The 4th generation of Folders Popup is on its way. I'm now ready to distribute a beta version and ask for your participation in making it bug-free. As usual, your comments and suggestions to make it an always greater tool are welcome!
The main addition of v4 is the brand new Group of folders menu (previously named "Switch"). As before, it makes it easy to switch to any folders currently open in an Explorer or a Directory Opus window. But, the menu now allows to save and restore groups of windows. Consider these two scenarios and you'll be convinced...
- You have to open the same four folders to do your daily report? Save this group with the Group of folders... Save this group menu and you'll be able to restore your reporting setup in a flash!
- You need to reboot your PC but have five or six Explorer windows open you're not finished with? Save them and you'll be able to restore your work session in seconds!
With the Group of folders... Save this group menu, you'll be able to memorize your work sessions in seconds!
Save this group dialog box.
With the Group of folders... Load a group menu, you'll be able to restore your work sessions in seconds!
Restored windows can replace the windows currently open or can be added to them. You decide it when you save the group. Currently, Explorer and Directory Opus windows are supported. Total Commander windows support is waiting for a new command in a future version of TC.
Now, consider this other scenario: you are in a Save As... dialog box and you need to access a folder that is already open in an Explorer or Directory Opus window. Simply open the Folders Popup menu in this dialog box and choose the target folder in the Group of folders menu. The dialog box will be taken to this folder immediately.
Finaly, not all users being comfortable installing a portable app, starting with v4, Folders Popup is be distributed in two flavors:
- a standard install / uninstall procedure all users are familiar with;
- and the usual portable version that can be executed right out of the zip file.
That's not all. See the complete list of new features or bug fixes in this new version.
What's new in v4
- New standard installation tool
- New setup procedure with standard Install / Uninstall procedures using Inno Setup.
- Folders Popup will continue to be also distributed in a zip file for portable installation.
- The Run at startup shortcut is adapted to start in the working directory created by the new setup procedure (for example, C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\FoldersPopup under Win 7+ or C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\FoldersPopup under XP) instead of the app's directory.
- Create a unique environment code (mutex) to allow Inno Setup to detect if FP is running before uninstall or update it.
- Groups of folders
- Change Switch menu label to Group of folders.
- List folders open in Windows Explorer or Directory Opus.
- Open in dialog boxes any folder listed in the Group of folders menu.
- Save and restore groups of folders to FoldersPopup.ini file.
- Support special folders (Desktop, My Computer, Recycle Bin, etc.) open in Explorer only.
- Hotkeys
- Changed default Folders Popup hotkeys Windows-K and Shift-Windows-K to Windows-A and Shift-Windows-A (Windows-K is a reserved shortcut in Windows 8.1).
- Actual users config are not changed.
- Fix a bug with labels when changing the hotkey for Recent folders menu and Settings windows
- For Directory Opus users
- Add the option Use tabs to choose to open new folders in new tab (new default) or in a new lister.
Guidelines for beta-testers: please, in addition to the new Group features, pay attention to the install and uninstall procedures, the new hotkey defaults and restoring default hotkeys. To test new default hotkeys, you will need to start with a fresh FoldersPopup.ini. For Directory Opus users, check the new "Use tabs" option. All these features were tested in my two environments but the more testing, the best!
Make sure you have a backup version of the FoldersPopup.ini file. This beta version has been well tested but remember that the goal of beta testing is precisely to uncover the last bugs.
You will find the links to download the beta version in the comments below. They will be updated with a description of changes for each beta version.
You can report bugs, suggestions or comments here or by email at ahk@jeanlalonde.ca.
Thanks in advance!
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Here is the first beta release of Folders Popup v4. It is released under the version number v3.9.1.
Download links
(see in the comments below for updated links)
Thanks for joining the beta test. Please, give a feedback even if everything goes well :-)
Version 3.9.2 (2014-11-05)
Features
* Add the possibility to select an existing group of folders to overwrite in the "Save group" dialog box
* Allow to edit a group from the "Manage groups" dialog box
Setup
* Addition of German language to setup program
* After installation with Setup, copy an existing FoldersPopup.ini file if one exists in a previous portable installation (findable only if a shortcut to the portable installation exists in the Startup group)
* Delete the startup shortcut when uninstall with Setup
Know issues (not solved)
* When restoring a group, an wexisting window can be moved/resized instead of the firts restores window (working it)
* Part of the menu not completely drans (randomly) -> only one user got this problem, please let me know if you see it too
Download links updated below...
Use tabs works like a charm in DOpus!
Thanks dude! :-)
I only use portable progs when I can so I'm not testing the installer on my main box.
But, the installer works flawlessly on Windows 10 Tech Preview x64!
Cheers
Opie
Great. Thanks for feedback Opie!
