Update to 9.0.0.9 =>folder shortcut progs open new lister

Check this setting:


Outside of that, I don't know what else to recommend to you.

Thanks Kenneth, that's helped :slight_smile: - in fact I've just come back here to comment on that while scanning a DOpus write-up.

But: Now, for each folder shortcut I use, a new tab is created. :open_mouth:

That seems inconsistent with, say, selecting a drive from the Drive toolbar. That, with the above setting, does NOT create a new tab.

The option's certainly not obvious to me from its name- I've not trawled thru the manual.

But it would seem Dopus's behaviour has changed here, unless I'm imagining things- and yes, I did an overlay install, not an uninstall, new install.

I much preferred the old way.

David L.

BTW- a further potential side effect- it's much easyier to then have lots of identical tabs if you don't think too carefully- adjacent or not.

DavidL

I just submitted the follwing Feature Request:

Preferences affords the user an option to open external folders in new folder tab. However, with that option enabled, Clicking on an external folder shortcut (i.e. from the Windows Desktop, Start Menu, Explorer, etc.) always opens a new folder tab, even if a tab is already opened to the requested folder or namespace.

SUGGESTION:

Add another option to preferences (or maybe an Misc - Advanced setting) to allow the user to tell Opus to always use the same behavior as Go NEWTAB=findexisting when clicking on external folder links.

dal987, Are you sure it worked the way you wanted it to in 9.0.0.0?

While several things have changed between 9.0.0.0 and 9.0.0.8, I don't think there has ever been a version of Opus which wouldn't either open a new window or a new tab when you double-clicked a folder in another program.

Unless, that is, you edited the registry to change the commands which get sent on double-click. There were some threads about how to do this in the past so maybe you followed one of those and forgot about it? That may explain why things changed when you updated (the registry settings would've been reset to normal).

Anyway, Ken's taken the right approach as it'd be best to have a proper option rather than hack about with the registry.

Hi nudel, Ken, thanks

  1. no, I changed nothing in the registry. (At least, not intentionally... :wink: )
  2. when I installed 9009, I was VERY surprised to find these folder shortcut programs starting a new lister. That was quite different behaviour. Remember, I'd been specifically looking for a consistent solution (which is probably impossible- to find, that is) across a range of applications, so I'd been noting behaviour.
  3. After installing 9.0.0.9 I had to set this option, which I'd not had to before.
  4. I'd relatively rarely used different tabs, so to see 4 or 5 building up came as surprise.

Now, it could be there's something odd about my PC in particular.... but maybe the best way would be for the experts to check interaction with these programs and decide the best strategy.

The way it's working now isn't what I'd regard as the most helpful or intuitive, especially the default of new listers opening. That's the least helpful to most users, especially people who wouldn't even consider it might be changeable.

So I would suggest the default behaviour needs to change (back).

Regards, DavidL

Personally, I don't think it would be a good default for a double-click outside of Opus to replace the folder you were viewing inside of Opus. What if you still wanted to use that folder/window? You have to think in advance to open a new window within Opus and then go back to the other program and double-click the folder you were interested in. If you forget then you mess up one of the Opus windows you were using before, and if you hadn't interacted with Opus in a while it would be difficult to know which window you're about to mess up when you double-click something outside of Opus.

The only program I know of which behaves that way is Interent Explorer, and even there it's optional (and rather annoying in my experience). Explorer and the other file managers I've used (which isn't all of them to be fair) open new windows or new tabs, as does Firefox and, at least as I have configured it, Internet Explorer.

If I'm no longer interested in a directory I'll close the window, so I always want double-clicked directories to open in new windows or tabs because the ones that are still open are ones I'm still interested in.

Of course, not everyone works the same way and you're free to request whatever makes most sense to you. I am just saying that I disagree with the option being on by default, because it is both unusual and potentially annoying.

I still can't think how it could've worked this way in the past either. As far as I can remember, folders launched from external programs have always opened new windows or new tabs. Did you see the same thing when double-clicking folders on your desktop as when launching shortcuts via the programs you mention? Maybe the programs are launching the folders/shortcuts in a special way?

That's because you're inside of Opus when you click the button. You're pressing a button which works on the current file display that you can see right there so the results are predictable and if you want to open a new tab first you can do so by clicking a nearby button/menu in the same window. (You can also modify the Drive buttons so they do always open a new tab if you want.)

Contrast that to launching a folder from outside of Opus. You may not have interacted with Opus for a while, but still want all of the folders you still have open to remain open. If you launch a folder you may have no idea which of the Opus windows will be affected and which folder will be replaced by the new one so, to me, it makes sense that new folders always open new windows or tabs.

I have a similar problem with 9.0.0.9 using Filebox extender. With earlier versions, choosing a directory in Filebox Extender would just change the directory in the open lister. Now it opens a new lister completely. I would much prefer if you can change Opus back to the way it was operating since creation.

Swissb - there was no need to start a new thread on this topic especially considering you've found this topic - I've deleted yours.

Actually, after reading through this thread again, I'm now thinking that what I requested is not what these two are asking for.

