I would love to see this for "new items"...

[itsme28m]

Hi,

I would love to see the possibility to only create the new subfolders and files within the folder.

At this moment when you use the "new items" function and you click on an option, it creates the option you click, togheter with all files and subfolders, this is good, but it would be better if you could have the option to only make the subolders/files within that directory.

Why? for example, you could make in the new items a folder "days", and there you make subfolders of all the days, then you could tell xyplorer to just make directory's for all days in the week, when you just need one "new items" possibility. Afcourse, after the create new items function you can move those subfolders to the main directory and delete the "days" folder, but it would be very handy when you don't have to do that every time. And by doing this, the list of "new items" could be made smaller then before. Not only with days, but also the months in a year, seasons, months, weeks, holidays, and many others, that one option would make xyplorer much better, and i don't think it's hard to program ;-)

[itsme28m]

When i think about it further, it would be even better when this possibility whas not taken from the actual files and folders within the xyplorer directory, but that you could make such list within the tools, list management, new items, and that you could make, add your directory's and edit them in the editor mode. And let the right click, new items menu have the option to just make the subdirectory's, and not the directory you click, or just make the files within that directory in the currently viewable directory without creating the actual directory (but keep that as an option)

[RalphM]

Did you ever try the ctx menu "Create branche(s) here"?
This does pretty much what you are looking for I guess.
And you could still keep your structures in the "New items" if you like to.

[itsme28m]

Create branches is for creating existing directory's to another location, i'm talking about making new directory's. And create branches is only for directory's, with the new item's option you can also include files, like making directory's Week 1, Week 2, and under that directory have the files monday.txt, tuesday.txt... This is perfectly possible with the new item function if it would alow to only create the items within the folder (so only the subfolders and files, but leave the folder itself). Also, the create branches is a great thing, for copying only directory's. But when starting from scratch, the new item is the best option, but for now i have a little more work because i have to move the files from the subdirectory to the maindirectory and then delete the subdirectory's again, if you had the option to create only the subdirectory's that problem would be something from the past .

[admin]

... now i have a little more work because i have to move the files from the subdirectory to the maindirectory and then delete the subdirectory's again, if you had the option to create only the subdirectory's that problem would be something from the past .

Yep, I understand.

(a) What would you think of the option to hold down a key, say CTRL or SHIFT, while clicking the menu item, meaning: create the new stuff without its container (the top folder).
Quite flexible. Of course it would only have an effect when the clicked item is a folder and has contents. Disadvantage: that way it would be kind of secret XY-guru-knowledge because there's no hint in the interface. Hm...

(b) Or: a checkable option in the New Items menu itself, saying something like "Skip top folder" or so. I think that would be less flexible but more relaxing for the little memory neurons.


Your other idea is very interesting. I had something like this in my head since long, but you gave it more shape now. Could be I misread what you meant to say but here is what it triggered in me: it's like CopyTo/MoveTo but seen from that target's position! Like CopyHere/MoveHere. Of course we cannot make any selections in the source when we are in the target, so we use a predefined list of items of which we know where they are and that they stay there. Now, wherever we are, we can select any item from this list and copy/move it here! That's a "New Items" on steroids, like beam me down, scotty! It can even span servers! Let's say a collegue daily updates a certain bunch of files, either same-named as yesterday or in a same-named folder. You need to get those fresh versions every day. So, now instead of going there (via your slow network neighborhood) and select them and copy them to your place, you would cooly sit in your place and copy them here from their known location through that list/menu. Okay, I'm getting excited now... does anybody understand what I mean??

[jacky]

(a) What would you think of the option to hold down a key, say CTRL or SHIFT, while clicking the menu item, meaning: create the new stuff without its container (the top folder).
Quite flexible. Of course it would only have an effect when the clicked item is a folder and has contents. Disadvantage: that way it would be kind of secret XY-guru-knowledge because there's no hint in the interface. Hm...

(b) Or: a checkable option in the New Items menu itself, saying something like "Skip top folder" or so. I think that would be less flexible but more relaxing for the little memory neurons.

