Quick Access Popup (aka Folders Popup) working with Directory Opus

Tools
1

Quick update: Since this post created in 2014, Folders Popup became Quick Access Popup and has been constantly updated. As of October 2024, it is at v11.6.4. You can download it for free on www.QuickAccessPopup.com or get support on forum.quickaccesspopup.com.

And for specific info about DOpus and QAP: https://www.quickaccesspopup.com/tag/directory-opus/

The original post, above, has been updated with the info and screen shot of the current version as-of October 2024.

Jean

I'm the developer of Quick Access Popup (aka Folders Popup). Since its first version, Folders Popup users asked for compatibility with Directory Opus. This has been introduced in FP v2 and continually improved as the app was renamed Quick Access Popup. The app is fully aware of DOpus capabilities and utilizes them via the internal DOpusRt.exe commands to offer seamless and reliable integration.

dopus-menu
dopus-menu715Ă—310 34.6 KB

Quick Access Popup menu with Directory Opus integration

First things first...

For those new this app, Quick Access Popup is a folder, application, document, link launcher (often described to Direct Folders replacement). It is compatible with Windows 7, 8 and 10. In a few words, here is summary of QAP features:

  • All your favorite folders, documents and web pages at your finger tip – press the middle mouse button (or press Windows-W) over a file dialog box, a DOpus lister or the desktop to popup your personalized favorites launcher.
  • If your mouse does not have a middle button, you can choose another trigger in the Options dialog box.
  • The Special folders menu gives an easy access to Desktop, Document, Pictures, My Computer, Network Neighborhood, Control Panel and Recycle Bin.
  • The Recent folders and Recent files menus list the recent items memorized by Windows.
  • Use the “In the Works” also include frequently used folders or files, as well as running applications and folders currently open in any opened DOpus lister or file Explorer windows.
  • You can open any QAP favorite folders as well as DOpus Favorites in a dialog box.
  • Choose the QAP "Customize" menu or press Shift-Windows-C to edit your favorites menu.
  • You can also add the folder currently displayed in a lister or the current web page using the "Add Active Folder or Web page".

Directory Opus support

  • Automatic (but optional) enabling of DOpus support if the software is found on your system.
  • Seamlessly change a DOpus lister to a user folders, recent folders or special folders (My Computer, Network Neighborhood, Recycle Bin, etc.).
  • Automatic integration of the "Directory Opus Favorites", "Layouts" and "Folder Aliases" menus in your QAP menu.
  • Use DOpus Folder Aliases (e.g."/myalias") in a QAP favorite location to include an alias in your QAP menu.
  • Easily add the folder currently displayed in a lister to you favorites with the "Add Active Folder or Web page".
  • Switch to any with Directory Opus lister or Windows Explorer with the "Current Windows" menu.
  • The "Reopen Current folder in dialog box" opens any folder opened in Windows Explorer or listers in DOpus in the active file dialog box.
  • Adapted support for special folders in DOpus (like search result windows). But no support for FTP folders at this time (due to what seems to be a DOpus limitation).

How-to enable DOpus support

When you start it, Quick Access Popup checks if DOpus is installed on your computer (looking for the file [Program Files]\GPSoftware\Directory Opus\dopus.exe). If it is found, it asks if you wish to enable Directory Opus integration. If you answer Yes, it records the DOpus.exe file path in the Settings, Options dialog box:

dopus-options
dopus-options730Ă—450 25 KB

Directory Opus enabled in the Options dialog box

If DOpus is installed in another folder not found by Quick Access Popup, you can manually enable integration by browsing to your DOpus.exe file in the Options dialog box.

For more info, about DOpus and QAP, please see: https://www.quickaccesspopup.com/tag/directory-opus/. Please, feel free to send questions or comments on QAP Forum or in this thread.

2

DPuP is kind of useful but takes over specific mouse functions I have set up elsewhere. How to remove it? Is it just a matter of deleting the .ini and exe files? Thanks.

3

Not sure about "DPuP"?

With Folders Popup, you assign different mouse buttons or hotkeys to trigger the popup menu (choose "Folders Popup Settings, Options". Also, you can left-click the tray icon and click "Exit FoldersPopup" to release the mouse buttons an hotkeys.

If you want to completely remove Folders popup from your system, all you have to do is to delete the .EXE and .INI file. No installation required... and no uninstall required :slight_smile:

4

Are we allowed to have some general talk over here, or is this thread about actual issues with DO? o)

5

If you are refering to the admin's remark in the "Help & Support" section, I would say these restrictions would not apply to this forum section dedicated to "Sharing tools which are especially useful in combination with Opus."

6

Sure, feel free.

7

Since the last update of this thread, new features has been added to Folders Popup.

New in v4.2:
Hotkeys to manage favorites in Settings window
Multiple selection to manage a group of favorites in one step
More than 50 Special Folders favorites available
Universal File Managers Support with FPconnect
Select the menu position of new favorite in the Add Favorite window

New in v4 and 4.1:
New standard installation tool
Groups of folders
Custom favorite icons
Various additions or improvements

All these features work with Directory Opus. Also, FP is now available in English, French, German, Dutch, Korean, Swedish and Italian.

