I would like Dopus to launch automatically on system startup with the default Lister minimized. I have checked the appropriate boxes in the Preferences dialogue and Dopus does launch correctly, but with the Lister open. Even though I right click on the shortcut and select "Minimized" in that dialog box the program always opens "normally."
How do I get Dopus to launch with the default Lister open but minimized?
One way is to create a User-defined command which runs Go NEW=min, and then set Opus to run that command at startup.
I'm not sure why you'd need this, though, unless you specifically want to be able to alt-tab to Opus to get to it the first time. If you instead set Opus to not open any windows at startup, but to start when Windows is booted, then you can simply click on the Opus icon on the taskbar to open a new default lister when you want it, which will happen very quickly (since the program will already be running) and be very similar to clicking the minimised window.
Thanks for the reply. I was out of town on business for a while and finally of had time to clean up some "loose ends," like following up here.
I'm not sure why you'd need this, though,
<<<
I guess it's a combination of "Old Habits Die Hard" and "that's too easy." Allow me to 'splain.
While I've had Dous for quite a few years, PowerDesk, and its predecessor WizManager, had been my primary file manager going all the way back to Windows 3.1. Additionally, I hadn't fully migrated to Windows 7 until about 6 to 8 months ago. That's when I discovered that, while it has a nice feature set, the basic file manager portion of PowerDesk doesn't play well with Win7. As a result I'm now using Dopus as my primary file manager, so I'm just getting used to its features and options.
While in my "spare time"I will be exploring things like User-Defined Commands, I have found that starting Dopus when starting Windows but without opening a Lister does indeed act the same as starting with a Lister minimized.
Thanks for bearing with me as I actually learned the program.
Leo, how can I start my default lister minimized? I've tried everything I could think of to do this, but to no avail. Please help!
The command in my previous reply (Go NEW=min) should do that.
That's nice to know, but where do I put the command? I want to create a desktop shortcut to DO that opens DO minimized.
Make a user defined command (see the link above) and I think you can then drag that from the command list to your desktop. (If not, drag it to a toolbar, then drag the toolbar button to the desktop.)
I'm still lost. Your replies are too cryptic for me to follow. Please send me detailed instructions, rather than pointing me at previous posts!
Despite being a long-time user, like me, you are clearly at the beginning of the learning curve with DO. Join the club of inexperienced old hands.
DO is powerful but hard to become truly proficient. While it is wonderful that Leo and the GP Software team, and a host of equally generous knowledgeable users, provide free advice on a one-to-one basis – try that at Microsoft – I always treat these things as a personal challenge and an opportunity to learn.
Doubtless someone will leap in, although your demanding tone might put them off, but you still haven't answered the core question as to why you want to do this. Why would you want to create a desktop shortcut to DO that opens DO minimized?
As I see it Opus already launches itself minimised. Indeed, you seem to be saying this yourself.
The question then is will it behave any differently if you launch it with a minimised default lister. I guess it must be down to how you wake it up. Leo asked about that but got no answer.
If waking it up is the issue, then maybe that is where you should look for solutions rather than in the launch mode.
You go on to say that you see this project as a way of learning how to program Opus. But then you request, no demand, a finished answer.
So, seeing your task as a challenge for this equally dim user, I started to investigate.
I think this is what Leo is suggesting.
[ul][li]Go to Customize.
[/li]
[li]Look at the Commands tab.
[/li]
[li]For once, Filter Components is useless (certainly on user). So scroll down to User-defined commands
[/li]
[li]Click Add new User Command. Fill in the top bits as you see fit. (I called it Start_minimized.)
[/li]
[li]Then paste the bit that Leo suggested Go NEW=min into the Function window.[/li][/ul]
When you track back, you'll see that you can drag that command to your desktop. It works!
If you want to set this as the real startup option, go into Preferences. This time the filter helps. So home in on Startup. Then go to Run a defined User Command and pick your new command.
Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to teach myself something about a bit of DO that was new to me. The fact that I managed to do what you want by following Leo's replies tells me that his instructions are not that hard to follow. It probably took me less time than you have spent writing your messages, certainly less time than it has taken me to write this rambling response.
Maybe this won't work for you, but it is a start. And if I have got something wrong – quite possible given my record – one of the true experts can probably help.
Hi Michael,
Thanks so much for your knowledgeable help!
Your fulsome explanation pointed me in the right direction. Lo and behold, it worked!
Please excuse my demanding tone, it's just that Leo's responses ofter seem to me to assume a higher Dopus knowledgeable level than I have, making me feel frustrated and unable to follow his advice. As to why I want a minimized shortcut, my answer is that every time I start my computer, Dopus runs full-screen, even if I edited the Start Menu startup shortcut to Start Minimized.
Yes, it's true, I never did really get very far into Dopus's cornucopia of options. To do that would take a lot of time, which I've never devoted. But now you've got me going.... Dopus is indeed an incredibly complex file manager, one that tends to attract more knowledgeable users than myself.
Helpful Suggestion/Enhancement: Perhaps there could be a newbie section of the Directory Opus Resource Centre for users like myself. Is that possible? I feel that if you want to expand your userbase (or address some of your current users, like myself), you need to find a way to communicate with this user group, who need more complete responses for them to follow.
Tell me what your think.
Cheers,
Ken Mason
[quote="kenpmason"]As to why I want a minimized shortcut, my answer is that every time I start my computer, Dopus runs full-screen, even if I edited the Start Menu startup shortcut to Start Minimized.
[/quote]
Looking again in the Startup section of preferences, is Don't open any listers selected? This should prevent what you describe as "Dopus runs full-screen", I think.
I'd go along with that. After five years or so – I am a refugee from a file manager that entered the world of abandonware – I remain a complete DO novice.
As to solving your issue, all I did really was to follow Leo's admittedly brief, if not cryptic, hints.
Hello, I've finally found the easy way to start Dopus without running a lister (even better than starting it minimized). Here's the command: "C:\Program Files\GPSoftware\Directory Opus\dopus.exe" NOAUTOLISTER STARTUP. It's the most elegant way to start Dopus!
If you just want Opus to launch in the background, without opening any windows, when you boot your computer, you can do that under Preferences / Launching Opus / Startup without having to do anything involving the command line or user-commands.
Thanks, Leo, yes, it's just that the command I showed above is what results from setting Preferences / Launching Opus / Startup / Don't open any listers. Is there a forum showing similar command lines?
That's correct. There's no real need to know it, though; you can use the options in Preferences instead of manually changing how the program is launched. Those dopus.exe arguments are not intended for people to use manually; they are for the program to use on itself.
However, there are command line arguments, accessed via DOpusRT.exe rather than DOpus.exe, which exist for people to use if they want to do things with Opus from outside of Opus. Those are documented here:
Thanks so much for your help, Leo. I guess I've exhausted my "start minimized" line of questions. Just one last comment, though: Neither the NOAUTOLISTER nor the STARTUP commands appear in the DOpusRT Reference, so where are they described?
Anyway, your comment that "Those dopus.exe arguments are not intended for people to use manually; they are for the program to use on itself" just floored me. 
And here I thought that there isn't anything that's not meant for manual use!
The dopus.exe arguments are not intended for people to use themselves, so they are not documented.
Outside of exceptional circumstances (which are covered by the forum) there is no real reason you should need to know about them; they are trivia and implementation details.
The dopusRT.exe arguments are intended for people to use themselves, so they are documented.