xplorer² Pro (Trial) and Lite (Freeware)

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ckit
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xplorer² Pro (Trial) and Lite (Freeware)

Post by ckit »

xplorer² Pro and xplorer² Lite
http://zabkat.com/

File and information manager that adheres to the philosophy "efficiency through simplicity". Without reinventing the wheel, it integrates the best features of Windows' shell architecture in a small, resource efficient package that's instantly familiar to work with. But look a little closer and you'll discover a whole new world under the surface that offers power, precision and flexibility, and will boost your everyday productivity no end!

Overview of features
It is hard to believe that so much functionality was squeezed in an executable sized under 700 kB, but it is nevertheless true!

* Shell namespace explorer
xplorer² will browse and manage all your folders including virtual ones folders like zipfolders, webfolders, even FTP, as long as these services are available in your system. If you extend your shell namespace with new folder types, xplorer² will read them too, in a familiar tree/view window format. snapshot

* Tabbed dual-pane interface
Can't decide between dual pane and tabbed browsing? No worries, xplorer² does them all. The traditional dual-pane format, handy for comparisons and file transfers, is augmented so that each pane can hold more than one folder. Hopping from one folder to another is just a tab click away. snapshot

* Instant preview of files
xplorer² can preview most text, graphics, audio/video, and html & office documents — and does so in nearly all folder types including zipfolders etc. Wherever it finds file-like content it offers file-like access! snapshot

* Browsing flexibility
You can browse your content in most useful view modes supported by explorer, including thumbnails. Within large folders you will appreciate the organization capabilities offered by arranging in groups and multi-way sort. xplorer² will remember your favorite mode for each folder. snapshot

* View & edit text files
xplorer² collaborates with our companion editor² offering no-frills — yet useful — text viewing and editing, in a variety of formats (RTF, unicode, UTF8 etc). You can also associate your own external editor of choice. snapshot

* Extended file information
On top of the usual names, sizes & dates, xplorer² can access extended file information like comments, version information, picture data etc, as supported by your Windows OS (shell column handlers). It even has useful columns of its own like file checksum, 8.3 names etc. If you install any custom column handlers they will be integrated too! snapshot

* Search for files everywhere, using arbitrary criteria
The search engine is the most powerful in the market this side of $70! xplorer² can search in all folder types including zipfolders etc, and the criteria can include each and every bit of extended file information combined in boolean hyperfilters. If you want to find files that contain some keyword in their comment, and are owned by a particular user, and are songs by an artist formerly known as prince, then look no further! When you search for contained text, the previewer panel will show you the text hilighted in context too. snapshot

* Find text within office, Adobe PDF and other documents
xplorer² can work with text filters developed for windows indexing service, allowing you to search for keywords within all your document archive. Plain text previews of such proprietary formats are possible too, hilighting your search results in context.

* Manage files from many folders simultaneously
xplorer² has a special kind of window called scrap container where you can place files from many folders and deal with them all at once — like the find files result list, except that you control what goes in. You can save and reload scrap lists, organizing your content regardless of its physical location. You can even browse folders flat, recursively including all their subfolders! snapshot

* Compare and synchronize folders
In dual pane mode xplorer² can show the contents of 2 folders in a single window, ideal for comparing and synchronizing content. Using scrap containers you can compare folder hierarchies, too. snapshot

* Discover and cleanup duplicate files
xplorer² can check a local hierarchy (or even all your folders) for identical files and mark them ready for inspection and eventually deletion, releasing your valuable disk space. snapshot

* Execute DOS commands and scripts
When file management calls for more advanced external commands, xplorer² will oblige with its template-based user menu system. You just provide a command template and it is automatically applied to all selected files. Thus you can achieve mass renaming and so much more. snapshot

* Customizable user interface
There are plenty of adjustable options to bring xplorer² in line with your needs and tastes, from how many panels you see, which commands appear on toolbars, all the way to how many decimal points you want for file sizes. You can arrange the user interface to be as simple or as complex as you like. snapshot

* Help and assistance where you need it
In addition to a comprehensive help file, daily tips & tricks etc, xplorer² has a tooltip (balloon help) system that guides you through the more complex steps of command arguments without disturbing your workflow. snapshot

* Individual folder settings
You can instruct xplorer² to show particular folders in fixed view modes, e.g. MyPictures in thumbnail mode, WinNT in detailed mode including a version column etc. You can also save window layouts to be reused for all folders that e.g. have visual content you want to preview.