My suggestion was for when the user clicks on an external folder link, which the active Opus Lister already has a Folder Tab open to, that Opus will just activates the previously opened Folder Tab, and does not open a new tab. This behavior I requested could be the default behavior for the setting in the screen grab I posted above without any consequence, since it is non-destructive—any previously listed folder path is still listed. Opus wouldn't even need to change file selections or anything.

But I think (and I didn't get this the last time I happened by this thread), that these folks really want to click on an external folder link, and have Opus use whatever Folder Tab is active, discarding any previously listed folder path.

If this is really what you two are really asking for, then I agree with Leo, this should not be a default behavior, since it is destructive—any previously listed folder path is discarded. If you folks want that kind of a feature, it would have to be an option, most likely should be in the Preferences - Miscellaneous - Advanced, and definitely should not be enabled out-of-the-box, because even Windows Explorer doesn't recycle it's windows.

Personally, I hate applications that do this (Internet Explorer, MS Outlook, and many others). Don't touch the windows I'm already working in elsewhere, that is none-of-your-damned-nevermind-thank-you-very-much!

What I am referring to was the was version 9.0.0.7 was operating. Somehow, version 9.0.0.9 changed the way it operates when choosing a directory with a program such as FileBox Extender.

What I am asking is that at least an option be available to have Opus operate as it did in version 9.0.0.7 and before.

Can you talk to the people who make Filebox Extender and find out how they are launching the folders? What you describe wasn't normal behaviour even in previous versions of Opus, but maybe they were passing a switch to Opus which it was respecting before but is now ignoring or something. Finding out how they launch the folders should give us the answer.

I have the same problem and - used to the perfect behavior before - it is hard to work like it is now.

I just posted a topic on hyperionics forum asking them to post here the infos nudel asked for.

In the meantime I would like to install the last working version (9.0.0.7).

Where can I download it?

Thanks
michael

I'm the author of FileBox eXtender. The way I open folders from a DLL written in C++ is by calling:

ShellExecute(m_hWnd, bFolder ? _T("explore") : _T("open"), pcDir, pcPar, _T("."), SW_SHOW);

If called for a folder, not a document, the "explore" verb opens a folder in Windows Explorer with a folder list in the left panel, while the "open" verb opens a folder only, without the directory tree.

Greg

Just to clarify:

Filebox Extender adds 2 ways of opening/selecting (favorite) folders. It adds

  1. a favorite icon in the windows taskbar. Left-clicking on the icon will open a context menu with your favorite folders. Left-clicking on one of the list items will open the folder in a new lister. This method is used to open a new explorer window/dopus lister. Here there was no change in behavior.

  2. a favorite icon/button in the title bar of an windows explorer/dopus window (left of the close/maximize/minimize buttons). Left-clicking on this button will also open a context menu with your favorite folders. Left-clicking on one of the list items will change the current directory of the current windows explorer window/dopus lister to the selected directory. This method is used to change the directory of an already open explorer window/dopus lister. Since version 9.0.0.9 DOpus acts differently here opening a new lister.

I sent a request to the DOpus developers to fix this and hope this will be done as I believe DOpus & Filebox Extender are a quite powerful combination and I really have problems with the current behavior.

Thanks/regards
mklug

Thanks for taking the time to post. Much appreciated.

Although it used to, Opus no longer takes over the "explore" and "open" verbs. (You can make it do so again via an advanced configuration option but it's somewhat hidden and not the default.) Taking over those verbs from Explorer caused big problems with Windows Vista so Opus changed the way it did things.

Opus now leaves the "explore" and "open" verbs alone and instead adds a new verb, "openindopus", and (if the user chooses) makes it the default verb. (i.e. The one which appears in bold on the context menu and which is chosen when you double-click things.) If you pass NULL for the verb then the default verb is used automatically.

IMO, you should almost never pass "open" as the verb since you almost always want the default verb to be used instead (so it's the same as the user double-clicking the file, which isn't always "open"). See what Raymond Chen (one of the Windows developers) has to say in his The default verb is not necessarily "open" post for more on that.

Of course, even if you did use NULL instead of "open" it won't solve this particular problem because you still want to pass "explore" for folders. I'm not sure how best to resolve that. Maybe providing an option to let people specify the verb used for folders -- or just two choices such as "Explore" and "Default Verb (double-click)" -- would do the trick?

Hi nudel,

could you please describe the advanced configuration steps needed to make DOpus work as before?

For XP users it would be a way to continue working as usual until the issue is solved.

Do I understand it right that the definitive solution can only be achieved by a change in the Filebox Extender code? In other words: is there a way for Filebox Extender to tell DOpus just to change the current directory instead of opening a new lister?

Thanks!

mklug

I think the option Nudel is referring to is highlighted below (global_explorer_replacement):


Edit: See my next message as I misunderstood the question.

Yes, passing NULL as the ShellExecute verb should achieve that (assuming it is also how you have configured Opus) as it will do exactly the same thing as double-clicking a folder on the Desktop, for example. (Passing "explore" or "open" verbs is not always the same as double-clicking things; passing NULL is.)

[quote="steje"]I think the option Nudel is referring to is highlighted below (global_explorer_replacement):[/quote]Yep.