XYplorer Beta Club

I have a somewhat awkward situation where I need to use a temporary downloads folder on an external volume as my browser's default downloads directory. This is because I am working on the browser's downloads interface and testing downloads hundreds of times, of all shapes and sizes. But unfortunately that temp downloads folder is not a library so it's not in the tree. I keep accidentally clicking the regular Downloads directory instead of the temp downloads folder.

Needless to say, I have a Favorite Folders toolbar button and hotkey, but they require an extra step. And, like the catalogs feature, they just aren't my first instinct. I usually use this folder when I'm focused on something entirely different, not thinking about xyplorer but just using it as a tool. So even though I know consciously that the folder I want is in Favorite Folders and Catalogs, those aren't the things I jump to because I'm not consciously interfacing with xyplorer at all, I'm just on autopilot trying to find my test files. Operating purely on muscle memory.

So, it would be hugely helpful to have a "Quick Access" feature like the one in explorer.exe — especially since I'm using the paid version, it should have (or support) the same basic features that Windows 10's built-in file manager has, plus all the other fabulous features unique to xyplorer.

I have written a couple very basic scripts for xyplorer, but they are either custom toolbar buttons or custom list columns. I don't know how to use scripting in the tree at all. If there's a way to script this feature into the tree, or a script I can write that will show specific folders (but not necessarily all favorite folders, since I don't think I want ALL of them to show in the tree), then I'm perfectly happy with that. Otherwise, I would call this a feature request.

I think because favorite folders currently only show in their own popup, most users will tend to add many (like 20+) folders to Favorites. Which means that showing them all in the tree view probably isn't the ideal solution. When I used File Explorer, I only ever wanted like 5 or 6 folders in Quick Access at most, since beyond that they can get in the way of using that view. So if this is implemented as a new feature, it would probably be better if it was independent from Favorite Folders. Might as well just call it Quick Access or Bookmarks or something. Then you'd just right-click a folder > Pin to Quick Access, and it'd show up at the top above This PC, just like in explorer.exe.

Thanks again for the great product

Why don't you put it into the "Links" part of the tree?

Keep in mind that Favorite Files and Favorite Folders are exactly the same (i.e., you can have folders in Favorite Files and files in Favorite Folders). So, if you don't use Favorite Files much, you can have it contain nothing but your important folders - those folders that you wish to have quick access and come up in a Customized Keyboard Shortcut...use Tools > List Management.

klownboy wrote: ↑11 Jan 2022 12:37 Keep in mind that Favorite Files and Favorite Folders are exactly the same (i.e., you can have folders in Favorite Files and files in Favorite Folders). So, if you don't use Favorite Files much, you can have it contain nothing but your important folders - those folders that you wish to have quick access and come up in a Customized Keyboard Shortcut...use Tools > List Management.

Thanks for the replies. Like I said in my first post, "Needless to say, I have a Favorite Folders toolbar button and hotkey, but they require an extra step." I already know I can go through extra steps to access my Favorite Folders. That's what I'm already doing. It's not as convenient as having them in the tree view, like windows explorer does. I've been using XYplorer for a few years now so naturally I have developed habits of use. It's frustrating to have to click a toolbar button to access my downloads folder just because it's not a special folder or library.

highend wrote: ↑11 Jan 2022 08:21 Why don't you put it into the "Links" part of the tree?

As for the Links folder, for my purposes it's just a worse version of the Favorite Folders button, as its contents are not visible in the tree until it's manually expanded, and its expanded state is reset right along with the tree. (and I need to reset the tree frequently as I have many portable devices, virtual volumes, network devices, etc.)

There are lots of things that are almost good enough, plenty of ways to almost get the experience I want, but that's what I'm already doing. I posted this in the hopes that I could have the genuine article, whether through scripting or a future application update. I'll continue using XYplorer since it's better than windows explorer in virtually every other way, but it would be even better if it permitted me to permanently display folders (or links/shortcuts) in a "Quick Access" section in the root of the tree view.

For a paid file manager that's advertised with statements like "It’s Customizable," it makes sense to at least have the same basic Quick Access feature that already exists in microsoft's file manager (which is free, in the sense that anyone who can run XYplorer is necessarily running an OS with explorer.exe built-in). But it doesn't need to be that robust or polished. Much of XYplorer's customizability is tied up in user-directed features like scripting, custom buttons, hotkeys, file associations, and now preview handlers. Most XYplorer customers are presumably "power users" who do not mind setting certain things up for themselves. As a software engineer myself, I would have no problem with implementing and testing my own Quick Access feature. But the possibility for a script to generate tree or list items doesn't seem to exist, as far as I can tell.

as its contents are not visible in the tree until it's manually expanded, and its expanded state is reset right along with the tree. (and I need to reset the tree frequently as I have many portable devices, virtual volumes, network devices, etc.)

I use locked mini trees since years and that one is scriptable. So e.g. to expand the "Links" folder in the tree I use one of its entries.

loadtree "Links\Desktop", 1, 1; and ofc things can be made as complex as necessary.

My tree never changes until I want it to change (by adding / removing a folder, loading a different tree, etc.).
Ofc this doesn't fix that individual folders aren't accessible from the very root of the tree but afaik Don plans to add something like this...