I would vote (a) with a little text (for the hold Ctrl tip) on the statusbar when we're in the "New Items" submenu.
I think it's best, especially since it allows one to have both items ment to be used with the top-foler, and ones without it.
I can see the use for the top-folder-less way to go, but if I had to be restricted to it with an option, I'd say no and not use it. And when I need it, check it & then uncheck it after.. .yeah right, I'll move the files manually!

Your other idea is very interesting.
Okay, I'm getting excited now... does anybody understand what I mean??

I can see you're getting excited here , and I think I understand what you mean.. but what i don't understand is... why are you getting so exicted!?? Because, unless i got it all wrong, that to me sound pretty much like part of the Drop Stack concept (or w/e you'll call it in the end) discussed before: putting files ona stack to use them later. no?

(dont get me wrong, I like this idea, a lot, but what I mean is: it doesn't sound "new" to me, as I thought the DS would allow us to do so! Did I got it wrong? )

[itsme28m]

Maybe both , (a) for doing it fast, and (b) for even more options...

For option (b) i'm thinking of something more usefull... just have checkboxes before all the items, u don't have to name them, just have a checkbox befor the item is enough, when checked it will be created, when not checked it will not be created, i gues that's simple. But then, it would be also great to be able to also open the subfolders and files, and be able to check or uncheck the items, but maybe that's not possible? if not, just a checkbox before the item will do. If it is possible to program it to also show the subdirectory's and files, then there is one problem, as how to activate the choice... maybe a click within the checkboxes causes the checkbox to activate or deactivate, and a click on one of the directory's will run the create items

The other idea is indeed a "New Items" on steroids ;-), but harder to program i think. so you have 2 options: create just the checkboxes first, and later the new items on steroids, or work directly on the new items on steroids?

[itsme28m]

Jacky,

It seems you are thinking that working with checkboxes would be time consuming and just take more work when you don't need that extra option, well, this is not so if it is done the right way, and the following i think is the right way, is someone has another idea, please say so ;-):

1) before every item, set a checkbox, at default, check all checkboxes so they are enabled.

2) when clicked on the name of the item (not the checkbox), let it create the item and everything in it, like it is now the case.

3) when the user unchecks the item and then clicked on the name of the item, leave the main folder and only create the subfolders and files

4) when it is possible to program, to also display the subdirectory's within the items list, leave also all checkboxes enabled by default, when the unser unchecks the checkbox before the main directory, all other subdirectorys should get unchecked automatically, then after that the user could select just one subdirectory or one file within that main folder, so it's easy and fast to enable/disable all checkboxes within one main directory, and fast to enable/disable one or more checkboxes within a subdirectory.

Greetings,

Steve

[jacky]

It seems you are thinking that working with checkboxes would be time consuming and just take more work when you don't need that extra option

I was referring to a checkbox as an option, as in you need to open the Config. window to (un)check, then do your "New Items" work, then go back to the Config. window to (un)check it... (if you wanna restore it to its original state for later use)

If I understand you right, you wanna add a checkbox inside the menu itself, before each items. Well I'm pretty sure that's not something really easy to do as it would involve, I think, to code the whole menu thing. (and not just the drawing part, since the checkbox would imply a new "use" of (part of) the menu)
Besides, it could be confusing as users could see this as just an "enhanced" way of showing a check in a menu, and think that click on the menu (check or label) would do the same....

Using the checks to show which are with "top-folder" and which aren't could be used, but would imply a new way to set this up (as I don't beleive the way you describe right from within the menu is (easilly) doable, might be wrong though ) since till now, there's nothing: Just put files & folders in the NewItems folder, and they appear in the menu. Nothing else.

[admin]

OK, after a short night's sleep, I think:
(1) The New Items menu as it is now is extremely simple to understand and to handle. I don't want to complicate it. After all, "Keep it Simple" is one of XY's claims. Plus, I might add the CopyHereFrom... interface I mentioned yesterday (or whatever day it was in your time zone).
(2) That does not speak against an invisible hard-core power-user guru-only trick, so I will add "skip-top-folder" by holding CTRL or SHIFT while clicking. (A statusbar message is theoretically possible, but I won't add that for now -- got other things to do).

