Release 24.00
XYplorer 24.00 has been released on 23-Jan-2023. Here’s a quick introduction to the main new features:
Virtual Folders. Virtual Folders are folders where you define the content directly in the folder name. You can directly "create" such a folder by typing it into the Address Bar. Nothing is created on disk, it’s all in the name. And it’s super fast because almost no file system browsing is involved. A revolutionary new concept that adds a number of interesting possibilities to your file management.
The magic prefix here is vi:. Everything that follows this prefix is a Virtual Folder definition. Below are some usage examples. See the Help file for many more details and examples.
Showing subsets of the current folder contents as Virtual Folder
Our current folder and source list is this (the folder tree is hidden to focus on the relevant areas):
The current folder used in the following examples.
Now using the <get pick ...> variable you can extract subsets of file items by name patterns.
For example, to show all and only the JPEG files present in the current folder: Make a new tab (View | Tab | New Tab), set its location (View | Tab | Relocate Tab...) to vi:<get pick *.jpg;*.jpeg> //"JPEG Tiles", set its View to Large Tiles (View | Views | Large Tiles (192x192)), and lock it (View | Tab | Lock Location). Now you can use this tab to take a quick look at JPEG files in the current folder:
The JPEG files present in the current folder.
Note that the //"JPEG Tiles" part defines the caption of the tab. It’s optional.
The next tab was made in a similar way, now pointing to vi:<get pick *.png> //"PNG Tiles". Open it to see the PNG files:
The PNG files present in the current folder.
The next points to vi:<get pick *.webp> //"WEBP Tiles". Open it to see the WEBP files:
The WEBP files present in the current folder.
See how convenient this can be, how game-changing?
Virtual Folders by date
Only interested in the new stuff? Virtual Folders will collect it for you. Define a new tab in the way described above and point it to vi:<get pick 6.m/{:Image}> //"6 Latest". This Virtual Folder definition makes it show the latest 6 images in the current folder, latest by Last Modified date:
The latest 6 images present in the current folder.
You often visit the Downloads folder but only to check out the latest downloads? Define a new tab and point it to vi:<get pick 12.m Downloads> //"12 Down". It will always show you just the 12 latest additions to the Download folder, without messing with your folder tree:
The latest 12 files in the Downloads folder.
Note that "Downloads" is a valid file path (a so-called special path in this case). Here is another example with the corresponding real path vi:<get pick 12.m "C:\Users\Donald\Downloads\"> //"12 Down".
Showing the clipboard contents as Virtual Folder
Make a new tab (View | Tab | New Tab), set its location (View | Tab | Relocate Tab...) to vi:<clp>, set its View to Large Tiles (View | Views | Large Tiles (192x192)), and lock it (View | Tab | Lock Location). Now you can use this tab to have a quick peek at the current clipboard contents. That is IF those contents are files or folders, or textual paths of files or folders.
When you hover the tab icon you see the list of items in a Hover Box (depending on the settings under Configuration | Information | File Info Tips & Hover Box | Show Hover Box):
Current clipboard contents in Hover Box.
When you open the tab the clipboard items are listed in a Virtual Folder, just as if they were in a real folder:
Current clipboard contents in Virtual Folder.
Virtual Folders for a hand-picked set of files
Let’s make a scattered collection. This time we define a Catalog item as Virtual Folder. Add a new item, call it "Hand-Picked" or whatever you want, and set its location to a bunch of files (full path, one per line) like this:
Defining the Catalog item as a Virtual Folder.
When you now click that Catalog item, you’ll get the hand-picked files listed, ready for previewing, playing, or opening, or whatever you want to do with them:
Listing a Virtual Folder defined in the Catalog.
Show the Path column to verify those item are from very different locations:
Listing a Virtual Folder defined in the Catalog, items come from all over the place.
Random Pic(k)s
Virtual Folders let you view random sets of files in a folder, say of pictures in your giant picture collection. This picks four from folder "D:\MyPics", and it will be a different four on every refresh (F5): vi:<get pick 4 "D:\MyPics"> //"Pick 4". This picks four from the current folder: vi:<get pick 4> //"Pick 4":
Picked 4.
To limit the pick to image files, you can use this: vi:<get pick 4/{:Image}> //"Pick 4".
Many other things can be done with Virtual Folders. In the Help file you will find many more details and examples.
Drop Menu on Hover. Now the menus optionally auto-drop on hovering a component separator. No more clicking. Smooth and comfortable.
This is about the Breadcrumb Bars (there is one in each pane). Right-click any Breadcrumb Bar and tick "Drop Menu on Hover" to enable the feature for both bars. Now the component menu auto-drops on hovering a component separator (typically a triangle symbol), and auto-undrops when moving away.
Component menu, dropped on hovering the component separator.
Note: The features needs either "Custom Menu" or "Colored Menu" selected in the Breadcrumb Bar context menu.
Many Other Improvements. See change log (about 1.5 MB).
