Shortcut handling in Windows 7 (64bit) are NOT replaced by Dopus unlike the rest.
When I use a Windows Shortcut, it's still handled, and thus opened, by Windows Explorer. I've double checked that "Replace Explorer for all file system folders (recommended)" is chosen. And that does work for example for Win+E hot-key to open a Lister instead of a WE window. But not for shortcuts, while it did work on Windows XP Pro prior to upgrading to another machine & OS.
Any ideas?
The shortcut(s) you are trying:
[ul][li]Which folders do they point to?
[/li]
[li]Where are you double-clicking them? (In which programs/windows?)[/li][/ul]
Ah! That's true, I forgot. The app I use them within is from thebrain.com called PersonalBrain. But I remember that it worked before correctly. Perhaps it has something to do with their upgrade from 5.5.x to 6.x. I'll start a thread over there too.
But, wait a sec, I remember that when I opened a shortcut in Windows Explorer that it would open it in Dopus when the setting is set as I've referred to in my post starting this thread. I've just tested that now, and it doesn't open shortcuts in Dopus, but in WE. That seems at the very least to have something to do with the difference between Win 7 & XP Pro, as in the latter it opened in Dopus.
So aside other apps, can you comment on this scenario?
Hmm... now I'm starting to doubt whether Dopus handled shortcuts at all. Perhaps it opened the folders I opened in the right pane in WE, and not the shortcuts at all. And perhaps I just lived with it without saying anything up until now that I've started putting everything back in place after my Windows upgrade & migration.
So basically the question is: should & can Dopus handle shortcuts at the very least in WE? Perhaps it should at least be an option to set on/off separately from the other option I've mentioned above?
Ok, so I admit that it's weird that one would use WE at all to use a shortcut from there, instead of using Dopus the entire time. The issue is, that not every 3rd party app invoke the default file system folder handler or in the Dopus expects it, but specifically references WE and uses its handlers or something like that. So I end up having to use WE in the middle before a Dopus view/lister with a shortcut. Until the 3rd party app do something about it.
I think that it should be possible to make Dopus takeover the shortcut handling at the very least in WE. Does anyone agree with this view?
On Windows 7, Opus will not handle folders that you double-click when already inside an Explorer window. The assumption is that if you are using an Explorer window then you want to stay in that Explorer window. (You can right-click and choose Open in Directory Opus.)
(On earlier versions of Windows, Opus's Explorer Replacement mode does intercept folder double-clicks within Explorer windows, but that is only because there is no way to avoid it before Windows 7. It made using Explorer a pain and was never desired behaviour. Explorer Replacement is meant to change which program opens when folders are launched, not to make it difficult to use Explorer when/if you explicitly choose to.)
Everywhere else, including on the desktop, Opus should handle double-clicks on folders, provided the program in question launches folders correctly.
(Technically, the desktop is an Explorer window which covers the whole screen, but it's handled differently to normal Explorer windows.)
So, create a folder on your desktop and then double-click it on the desktop. If an Opus window opens then Explorer-replacement mode is working correctly.
If it works on the desktop but not within PersonalBrain then it's likely that PersonalBrain is not launching folders correctly.
(Technical details, in case you want to pass them on to the makers of PersonalBrain: When this happens in a particular program it is usually due to the program calling ShellExecuteEx on folders with "open" as the verb instead of NULL. The verb should be NULL so that the default verb is used. "Open" is not always the default verb, but some programs incorrectly hardcode it. If that's what it's doing then it's trivial to fix, but something that has to be fixed in the other program, not Opus.)
Ok, great stuff!!!!
The Explorer-replacement mode works correctly, according to the result of the requested test on my machine.
Here is the thing, I'm mostly talking about shortcuts, as my reference to the opening of folders in Explorer was only meant in that context. PB actually does the job correctly. They use a concept implementation called Accelerators instead of Hotkeys, and I've set one to open a Thought folder. Using that correctly opens a Dopus lister on that path. That says that they too have done their job correctly.
Here's where the result doesn't fit my expectation: if I've a regular Windows Folder Shortcut in a Thought and I open that shortcut within PB, skipping opening the Thought folder in a Dopus lister first, that folder is opened in Explorer. And that is exactly the same behavior Windows Folder Shortcuts invoke when opened. So what now?
Can't seem to be able to edit posts anymore, for some strange reason, after my first edit of one of the above. So I'll correct one of my sentences in my previous post here:
And that is exactly the same behavior Windows Folder Shortcuts in Explorer invoke when opened. So what now?
Btw, if you're interested, you can download their free-for-life version of PB at their site www.thebrain.com. I think the issue is whether Dopus should takover Folder Shortcut handing everywhere including in Explorer. Maybe I'm not too far from the truth.
I think the following excerpt from my post -prior to your latest post above- still applies:
If decided on the implementation of an option setting -the safest solution, I think- then the "at the very least in WE? " (Explorer) might as well be any Folder Shortcut opened from any app if depending on how much Dopus will be able to do takeover, functionally speaking.
I might be loosing it, if the case, do let me know.
What do folder shortcuts on your desktop do? They open Opus here.
I think things are clearing up. If I open them on the Desktop, I get the folder opened in Dopus. Do remember that your post & test covered folders. Now I understand that the shortcut doesn't have a special handler, but eventually just points to the file/folder handler of the object type it points to, correct?
If I open a folder shortcuts in Explorer or PB, I get the folder opened in Explorer. Which now I understand that from your perspective that it's the expected behavior for Explorer to open folders and the folder the shortcuts point to in Explorer.
This makes me wonder why does shortcuts opened in PB open in Explorer? While opening folders in Thoughts & Thought folders (yup, not the same) in PB open in Dopus? I'm not sure what to think right now.
If folder shortcuts do the right thing on the desktop but not in PB then it's something PB is doing differently with shortcuts vs actual folders.
Does your technical description in one of your previous post apply for folder shortcuts?
Btw, how did Dopus on XP take over opening folders in Explorer without taking over opening folder shortcuts?
To be explicit, I wonder whether the following technical details apply for folder shortcuts, so that I approach them with it:
It may apply. Depends what PersonalBrain is actually doing with shortcuts. It's worth putting to them as one possibility, either way.
I've started a thread for this issue at the PB forum over here: forums.thebrain.com/post?id=4887350&pid=41870451 . Will keep both threads posted as needed.
Thanks so far btw 