I like the group function, but methinks there is a bug...maybe.
In DOpus when I try to open a group saved with the option "Add to existing windows", it doesn't add the saved folders in new tabs in the existing lister. It opens a new lister with the saved folders, each in a tab.
(If that was at all possible to understand... :-) )
Cheers
Opie
Hi Opie,
Thanks for feedback. Be reassured, I see what you mean.
We must first understand the "Add to existing windows" from the Explorer users point of view. Since there is no tab in Explorer, "Add to existing windows" means that the saved folders are restored to new windows that are be added to the one already open. If you choose "Replace existing windows", existing windows will be closed before restoring the saved folders.
Now, I understand that a DOpus user can assume that "Add to existing windows" will add the folders in new tabs of the existing window. But it is not the idea. What FP does is recreating the whole DOpus windows, with their left/right panes content, tabs content, etc. as it was when you saved the group. If "Add to existing windows" was selected, new restored windows are added to the existing ones. Am I clear?
Thank You for the explanation, very clear.
The options makes sense in an Explorer-world!
Cheers
Opie
Version 3.9.3 (2014-11-08)
New Features
* add column breaks to popup menu
* accept space hotkey to allow combinations with spacebar as hotkey (e.g. Alt-Space)
* detect and exclude "Select Folder" dialog box with tree view because of a Windows limitation (Edit1 control not handling the Enter as other file dialog boxes)
* add the option "Open menu on taksbar" to open or not the popup menu over the taskbar (class Shell_TrayWnd)
Improvements and bug fixes
* improve reliability and performance of group load with Explorer and DOpus
* fix bug with windows move/resize when group load
* fix bug with minimize/maximize Explorers when group load
* fix wrong web link when an beta version update is available
Setup
* retrieve language from ini file created by setup program and use it when creating the initial FP ini file
SOLVED issues
* When restoring a group, an existing window can be moved/resized instead of the first restored window
Known issues (not solved)
* Part of the menu not completely drawns (randomly) -> only one user got this problem, please let me know if you see it too
Download links
(see updated links below)
Two new features in this beta release: custom icons in "Add/Edit Favorite" dialog box and a menu to open "Folders in Explorer". About this feature, I'm not sure of the label to use in the main menu. There is a risk of confusion between:
- "Group of folders": in addition to the creation of groups of folders, this menu lists the folders open in Explorer windows and allow to switch (activate) any of these folders. On the other hand, when clicked in a dialog box, this menu opens the selected folder in the dialog box.
- "Folders in Explorer": this menus lists the same folders open in Explorer windows but, instead of switching, it opens the folders in the current (Middle-Button) or in a new (Shift+Middle-Button) Explorer. In dialog box, it does the same as the previous menu, it opens the selected folder in the dialog box.
So, there is a duplication here and, as I said, risk of confusion. I'll have to rework on this in one of the next beta releases. If whenever you have suggestions, they are welcomed (here or my email).
Version 3.9.4 (2014-11-09)
What's new
* Swedish, German and Korean translations for new features in v3.9.1 and v3.9.2
* Custom icons for submenus (custom icons for folders in a near future release)
* Add icon selector to add/edit favorite dialog box (for submenu only in this release)
* New special menu "Folders in Explorer" to open in Explorer or in a dialog box a folder already open in another Explorer
* Add option to display or not the "Folders in Explorer" menu
* Regroup Display options in Options dialog box
* In Options, add the size 48 pixels to the choice of icon size
Download links
(see updated links below)
Following an email exchange with one of the testers (BTW, I thank him very much!), I would suggest the following menu structure to clarify the “Group of folders” vs “Folders in Explorer" confusion issue.
See this illustration and explanation below:
Special folders -> Desktop, Documents and other special folders (as now, no change)
Groups of folders
- Save current group -> Save current folders in a new group via "Save this group" dialog box
- My group 1, My group 2, etc. -> open the folders in the selected user defined group
Folders in Explorer windows
- Switch to this Explorer -> Switch to one of the current folders open in Explorer
- Open this folder -> Open this folder in the active Explorer in a new Explorer (with Shift) or in the active dialog box
Any comment on this?
Not much new in this release.. but a lot of work to get it done ;-) Custom icons are now available for all types of favorites (folders, documents, urls and submenus).
Nothing new on the "Group of folders" side. This is the target of my next beta release. No replies here to my questions in the previous post. Probably because all this is too much complex. "Keep it simple, stupid" will be my motto in reworking it.
Version 3.9.5 (2014-11-15)
What’s new
* display and select custom icon for folders, url and documents in add/edit favorite dialog box and in popup menu
* better error management around menu icon assignment
* fix a bug with *.msc files
* fix a bug in "Group of folders" menu for network locations
Download links
(see updated links below)
An update of my thinking about the "Group of folders" and "Folders in Explorers" menu. Thank you again for email feedback on this. This feedback showed that what I suggested was really too complex. Having two submenus showing almost the same content but with different actions is not only cumbersome but also really not intuitive.