* Visual filters and selection engine
xplorer² helps you manage large folders easily, first controlling which items are visible — with a variety of wildcard and other filters, and then selecting the items you want to act upon with precision. There are too many selection techniques to list, including hyperfilter-based that allow you to select e.g. all items with "science" in their comments!

* Advanced file management
Except for the basic drag-drop, context menu, copy, delete, rename etc, xplorer² has a palette of advanced file management commands like split-merge, shred, set comments, touch dates, paste subfolders or hard links, etc.

* Robust file transfers
xplorer² can handle many parallel background file transfers (concurrent or queued) offering fine control over confirmations, error handling etc. You can copy large amounts of files with ease and peace of mind. snapshot

* Export folder listings
Whatever you see in xplorer² can be exported as text for printing, e-mailing, pasting in other programs, etc. You can also export statistics for whole folder hierarchies, in detailed tree-like fashion.

* Maxed-out usability
Mostly and foremostly xplorer² is meant to be used day in and day out with maximum efficiency and minimum frustration. Its keyboard and mouse shortcuts, histories for most input fields, path autocompletion and many other small details, work together to offer you a comfortable and productive experience!
Last edited by ckit on Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:10 am, edited 5 times in total.
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ckit
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Post by ckit »

xplorer² Pro and Lite 1.5.0.1 has been Released.

[1.5.0.1] 02 March 2006 -------

* full manual published
* registry option GIOPT_NODIRTHUMBS=134217728 stops extracting folder thumbnails in XP
ckit
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Post by ckit »

xplorer² Pro 1.6.0.0 has been Released.

[1.6.0.0] 19 June 06 ----------------

* Alt+Shift+GRAY_+ select all files with basenames same as the one in focus
(GRAY_- to unselect)
* New tips (see x2tips.txt in installation folder): 75a, 152c, 155a, 160a
* [P] View | Raw contents can be used for filesystem folders too
* [P] Folder groups now save any fixed tab names too
* [P] Customize | Color coding sets up text attributes for certain file types (hyperfilters)
* registry option GIOPT_QSNOFCONTENT (=268435456) stops quicksearch looking in file contents
(only scan text in columns/details shown)
* [P] Robust transfer options can be saved & restored for common scenarios
* Improved icon overlay extraction for TortoiseCVS etc
* View | Lock viewer freezes quickview to whatever item it is currently showing
* [P] View | Arrange by | Custom groups to organize a pane's content using your own hyperfilters (winXP)
* [P] Customize | Custom groups submenu to manage such custom categories
* registry option nThumbSpacing for tighter icon spacing in thumbnail view mode (recommended: 3 pixels)
* Edit | Duplicate now allows you to rename the new item (if single)
* dragging/opening from a single folder respects the visible item order
* filter, group and other view changes preserve the old selection status
* Help | Licence agreement shows the small print associated with program usage
* Edit | Paste special new submenu to handle NTFS folder junctions
* Goto | Find target now traces junction targets as well as regular shortcuts
* Generic text input dialog is now resizable
ckit
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Location: Cabarlah, Australia

Post by ckit »

xplorer² Pro 1.6.0.1 has been Released.

[1.6.0.1] 25 June 06 ----------------

* registry option DPF_X2TITLETRAIL forces xplorer2 to appear last in titlebar
(see registry.txt; if set you lose dirkey compatibility)
ckit
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Location: Cabarlah, Australia

Post by ckit »

xplorer² Pro 1.6.5.0 has been Released.

