening / closing a lot of folders and altering settings lately...

Ran a few tests and while clicking on catalog folders it re-uses correctly but still doesn't capture the other address changes, but this will work for now but capturing on-change would be the ideal situation rather than writing a script to .. Not sure why the ini file reset ( been having a lot of crashes lately while opening a lot of tabs and losing the tabs that were open and recently changed settings so I altered the auto-save down to 5 minutes to hopefully prevent that from happening again...

Here are the scripts I partially repurposed from:

http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12061 - LittleBiG - smart to use blank spaces at the end to get the index rather than having an ugly index at the beginning although a second return would be nice for selectinput..

http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic. ... abs#p97520 - highend - Filter tabs panel, and duplication removal... Only thing left is to write code to move all locked tabs to the left ( my preferred location ) which is why the L / U is in brackets for Locked / Unlocked...

tabs_remove_duplicates.xys

Code: Select all

//
// Haven't altered anything on this yet...
// Original by highend: http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10802&p=97520&hilit=duplicate+tabs#p97520 - Filter tabs panel, and duplication removal... Only thing left is to write code to move all locked tabs to the left ( my preferred location ) which is why the L / U is in brackets for Locked / Unlocked...
//
	// Dedupe tabs in the active pane (by path)
	$_list = "";
	$_count = tab( "get", "count" );
	while ( $i++ < $_count )
	{
		$_list = $_list . tab( "get", "path", $i ) . "<crlf>";
	}
	$dedupedList = formatlist( $_list, "d", "<crlf>" );

	$i = 0;
	while ( $i++ < $_count )
	{
		$curTab = tab( "get", "path", $i - $k );
		if ( strpos( $dedupedList, "$curTab<crlf>" ) != -1 )
		{
			$dedupedList = replace( $dedupedList, "$curTab<crlf>", "" );
		}
		else
		{
			tab( "close", "0", $i - $k );
			$k++;
		}
	}

tabs_show_filterable_list_from_active_pane.xys

Code: Select all

//
// Filterable Tab List - Modified and cleaned up to fit my preferences - Josh 'Acecool' Moser
// Note: Unfortunately the list-box tabs aren't set to any specific length and other chars are set to different lengths rather than able to set up a column
//	system like my other code which uses chars as 1:1 space rather than pixels ( no way that I saw yet to get the pixels for proper alignment )...
//
// Original by highend: http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10802&p=97520&hilit=duplicate+tabs#p97520 - Filter tabs panel, and duplication removal... Only thing left is to write code to move all locked tabs to the left ( my preferred location ) which is why the L / U is in brackets for Locked / Unlocked...
// LittleBiG - http://www.xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12061 - smart to use blank spaces at the end to get the index rather than having an ugly index at the beginning although a second return would be nice for selectinput..
//
	// Remove any duplicates prior to showing the list of tabs...
	::load tabs_remove_duplicates;

	// Config...
	$PANEL_WIDTH = 1200;
	$PANEL_HEIGHT = 800;
	$COL_A_SPACES = 100;

	// How many spaces does a tab char take up? Seems to be dynamic between 5 and 6 or so? No matter what I tried, it never spread perfectly regardless if I used spaces or tabs... tabs are better aligned though..
	$TAB_WIDTH = 9.75;

	// Offset is how much to add to the strlen value for other data ( unaccounted space, or maybe to make the tab level )...
	$TAB_OFFSET = 0;

	// Show a filterable list of tabs from the active pane (by path)
	$_list = "";

	// Load once, reference many times...
	$_count = tab( "get", "count" );

	// For each tab we have open...
	while ( $i++ < $_count )
	{
		$_tname = tab( "get", "name", $i );
		$_tpath = tab( "get", "path", $i );
		$_tlock = tab( "get", "flags", $i );

		// Our friendly-output vars...
		$_name = ( !$_tname ) ? $_tpath : $_tname;
		$_path = ( !$_tname && $_tpath ) ? "" : ("( " . $_tpath . " )");
		$_lock = ( !$_tlock ) ? "[U]" : "[L]";

		// Column Width Vars... + x is offset testing...
		$_len_name = strlen( $_name ) + $TAB_OFFSET;
		$_len_lock = strlen( $_lock ) + $TAB_OFFSET;

		// The ListBox string is Name <Possible Path><spaces * current_index> plus a line break concatenated to itself.
		$_list = $_list . $_lock . " " . $_name . strrepeat( "	", ( $COL_A_SPACES - ( $_len_name + $_len_lock + 1 ) ) / $TAB_WIDTH ) . "" . $_path . strrepeat( " ", $i ) . "<crlf>";
	}

	// Returns the choice-data ( ie the line text )
	$_choice = inputselect( , $_list, "<crlf>", 0, , $PANEL_WIDTH, $PANEL_HEIGHT );

	// Obtains the difference in string length between the right-trimmed data and non-trimmed data for the selection index then selects the tab..
	seltab( strlen( $_choice ) - strlen( trim( $_choice, , "R" ) ) );

For those interested... The tab list is actually quite helpful, and by removing dupes first it shortens it... So far it's looking like I will be buying the life-time membership, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that the hook / seamless system I suggested for duplicate tabs will be implemented in addition to the multirow-tab-bar! It'd then go on my useful apps doc that I spread around..

I was able to add the scripts to the catalog under ::#1400 and ::#1401 to execute on click ( by putting those ids inside of the location text-box; dropdown needs to have that selected.. AFTER adding it to User > Manage Commands > Load Script File > New and added hot-keys ALT + 1 and ALT + 2 for the list with dupe removal on 1 or just dupe removal on 2 to complement the AutoResizer app I use on Alt + `/~ )..