Also, in the discussion, I realized that the "Switch..." feature first released in v2.0 introduced an action not related to the core objective of FoldersPopup: it allowed to switch to another Explorer window (bringing this window to the forefront) whereas all other FP functions were intended to change the folder in the current Explorer or dialog box.
So, my idea for v4, is to simplify the menu and remove the "Switch" action. This will focus FP on changing the content of the actual window. There are already different ways to bring an Explorer to the front (Taskbar, Windows-Tab, Alt-Tab), without the need for an add-on like FP. So the new menus would be:
Special folders -> Desktop, Documents and other special folders (as now, no change)
Groups of folders...
- Save current group -> Save current folders in a new group via “Save this group” dialog box
- My group 1, My group 2, etc. -> open the folders in the selected user defined group (re-creating Explorer windows)
Folders in Explorer windows -> Open this folder in the active Explorer or in the active dialog box
An email-friend suggested the menu labels "Current folders" or "Currently active folders" as alternatives to "Folders in Explorer windows". This makes sense. Any preference or comment on menu labels of about these features?
A) Put 'Save current group' to the bottom. Always keep more frequently used entries at top of lists.
B) 'Current folders'
Thank you for your input, Jörg.
As a spin-off of 'Groups of Folders' I'd like to see an option to restore the window position/size of 'normal' folders (additional option in 'Edit Favorite' -> [x/o] Restore window position).
Interesting idea. But it is applicable only when opening the folder in a new window. What if you just want to "navigate" the current Explorer to this folder? Should this option be considered if you Middle-click on the Desktop or with the Shift key?
Another approach: what if 'Shift (or Alt or AltGr or …)'[1] click on a menu item would *always* restore window position(s) to their values defined / recorded during setup? That way the user would be able to decide at the time of clicking: 'Put it there or leave as is'.
[1] Right click would be an even better option since it's 'keyboardless'.
BTW - it's not my idea. It's inspired by using Sizer (http://www.brianapps.net/sizer/sizer34.html) which I use at least 20 times a day to reconstruct my messed up desktop.
A few things, in random order...
Right-click by itself could not be used as in Sizer. In Sizer, the right-click is handled only when done in a very precise area: the border of the window. In FP, the shortcut could be clicked anywhere on the screen and this would block the use of right-click by any other application.
In the "Change Hotkey" dialog box, AltGr could be proposed as another shortcut modifier, along with Shift, Ctrl, Alt and Win. This is added to the wish-list.
Your suggestion of *always* restoring the initial position of the window when the favorite is called in another window is attractive. No option for user. Just a "normal" way of doing it.
But, if I may step back, what would be the main benefits of being able to open a folder in a new window in a predefined position? I don't see a need for it in my own use cases..
You got me wrong. I meant right-clicking a *menu item* in FoldersPopup instead of the normal left-click.
So, when you open a folder by left-clicking: open folder (business as usual)
When you use the right mouse button: open folder *and retore position*
"AltGr could be proposed as another shortcut modifier": AltGr is just a shorthand for pressing Ctrl + Alt, so there's no need for another option. And - as far as I know - there's no simple way of programatically distinguishing between both variants.
I see. My development tools (AHK) use standard Windows calls to manage menus and right-clicking in a menu is not possible using the standard Windows functions. As far as I know.
Thanks for the precision about AltGr. Not sure I'll propose it. I did some test by activating Alt and Ctrl modifiers with Middle-mouse button and the menu has a tendency to prematurely close with this combination (using the combinasion or AltGr alone).
I went to AHK's site and read a bit of their docs. As far as I understood their standard support for windows events (i.e. mouse, keyboard etc.) is rather basic basic. So, I guess, you're right: not out of the box.
But they offer support for hooking into window's message queue and that would be the place to look for left or right button. But - that would probably mean one had to change great parts of the program logic and more complex code. I don't think you can mix both ways without running into trouble.
Well, I just took a glimpse but you got the experience with AHK.
With the time, I became pretty fluent in AHK but I still rely on experts on AHKscript.org forum for more advanced features such as DLLCalls ans SendMessage commands. Perpetual learning...
> As far as I understood their standard support for windows events (i.e. mouse, keyboard etc.) is rather basic basic.
The AHK developers philosophy is to leverage as much as possible the standard Windows built-in functions in order to keep the footprint of AHK runtime as light as possible.
Please, see a follow up on this thread here:
http://code.jeanlalonde.ca/folderspopup/#comment-11339
Since I switched to beta, the comma-bug's back. Haven't you fixed that in beta as well?