[1.6.5.0] 9 November 06 ----------------

* /M command line option forces xplorer2 window to open (i.e. not be minimized) when the program starts
* new "D" attribute for directories useful for folder detection in hyperfilters
* addressbar understands bookmark names for browsing folders; use up/down arrow for autocompletion
* Ctrl+Alt+F10 repeats last shell context menu command on selection (keyboard only command), makes sense only for similar selections!
* fixed drawing bug with XP gridlines
* tips & tricks dialog is modeless, allowing you to test its recommendations while it's being shown
* toolbar context menu has option to "Lock toolbars"
* [P] custom groups are automatically reinstated on startup, IF last group was in the saved list (Customize menu)
* [P] fuzzy filename matching with % tolerance in search etc dialogs: 100% exact match, 90% fuzzier, etc
* [P] generic document categories (images, music, text etc) can be used as filename filters, autofilters etc. You can amend the extension list under global registry key "File types" to taste
* [P] View | Pane style | Mini thumbs for 2nd (smaller by default) thumbnail size
* registry variable "nThumbMini100" controls how much % smaller (or larger) is mini-thumb from normal thumbnail
* registry variable GIOPT_PACKEDTHUMBS=536870912 for tight vertical bunching of thumbnails
* [P] Mark | Quicksearch will mark files that contain the text in _any_ column, even dates etc
* [P] File | Clear removes all contents from scrap panes (also available from mini-scrap context menu)
* Help | What's new? command offers access to "changes.txt" in the installation folder
* improved windows vista compatibility
* [P] when showing in groups, shift+column click on the major column will do a secondary sort on it within the group
* registry setting GAOPT_TREENONETENUM=128 causes the tree not to exhaustively enumerate all network contents (computer names) during <alt>. Manual expansion still enumerates everything though.
* [P] right-drag a folder to a scrap and there will be a context menu option to flatten it for subfolders (instead of the usual files)
* new tips: 1a, 12b, 63a, 71a, 98a, 124a, 124b, 134a, 144a, 144b
* [P] View | Mini scrap, enjoy all (most) amenities of a scrap container in the main window
<Ctrl> to jump into it from a view; load/save contents with context menu
mini scrap automatically saves its contents when you close it (that's controlled through CLVOPT_AUTOSAVESCRAP registry option)
context menu contains command "save as" to change CIDA filenames on the fly
<ctrl> from a normal pane sends items to mini-scrap IFF there's no other scrap window open (registry GIOPT_NOKEYSENDMS to disable this)
* editor2 now understands code pages (/C:nnn command line option & View menu)
* more extensive use of keyboard application buttons
* advanced option to close old window after cloning a new layout (different registry key)
* some obscure GIOPT_xxx constants moved to a different registry key (see registry.txt)
* [P] Tools | Check duplicates now behaves as "check for duplicates under this folder"
* [P] Group view now supports Name as a column, doing A-Z grouping of file names
ckit
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Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2004 1:11 am
Location: Cabarlah, Australia

Post by ckit »

xplorer² Pro 1.6.5.1 has been Released.

Bug fix release.
ckit
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Posts: 2557
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2004 1:11 am
Location: Cabarlah, Australia

Post by ckit »

xplorer² Pro 1.6.5.2 has been Released.

[1.6.5.2] 1 December 06 ----------------

* full manual available for downloading
* fixed large icon (48x48) bug with custom drive icons
* registry option GAOPT_NOCUSTOMICONS (==256) stops extracting custom drive icons (for non-standard >32x32 icon sizes)


