Cursor popup window to show full path name?

[spinner]

== reposted below ==

[admin]

Now "File Info Tips" (hovering over file icon in file list) show the path of the file if in Find mode (Win2K and WinXP only). That's all for now.

[Leopoldus]

Now "File Info Tips" (hovering over file icon in file list) show the path of the file if in Find mode (Win2K and WinXP only).

Are you sure? I have no the file's path in tooltip text. Furthermore, there is no "file path" option in "Tools > Configuration... > File Info Tips" settings.

[admin]

Sorry, not yet uploaded...

[spinner]

Now "File Info Tips" (hovering over file icon in file list) show the path of the file if in Find mode (Win2K and WinXP only). That's all for now.

Donald, that file info tip with all that file data is definitely a very useful feature. Personally I do not have quite such long file names as Leopoldus, the OP of this thread. However my folders can be quite deeply nested.

After a File Find operation (which I use TV3 for more and more) the results do not always show the folder path in a way which would be be most useful to users like me who have deeply nested folders

I already use the configuration option to enable a Relative Path or full path and also hide/show (ctrl shift F12) the Tree View to have more screen space to see the path. But these don't always help enough.

I would like to suggest an extra option to be added to the Relative Path entry in the configuration menu. I think it would be useful to have the option to enter a number indicating how may "trailing" folders to show in an individual folder path.

For example, if the path to a particular file is:-
C:\Documents and Settings\Spinner\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\DOCUMENTS\last month's documents

then TV3 would show this if the "relative path number" was 1: \last month's documents
then TV3 would show this if the "relative path number" was 2: \DOCUMENTS\last month's document
then TV3 would show this if the "relative path number" was 3: \Quick Launch\DOCUMENTS\last month's documents
then TV3 would show this if the "relative path number" was 4: \Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\DOCUMENTS\last month's documents

What do you think? Nice huh? :-) It should not be technically very hard to implement as the full path data for a found file is already captured by TV3.

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For those users who like to use rather meaningless descriptions in the last few folders of a path which don't give much of a clue to the root folders then a reverse of what I have suggested aboove could be useful for them.

For example of this, if the path this time is :- D:\file sharing apps\bitorrent\beatles\C\folky\14

then TV3 would show this if the "relative path number" was - 1: D:\file sharing apps\
then TV3 would show this if the "relative path number" was - 2: D:\file sharing apps\bitorrent\
then TV3 would show this if the "relative path number" was - 3: D:\file sharing apps\bitorrent\beatles\
then TV3 would show this if the "relative path number" was - 3: D:\file sharing apps\bitorrent\beatles\C\

Of course, relative path number=0 would be to show only the drive letter.

How about it?

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[admin]

...have the option to enter a number indicating how may "trailing" folders to show in an individual folder path.

The idea is okay. Takes a lot of space to explain though. I prefer simple features. Let's see if there's some reaction from the crowd.

[Gandolf]

I like the concept but I have a feeling that I might end up spending more time changing the configuration settings because I couldn't see the path information I required. What happens for very long paths? How many numbers do you allow because somebody, somewhere, will have a path one level more than you cater for.

My own preference would be for Info Tips box width to increase so that the path does not wrap except in the case of very long paths. Obviously there has to be a maximum dependant on screen width.

Regarding the "File Info Tips", any possibility of displaying a thumbnail of the image in the info tip?

[admin]

Regarding the "File Info Tips", any possibility of displaying a thumbnail of the image in the info tip?

Not really, it would not be fast enough to be much fun. Select + Preview is the way to go.

[Gandolf]

...it would not be fast enough...

That surprises me since the generation of the preview image is very fast. Having seen the option in other file managers I agree that they are not particularly fast at displaying the image in the tooltip. Perhaps in your "spare time" you might try and see how fast it is.

[admin]

Perhaps in your "spare time" you might try and see how fast it is.

The speed depends on the size and type of the image (the load time is displayed on the preview panel). Large JPEGs (common products of digital cameras) can take a while. I don't like the idea of triggering a potentially time-consuming process by a sheer mouse-over event.

[spinner]

I like the concept but I have a feeling that I might end up spending more time changing the configuration settings because I couldn't see the path information I required.

What happens for very long paths? How many numbers do you allow because somebody, somewhere, will have a path one level more than you cater for.

Gandolf, you make a good point about how many numbers do you allow for very long paths. As yoy say, it may be hard to accomodate paths of almost any number of folders.

But I would argue that it simply has to be a good thing to be able to see one or two more folders in the path if the name of the last folder is too cryptic.

Going into the config menu to change it is a bit awkward. But there is no reason why such an entry box for the number could not be above or below the List View window.

One or two options, especially in the General Configuration tab coul dbe moved out to the main screen such as the one to show relative folder names. I am always setting and unsetting that one.

(Similarly the value for "find file fuzziness" seems to better belong on the Find Files tab in the bottom part of TV3. And Folder Size Info could go somewhere on the GeneralFile Info tab at the bottom.)

But to get back to where I started ... I think it must be a good thing to permit two or more relative folder names. If a user doesn't like it then he or she can leave it alone. Go on ... say you will support it! :-)

[admin]

...have the option to enter a number indicating how may "trailing" folders to show in an individual folder path.

On a 2nd thought I begin to dislike the idea because it generates ambiguous information.
For example:
C:\X\doc\material\
C:\X\old\doc\material\
would both be displayed as \doc\material.

[spinner]

...have the option to enter a number indicating how may "trailing" folders to show in an individual folder path.

On a 2nd thought I begin to dislike the idea because it generates ambiguous information.
For example:
C:\X\doc\material\
C:\X\old\doc\material\
would both be displayed as \doc\material.

In fact I am trying to avoid ambiguous information! :-) I would suggest that displaying
\material
for the relative paths is potentially the most ambiguous. But that is what TV3 does at the moment (or show the whole path).

Using your own example, my suggestion also permits the user to specify if he wants to see the path info displayed starting from the left (root) side like this
C:\X\old\doc
The user would request this by using a negative numeric value in the proposed "Relative Folders to Display" field.

Well, I still think it is a good idea and I hope you do too.

The heart of the problem lies in the fact that the screen is not wide enough to display all the info a user might want about a found file. This permits trimming of the path from either the beginning or the end, as the user prefers.

[admin]

In fact I am trying to avoid ambiguous information! :-) I would suggest that displaying
\material
for the relative paths is potentially the most ambiguous. But that is what TV3 does at the moment (or show the whole path).

Two times "no":
TV3's relative path mode is never ambiguous.
Your mode is potentially ambiguous.

[spinner]

In fact I am trying to avoid ambiguous information! :-) I would suggest that displaying
\material
for the relative paths is potentially the most ambiguous. But that is what TV3 does at the moment (or show the whole path).

Two times "no":

Awwww! Awwww!
= two times Awwww!

Well, I'm sorry to hear your decision. But I think it's always worth putting forward new ideas even if sometimes you won't want to use them.

TV3's relative path mode is never ambiguous.
Your mode is potentially ambiguous.

I am not sure I have quite read that correctly. It seems that if Tracker's relative path shows a directory of
\one
and there are several directories called one then that is, well, ambiguous.

Of course, I agree that my way too can be ambiguous but my way would at least have the previous directory as a qualifier for \one and be that bit less ambiguous.

'nuff said on this topic probably. :-)