So, if you can go d'accord so far, what feels more natural for this: CTRL or SHIFT?

[admin]

Your other idea is very interesting.
Okay, I'm getting excited now... does anybody understand what I mean??

I can see you're getting excited here , and I think I understand what you mean.. but what i don't understand is... why are you getting so exicted!?? Because, unless i got it all wrong, that to me sound pretty much like part of the Drop Stack concept (or w/e you'll call it in the end) discussed before: putting files ona stack to use them later. no?

(dont get me wrong, I like this idea, a lot, but what I mean is: it doesn't sound "new" to me, as I thought the DS would allow us to do so! Did I got it wrong? )

Yes, part of the Drop Stack concept. The Drop Stack (or Drag Stack in this case ) is of course far more powerful, and power means responsability. A CopyHereFrom... interface (as menu and/or as dialog analog to the CopyTo etc. dialogs) would offer a simple fool-proof way to do a thing that I think you will do very often once you understand the coolness of this functionality: it's like ordering a pizza by phone. You don't have to fetch it where it is but it comes to where you are in the moment you call for it. It follows you. "Come here!" I think this is a pretty exciting new way of handling a basic file operation! Even dual-pane junkies will like it because they can eye-witness the load of the copy operation dripping into the current list view. It makes them feel safe.
Plus: it can be used for real content (like fetching fresh versions of updated files/folders), and for often-used templates (similar to "New Items", but with CopyHereFrom... you don't have to copy the templates to the NewItems folder but can use stuff from anywhere; the NewItems folder is, of course, more portable --> new idea : may use the "?"-for-drive-letter syntax for CopyHereFrom... ).

BTW, there will be no MoveHereFrom: it could be used only one time...

[jacky]

Yes, part of the Drop Stack concept. The Drop Stack (or Drag Stack in this case ) is of course far more powerful, and power means responsability. A CopyHereFrom... interface (as menu and/or as dialog analog to the CopyTo etc. dialogs) would offer a simple fool-proof way to do a thing that I think you will do very often once you understand the coolness of this functionality

Ok. I guess I just thought that, since it'd be part of the DS might be better to focus on it, as it'll do that and more and then add this CopyFrom feature as some kind of shorcut for the DS features. Just not to have you do the same thing twice, once here & once on the DS.

But I'm not quite sure how DS will be done. If there are done as special Catalog categories, ie we could have more than one, maybe there wouldn't be an easy way to use shortcuts for them then... or when you add the Fav Folders on the Move/Copy/Backup To window (8)), you do the same for Move/Copy From window but with DS ?

So, if you can go d'accord so far, what feels more natural for this: CTRL or SHIFT?

I would say SHIFT. Thats how I feel, plus usually when used on D&D operations, Ctrl means copy aka little plus sign, while Shift means move aka little minus sign, and we want minus (top-folder) here.... Well, thats how i feel anyways

[admin]

For me a DS is a rather volatile thing, quickly done -- quickly gone. But, of course, they will be retained between sessions, so they can live very long. And you will have as many DS as you like! No limits in XY
I hope I can soon begin with the implementation...

So, if you can go d'accord so far, what feels more natural for this: CTRL or SHIFT?

I would say SHIFT. Thats how I feel, plus usually when used on D&D operations, Ctrl means copy aka little plus sign, while Shift means move aka little minus sign, and we want minus (top-folder) here.... Well, thats how i feel anyways

OK, very well. Other feelings out there?

[John Bee]

OK, very well. Other feelings out there?

Shift is fine.

John

Win2K
1,406ms

[jacky]

For me a DS is a rather volatile thing, quickly done -- quickly gone. But, of course, they will be retained between sessions, so they can live very long. And you will have as many DS as you like! No limits in XY

Oh I see. Well for me DS will be "volatile" for temp/working items (aka a DS called "temp" or smthg), but Im sure I'll have at least one that will stay for a while