Power users (sysadmin, etc.) should appreciate the new Windows Special Folders support in v4.2. Here is a list of the 50 special folders that can now be inserted in the main popup menu or in any submenu:

  • Administrative Tools
  • Application Data
  • Backup and Restore
  • Cache
  • Common Application Data
  • Common Desktop
  • Common Start Menu
  • Common Startup Menu
  • Computer
  • Control Panel (All Tasks)
  • Control Panel (Icons view)
  • Cookies
  • Desktop
  • Documents
  • Downloads
  • Favorites
  • Favorites (Internet)
  • Flip 3D
  • Folder Options
  • Fonts
  • Games Explorer
  • History
  • HomeGroup
  • Libraries
  • My Music
  • My Video
  • Network
  • Network Connections
  • Performance Information and Tools
  • Pictures
  • Portable Devices
  • Printers and Faxes
  • Program Files
  • Program Files (x86)
  • Programs Folder (Start Menu)
  • Public Folder
  • Public Libraries
  • Quick Launch
  • Recent Items
  • Recent Places
  • Recycle Bin
  • Show Desktop
  • Start Menu
  • Startup
  • System
  • System Certificates
  • Templates
  • Temporary Files
  • User Folder
  • User Pinned
  • Windows

These special folders open in Directory Opus when supported, or in a WIndows Explorer window.

http://code.jeanlalonde.ca/folderspopup/
http://code.jeanlalonde.ca/using-folderspopup-with-directory-opus/

8

I should write a more complete post about this but just a word, for now, to let you know that Folders Popup has been completely rebuilt and is now distributed under the new name Quick Access Popup (QAP). QAP v7 offers the same compatibility with DOpus.

Major additions to QAP include: mouse or keyboard shortcuts for favorites, submenus and groups, switch to any active app window, reopen current folders in file dialog boxes (Open, Save As, ...). For DOpus users, the QAP Groups has been redesigned and now allow to select on which DOpus pane each folder part of a group will be open.

Of course, some QAP features are in duplication with DOpus features. But the possibility to open a folder in DOpus from any window, or to switch folder in a DOpus lister with a single middle-mouse click is still an interesting addition to DOpus.

9

Congrats on the new version!

10

Coming from you, I'm flattered :slight_smile:

11

At Windows startup, if Quick Access Popup runs "DOpusRt.exe / info" (to get the list of listers, etc.) before DOpus has been launched, DOpus is launched and its window is restored in the state it had at shutdown.

Is there a way to run DOpusRt.exe without displaying DOpus main window if it is not running?

12

It probably makes sense to only run DOpusRT.exe /info if you detect dopus.exe is in the process list. If there's no dopus.exe then you can assume no windows/tabs are open.

We could change DOpusRT.exe /info to do the same, but then you'd need to check the version and do different things with old & new versions, and probably still need to have code to check for dopus.exe running, so it wouldn't gain much.

13

This makes sense. I'll check the process list. Thanks Leo.

14

First, to follow-up on the previous message, QAP now checks the list of running programs and do not launch DOpus inadvertently.

Also, I take the opportunity to confirm that QAP works perfectly with DOpus 12. After a full set of tests, no change to QAP were needed thanks to DOpus team's good work. Congrats for this excellent new release!

More info here:
quickaccesspopup.com/how-to- ... ess-popup/

15

Second that. QAP and DOpus is a killer combo :smiley: No problems with DOpus 12 and QAP v.7.5.1. Thx to both the DOpus Team and the QAP-developer.

These tools make my workday a lot easier. :thumbsup:

-x

16

Thaks for your good words, xibalba :slight_smile:

17

Hi Jean..... Thanks for making a very helpful tool and working with DOpus for enhanced compatibility! I'm a very long-time DOpus user and only discovered QAP a few weeks ago.

I do have a request/suggestion.......

I have been using a similar utility for years, but it hasn't been updated since 2011 - Filebox eXtender. Only one thing that I don't see in QAP that I miss: a button on the title bar. Filebox eXtender uses the favorite folder icon like so:

iiKJKqR.jpg927Ă—258

It has horiz/vert placement adjustments in options.

Just seems to fit my workflow better as, most often, I seem to be using mouse and don't have my hand on keyboard when wanting to access it.

Thanks for your consideration!

.

18

Hi zekeblue,

Thank you for your interest.

I never used Filebox but, as I understand it, it used a DLL file (Windows system file) that allows to "inject" features under the hood of Explorer windows or dialog boxes. Other popular products like DirectFolders do that. I don't want to use this approach in order to preserve portability, one of the appreciated qualities of Quick Access Popup. QAP is only calling standard Windows commands (using AutoHotkey). This makes QAP easier to maintain when Microsoft releases new Windows versions.

This also explains why FileBox or DirectoFolders became unstable when migrating from Windows XP and stopped being updated.

You may be interested into the product Actual File Folders (20 $) that seems to do what DirectFolders was doing. I never tried it however.

19

Thanks for the explanation. I understand completely.

20

I had a similar problem, easy access to the QAP-menu with the mouse.

Solved it with ObjectDock (a commercial Dock/MenuBar thingy, there are probably others that do the same).

In ObjectDock You can create a toolbar with all/some/one of the icons from the System Tray.
I created one showing only the QAP-icon, and have it floating at the upper edge of my screen, showing only a tiny-tiny tab.
Screenshots of the the tiny tab, icon and menu
When the mouse is moved over the tab, it drops down showing the QAP-icon, and click, the menu is there. :smiley:

I then have access to the QAP-menu no matter what program runs in the front.

Cheers
-x