[quote]Why not just create a menu of Lister Styles instead of TABS then?
Prefs STYLE="name of style"[/quote]
Certainly the command above provides a button that successfully applies a lister style which will successfully list two folder paths in the desired lister panes.
However, using Lister Styles approach does not address issues raised earlier. Regardless how Lister Styles are applied, using them forces the user to create multiple Styles simply for the purpose of storing different pairs of folders to synchronize between (Let's call these "Sync Styles"). Each Sync Style is essentially an identical combination of lister elements--only the folders listed in each pane are different. Sync Styles cannot store the actual parameters of the Synchronize operation, thus they offer little value to someone who has several routine Synchronize operations to perform periodically. The only benefit is they accurately store and list which folder paths open in which lister panes. The user still must manually configure the parameters of each Sync operation, because that utility panel always stores the parameters of the previous sync operation (which may not apply to the next sync operation). To me this approach is very cumbersome and inefficient.
Also, I don't know how most people utilize Lister Styles. But personally, I never store folder paths in them. I use Lister Styles to quickly reconfigure which lister elements the current lister uses: folder tree, viewer pane, single pane, dual (horizontal/vertical) pane, et cetera. In other words, I use Lister Styles to actually style the lister. Let's call this utilization "Element Styles" since it only governs the elements of a lister, not the folders displayed in the lister. I use the Styles - Tab on the Tabbar to display my collection of Element Styles allowing me to, with a single mouse-click, reconfigure the current lister from a Element Style more useful for say managing files, to one more suitable for say viewing digital images or .pdf files.
If I started using Lister Styles for the purposes of storing synchronize folders pairs, the Style Tab will soon become cluttered with Sync Styles. I currently use about 10 Element Styles, and I require about 20 different Synchronize Folder pairs now, and that number is only growing. The Sync Styles will be mixed in and among the Element Styles, and I'm not aware of any way to filter which styles appear in the Style Tab. So eventually this renders the Styles - Tab useless to me for the purpose of governing which lister elements are in use. I do not want to lose this flexibility. I'm pretty much static on my top ten Element Styles, and they fit on the tabbar nicely. The command quoted above does nothing to help keep the Styles - Tab usable. It is using Lister Styles just to navigate to a pairs of folders that I am opposed to, not how to apply a single Lister Style from the list of them. I should be able to configure a single Lister Style that is perfectly suited for Synchronizing and use it like a reusable object, applying different folder paths to its panes using Go commands.
One of the big things holding me (and darkuni) back right now, is that the Go and Set State commands have issues working from within a dual lister, depending on which pane has focus and which pane is the Source or Destination. This is a real issue. I'm still developing test cases and a set of steps that consistently reproduce results (though it has not been very consistent). When I have more information such that I can make an intelligent observation and suggestion, I will submit an issue report.
For navigating to and between folders, Opus provides a host of options: [ul][li] The Drives toolbar[/li]
[li] The Folder Tree[/li]
[li] Hot Paths[/li]
[li] Favorites and Smart Favorites[/li]
[li] The Go menu[/li]
[li] The Go raw command[/li][/ul]With all the above options for folder navigation, I shouldn't have to rely on Lister Styles to navigate to a couple of folder paths. If I have high-traffic areas, Smart Favorites will help me find them and Favorites will help me dictate them before Smart Favorites finds them. If I want VIP access to a location, I create a button in my GO menu, or even another menu. For example, I created a System menu which takes me to all the system administration hotspots on the system, or relative to the current user (essential if you are a system admin).
If I need to perform a specific operation at a particular location (or between two of them), I want to create a custom a toolbar button to handle the job because it will save a lot of time and reduce human mistakes by automating the process as much as possible. I should be able to apply an Element Style, Go to a couple folders, Select some files, and Copy files in an automated manner, and ideally in one customized toolbar button. Thus raw command support is essential for automation, and ideally Sync Pairs is given serious consideration. The Sync Pairs request I submitted was to more less completely automate a synchronization between two explicit paths.