Yes. For v4 beta testers, this will be fixed in v3.9.6 to be released in the next days.
In this new release, a complete rework of the "Current Folders" and "Groups of Folders" menus. Thanks for your input about this. Also, a useful addition: system environment variables support. Thanks for this suggestion.
Version 3.9.6 (2014-11-21)
What’s new
* refactor of "Current Folders" and "Groups of Folders" menus
* add numeric shortcuts to "Groups of Folders" menu
* exclude DOpus collection windows of "Current Folders" menu
* support for system environment variables in favorite location (e.g.: %APPDATA%, %LOCALAPPDATA%, %ProgramData%, %PUBLIC%, %TEMP%, %TMP%, %USERPROFILE%)
* make the vertical bar (or pipe "|") a reserved character in submenu or favorite name
* fix bug open folders in DOpus new tab in correct pane
* fix bug with document favorite custom icons
* fix a bug occurring in some situation when a favorite location contains a comma (from v3.3.1)
Download links
(see updated links below)
Excellent.
Unfortunately, I discovered a bug (which might have been there for longer already): Customised folder icons don't move when the entry is moved (up / down). They seem to stick to their vertical position rather than to their parent.
Oops! I missed that one. It is there since v3.9.4. Thank you for catching it. I’ll fix it for the next beta release.
This version does no longer use Total Commander at all.
All Entries I have open with Explorer.
Last Beta was ok.
Hi Horst,
Hum.... Not normal. This is OK on my side. Could you check if the TC config is still OK in the "Settings, Options"?
The config was not changed from the previous beta to the current one.
I try to start entries by using the Tray menu.
The settings look ok for me. Here the ini content:
[Global]
...
[edit by JL: I removed the remaining of the ini file since it is not related to the issue]
This is a bug visible only to Total Commander users. It occurs when you left-click the tray icon button to popup the menu. And it stops occurring after you Shift-Clicked to popup the menu. Then it works normally. This is why it took me some time to reproduce this bug.
This is caused by6 some code refactoring I did in v3.9.6 (merging two very similar commands in one with some if then).
Thanks for catching it. It is fixed and will be in the next release.
In this new release, a new item in the Special Folders menu, a new item in the Tray system menu (right-click on the Tray icon) to open FoldersPopup.ini regardless of its location (it can be in the folder where you run FP for portable installations or under the %appdata% folder for setup users) and an option to disable update checking (keep it ON to receive new beta version updates). Plus a few bug fixes. Thanks for your input about this. Also, a useful addition: system environment variables support. Thanks to bug busters!
Version 3.9.7 (2014-11-25)
What’s new
* add Downloads folder to Special Folders menu, support for Explorer, Directory Opus, Total Commander and others, not available on WinXP
* add an item in the right-click Tray menu to open the FoldersPopup.ini file
* add an option to disable check for update at startup
* fix a bug making custom icons not following when favorites were moved up or down in the menu
* fix a bug visible only to Total Commander users occurring when you left-clicked the tray icon button or when the FP tray icon was in the overflow area
* add location URL of folders in groups saved to the ini file
Download links
* New installation file with setup procedure
http://code.jeanlalonde.ca/ahk/folderspopup/folderspopup-3_9_7-beta-setup.exe
* Portable installation
http://code.jeanlalonde.ca/ahk/folderspopup/folderspopup-3_9_7-beta.zip
Awesome work. Will test it and report back with any problems I find.
Thank you Shawn for taking time to test :-)
I just found a bug when changing icon for submenus. I'll work on this in the next days.
Reminder (especially if you test submenu icons): Make sure you have a backup version of the FoldersPopup.ini file. This beta version has been well tested but remember that the goal of beta testing is precisely to uncover the last bugs.
This bug has been fixed in v3.9.8. See below.
This is one of the last release before public v4 release. It fixes a bug when editing or adding icon to a submenu (this bug could make you loose the config of the submenu). Upgrade highly recommended.
Version 3.9.8 (2014-12-01)
What’s new
* fix bug when edit and save a submenu under the same name
* Dutch translation updates
* add column break and system variable examples in default menu (created the first time you run FP)
* add double-quotes to Run command parameters
* sort groups list in manage groups and edit group
Download links
(see updated links below)
Version 3.9.9 (2014-12-04)
What’s new
* detect if app is started manually in program files (where it should not) folder and set working directory to %appdata%\folderspopup
* create a backup of the ini file at launch time
* Dutch and Korean language updates
Download links
(see below)
The beta test phase is now over. Thank you very much to all beta testers for their bug reports and comments!
You can download the current official v4 release on the Folders Popup main page:
http://code.jeanlalonde.ca/folderspopup/