[1.6.5.0] 9 November 06 ----------------

* /M command line option forces xplorer2 window to open (i.e. not be minimized) when the program starts
* new "D" attribute for directories useful for folder detection in hyperfilters
* addressbar understands bookmark names for browsing folders; use up/down arrow for autocompletion
* Ctrl+Alt+F10 repeats last shell context menu command on selection (keyboard only command), makes sense only for similar selections!
* fixed drawing bug with XP gridlines
* tips & tricks dialog is modeless, allowing you to test its recommendations while it's being shown
* toolbar context menu has option to "Lock toolbars"
* [P] custom groups are automatically reinstated on startup, IF last group was in the saved list (Customize menu)
* [P] fuzzy filename matching with % tolerance in search etc dialogs: 100% exact match, 90% fuzzier, etc
* [P] generic document categories (images, music, text etc) can be used as filename filters, autofilters etc. You can amend the extension list under global registry key "File types" to taste
* [P] View | Pane style | Mini thumbs for 2nd (smaller by default) thumbnail size
* registry variable "nThumbMini100" controls how much % smaller (or larger) is mini-thumb from normal thumbnail
* registry variable GIOPT_PACKEDTHUMBS=536870912 for tight vertical bunching of thumbnails
* [P] Mark | Quicksearch will mark files that contain the text in _any_ column, even dates etc
* [P] File | Clear removes all contents from scrap panes (also available from mini-scrap context menu)
* Help | What's new? command offers access to "changes.txt" in the installation folder
* improved windows vista compatibility
* [P] when showing in groups, shift+column click on the major column will do a secondary sort on it within the group
* registry setting GAOPT_TREENONETENUM=128 causes the tree not to exhaustively enumerate all network contents (computer names) during <alt>. Manual expansion still enumerates everything though.
* [P] right-drag a folder to a scrap and there will be a context menu option to flatten it for subfolders (instead of the usual files)
* new tips: 1a, 12b, 63a, 71a, 98a, 124a, 124b, 134a, 144a, 144b
* [P] View | Mini scrap, enjoy all (most) amenities of a scrap container in the main window
<Ctrl> to jump into it from a view; load/save contents with context menu
mini scrap automatically saves its contents when you close it (that's controlled through CLVOPT_AUTOSAVESCRAP registry option)
context menu contains command "save as" to change CIDA filenames on the fly
<ctrl> from a normal pane sends items to mini-scrap IFF there's no other scrap window open (registry GIOPT_NOKEYSENDMS to disable this)
* editor2 now understands code pages (/C:nnn command line option & View menu)
* more extensive use of keyboard application buttons
* advanced option to close old window after cloning a new layout (different registry key)
* some obscure GIOPT_xxx constants moved to a different registry key (see registry.txt)
* [P] Tools | Check duplicates now behaves as "check for duplicates under this folder"
* [P] Group view now supports Name as a column, doing A-Z grouping of file names
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X 3.8Ghz, 16Gb DDR4, RX6600XT with Dell U2520D at 2560x1440@60Hz
Windows 11 Pro x64 23H2, PowerToys and Wintoys
ckit
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Posts: 2557
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Location: Cabarlah, Australia

Post by ckit »

xplorer² Pro 1.6.5.3 has been Released.

Bug fix release.
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X 3.8Ghz, 16Gb DDR4, RX6600XT with Dell U2520D at 2560x1440@60Hz
Windows 11 Pro x64 23H2, PowerToys and Wintoys
ckit
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Location: Cabarlah, Australia

Post by ckit »

File Manager Showdown -> http://zabkat.com/blog/27May07.htm

I'm asking for trouble on this one, hehehehe... ckit looks around for TC zealots and hides :)
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X 3.8Ghz, 16Gb DDR4, RX6600XT with Dell U2520D at 2560x1440@60Hz
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JohnFredC
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Post by JohnFredC »

Coincidentally, I tried xplorer² again this week. And I'll risk having my post purged once again and say... yes it is fast but that's about all that's good about it. The user interface (the tree, toolbar, and quickview implementation in particular) is brain-dead, unnecessarily restrictive.

IMHO.

OK. You can delete this post.
John
ckit
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Post by ckit »

xplorer2 pro v1.7.0.1 has been Released!