Posted: **26 May 2016 10:13**

Acecool wrote:and now with double-checking the ini file and it appears that some of the settings were reset O_o;

Because you have to follow the correct procedure, as layed out in the "How to Tweak" link in my earlier post. You have to restart/exit XYplorer WITHOUT saving settings after you've edited the ini. Because otherwise XY would overwrite your changes with the current settings it has in memory.

Posted: **26 May 2016 15:01**

Not heavily tested but this should move all locked tabs (in order of their appearance!) to the left while deleting all duplicates (no, locked tabs aren't counted as duplicates^^)

Code: Select all

    // Dedupe tabs in the active pane (by path)

    // Build list of locked / unlocked tabs
    $tabList = "";
    $tabCount = tab("get", "count");
    while ($i++ < $tabCount) {
        $locked  = (regexmatches(tab("get", "flags", $i), "(1|3|5|7)")) ? 1 : 0;
        $tabList = $tabList . (($i > 1) ? <crlf> : "") . tab("get", "path", $i) . "|$locked";
    }

    $curPos  = 1;
    $lockPos = 1;
    $countMoves = 0;
    $countDeletes = 0;
    while ($j++ < $tabCount) {
        $line = gettoken($tabList, $j, <crlf>);
        $path = gettoken($line, 1, "|");
        if (gettoken($line, 2, "|")) { // Locked tab
            if ($curPos == $lockPos) { $curPos++; $lockPos++; continue; } // Doesn't need to be moved
            tab("move", $lockPos, $j - $countDeletes);
            $curPos++; $lockPos++; $countMoves++;
        } else { // Unlocked tab
            $escaped = regexreplace($path, "([\\^$.+*|?(){\[])", "\$1");
            if (gettoken(regexmatches($tabList, "^" . $escaped . "\|(0|1)$", <crlf>), "count", <crlf>) > 1) { // Duplicate
                tab("close", , $j);
                $countDeletes++;
            } else { // No duplicate
                tab("move", $curPos, $j - $countDeletes);
                $countMoves++;
                $curPos = $lockPos + $countMoves - $countDeletes;
            }
        }
    }

Posted: **27 May 2016 02:03**

highend
In fact, I have great respect for all of you, those who write scripts and develops XYplorer in this direction.
(and it is very exciting)

But I want to say that you have usurped XYplorer.
XY is more and more developing in this direction, under the pressure of your authority.
But contrary of this direction XYplorer used most often by other people.
These people are paid just for "don't think and don't strain".
In addition (as an translator) I know that the script can write no more than 1 percent of users.

In general, all of humanity (in all areas) moving in this direction: to pay for something that does not strain.
When someone of you has a problem he is writing the script. And what about the others?
I believe that such questions that constantly ask for 10 years, should be solved.
(especially when such small things are the norm for other programs)

Posted: **27 May 2016 06:45**

A script for something new doesn't mean that the requested feature never be implemented. And highend thanks for making the waiting period easier with your scripts.

Posted: **27 May 2016 07:43**

@DmFedorov

I do a simple thing: I'm offering an interim solution (for users who bought the pro version). Nothing more, nothing less.
I (personally) don't see a need for this special sorting algorithm to be implemented in the core. And all the users who can't write scripts: We have a forum. They can ask...

A script for something new doesn't mean that the requested feature never be implemented

+1

Posted: **27 May 2016 08:27**

Acecool made a point here: XY develops too many non-essential features while the essential ones are ignored/delayed. Many cool things stays on "To do list" for too long, i.e: Live Filter, Multi-row Tabs,... while trivial things like folder size caching got implemented. But
1) It's subjective to say which is essential and which is trivial.
2) Technical limitation.

IMO: Multi-row Tabs and Prevent duplicate Tab do not solve the core problem. The core problem is we open too many tabs. Why?
(A) Tab caption sucks due to too long. When I want to go to specific location, I cannot look through ALL the tab captions to know whether it was already opened.
(B) Folder icon sucks because it does not apply to sub folders. Example: I made a script to assign Finland flag icon to all tabs with "Finland" in the path => Whenever I want to go to Finland\picture\... I look through tab bar to find Tabs with Finland icon then go from that tab => I never have duplicate tabs.

=> The solution can be simple: Conditional Tab Icon. I made that requested before but Don said No.

Posted: **27 May 2016 08:46**

while trivial things like folder size caching got implemented

Mh. I never wanted to use folder size calculation until this (caching) got implemented and now I don't want to miss it. Trivial? From what perspective...

Every developer has a todo list. With priorities. If something isn't requested by too many people, why raise it? So, the real solution to the problem is: Find enough people who support your wish and I'm (rather) sure that Don will add an option for it... I have many things on my list that I'd like to see in XY as well. Most of these features are supported by other programs. These things can't be implemented by scripting. I have two choices: Ask for one of them to be implemented (from time to time) and hope that I can convince him that it makes sense. Or: Use a different program. Or a third option: Write my own (won't happen).

Posted: **27 May 2016 09:06**

When the need araise (by either ordinary or experienced users):
- Experienced users devised some workarounds or scripts to "live with that temporary solution". But it's too complex for ordinary user to capture => Experienced users still happy but no support for ordinary users' requests.
- Only when all workaround/scripts fail, mods/experienced users raise their vocie and often get response from Don.

That's how mods/experienced users "usurped XYplorer" as DmFedorov said. Personally, I admit that I used to pressurized Don to implement things he did not seems to agree.

@Acecool: I understand your concern but I have my own workarounds already, so, no vote for you. Sorry.

XYplorer Beta Club

Prevent duplicate tabs

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