[1.7.0.1] 10 June 07 ----------------

* <ctrl> in all "Organize" dialogs (bookmarks etc) copies the full text in the clipboard (copy button too)
* command line option /I:settings.REG forces xplorer2 to use alternative settings file (portability)
best to place the REG file in the same folder as the executable
* command line option /W allows writing to registry even in portable mode
* registry setting DPF_CASCADECRUMBS=16384 puts all folder hierarchy in breadcrumbs in cascading submenus
(sadly it only works with the mouse)
* right click on a subpath in each pane's titlebar to see a menu of its subfolders (breadcrumb-esque)
to access the old "recent folder history" hold down <ctrl> while right-clicking (or use <alt>)
* improved sorting speed for explorer (non-stock) columns
* registry option DPF_MINIMIZE2TRAY=8192 forces main window to minimize to tray (only if a single instance is present)
* <F8> creates new folder even if tree has the focus (under hilighted node)
* [P] scrap shell context menu works for all selections, even those with multiple folders involved
* [P] registry option GAOPT_THREADEDPDF=512, enables pdf text background thread extraction (requires Adobe Reader 7+)
* x2SettingsEditor.exe now part of the distribution, no more registry hacking for xplorer2 advanced options
(you will find this in the program's installation folder c:\program files\zabkat\xplorer2)
* registry option GIOPT_PROTECT1SEL=65536 if you want to protect single item "selections" under Eat first click policy
* [P] quick previewer now shows items from mini-scrap
* [P] mini scrap is a valid source of command scripts
* All "log" windows (including Keyboard Use) have Find command in context menu to search for text (or <ctrl>)
* Each pane has folder icon on its titlebar; right click on it to access folder background menu
* New tips: 1b, 6a, 9e, 26a, 33a, 61a, 62, 74b, 98b
* fixed multimonitor window positioning quirks (?)
* "shortcut to" column also shows target of internet shortcuts (.URL)
* editor2 upgraded to v2.7 featuring better visuals as well as:
/M command line switch similar to xplorer2 (ensure window will not open minimized)
when file is modified a [*] sign appears on the titlebar
various small bugs fixed
* quickviewer (text preview) hilights and executes URLs with your internet browser
* Actions | ADS | Split streams menu command extracts secondary streams in separate files
* in thumbnail view, left-right arrows will (mostly) scroll as expected when at the end of line
* Mouse-friendly "GO" button to the right of addressbar
* registry option GIOPT_ADDRBARENDOK=8192 allows addressbar to activate as you select an item from history list (ENTER not required)
* keyboard-only command ctrl+Y repeats the last menu command executed (extra arguments may be required)
* added friendly date category "last hour" for recently modified files (and group)
* Mark | Selection | Show brings as many of the selected items in view as possible (also used for "scroll to top")
* registry option GIOPT_DIREXTENSIONS=16384 enables filename "extensions" for folders (past the dot)
* [P] when in Quicksearch, press <shift> in the addressbar to show only the matching files (filter visibility)
* new split dialog preset category for DVDs (just how big are your files? :)
* [P] stream loss warning during robust copy can be supressed for the remaining files clicking "Yes to All"
* [P] Customize | Keyboard menu allows modifying the keyboard shortcuts for most xplorer2 commands.
* [P] Customize | "Keyboard use" updated to show all keyboard assignments to commands
* more fine tuning for windows vista
* When "Don't lock browsed folder" advanced setting is checked, current directory is set prior to command/script execution to active folder
* Actions | Set comment allows multiline comments (will look a bit weird in the single-line column!)
* Tab-strip right click menu has command to save all paths in a comma separated list (try pasting in a scrap :)
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X 3.8Ghz, 16Gb DDR4, RX6600XT with Dell U2520D at 2560x1440@60Hz
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ckit
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Post by ckit »

xplorer2 pro 1.7.0.2 has been Released!

[1.7.0.2] 13 June 07 ----------------

* "New" shell context menu within folder background menu now works
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X 3.8Ghz, 16Gb DDR4, RX6600XT with Dell U2520D at 2560x1440@60Hz
Windows 11 Pro x64 23H2, PowerToys and Wintoys
ckit
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Post by ckit »

xplorer2 pro v1.7.0.3 has been Released!

[1.7.0.3] 23 June 07 ----------------

* full help file updated for v1.7
* registry option GAOPT_NOVISTAGLASS=1024, disable fancy selection bars etc in vista, make it look like XP
* registry option GAOPT_VISTADDICONES=2048 show images while drag drop (default=OFF since it crashes some vistas)
* registry option DPF_XPTABHILITE=32768 gives active tab an orange tinge like in XP
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X 3.8Ghz, 16Gb DDR4, RX6600XT with Dell U2520D at 2560x1440@60Hz
Windows 11 Pro x64 23H2, PowerToys and Wintoys
ckit
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Post by ckit »

xplorer2 pro v1.7.0.4 has been Released!

Minor fix.
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X 3.8Ghz, 16Gb DDR4, RX6600XT with Dell U2520D at 2560x1440@60Hz
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Post by Lesmo16 »

ckit wrote:xplorer2 pro v1.7.0.4 has been Released!

Minor fix.
Wow, good to be informed about this impressive change!
Didn't you miss to mention, that the programmer did a fart last night?

Oh, and don't forget to update your rig thread and your signature! :mrgreen:


Sorry Mods - I couldn't resist.
Everyone who believes in telekinesis, raise my hand!
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