windows explorer alternative
Friday, June 22, 2007 by epyk | Discussion: Customization Software
im creating a windows explorer alternative and would like some input on what you guys would like to see as in features and options associated with the explorer(alt). if you dont know what the windows explorer is, its what pops up when you open a folder or "My Computer". it shows you what the older contains and also can have feature like slide show or music sampling. the possibilities are quite endless. or until i get tired of coding.
looking forward to your ideas and suggestions.
looking forward to your ideas and suggestions.
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REDstyler
Reply #2 Friday, June 22, 2007 9:55 AM
Reply #2 Friday, June 22, 2007 9:55 AM
Hi, it might be a good idea to have a panel on the left hand side (or wherever you want) that contains recent documents and favorite links (as used in Windows Vista). There have been a few other things that I have been looking for, so I'll create a list and send it later. I'm in SA, so later is very relative.
Oh and to mschleisner, epyk is talking about Windows Explorer, not Internet Explorer, I Think.
Oh and to mschleisner, epyk is talking about Windows Explorer, not Internet Explorer, I Think.
ZubaZ
Reply #3 Friday, June 22, 2007 10:05 AM
Reply #3 Friday, June 22, 2007 10:05 AM
Mschleisner, I think the OP is looking for a replacemetn to Windows Explorer, not Internet Explorer. Windows Explorer is everything from opening "My Computer" to searching to . . well . . everything! 
epyk . . . what you are describing is an awesome undertaking. Good luck. There are a number of alternative Windows shells out there and tons of Linux. There are even a few Apple. Who's yoru target audience? Try to focus on that and you may be more successful. Artists may have other needs than trechnicians, ya know?
epyk . . . what you are describing is an awesome undertaking. Good luck. There are a number of alternative Windows shells out there and tons of Linux. There are even a few Apple.
Who's yoru target audience? Try to focus on that and you may be more successful. Artists may have other needs than trechnicians, ya know?
Lantec
Reply #4 Friday, June 22, 2007 10:07 AM
Reply #4 Friday, June 22, 2007 10:07 AM
The biggest thing I miss in third party versions are the thumbnails for "other" programs. Example, I use AutoCAD and when I installed it, it made thumbnail views visible in Windows explorer, same with my Camera's RAW format (Sony Alpha ARW). When I installed the support software I suddenly got thumbnails. I'd like to have the ability to adjust thumbnail size on th fly as well. Maybe with a slider or something of that nature.
I like multiple panes visible for easier drag & drop. I want to be able to sort by extension and use filters. I've always thought that much more could be done with the context menu and mouse over info as well. Seems that dbpoweramp has the BEST mouse over tool tip I've seen, but that's only for music files. A configurable tool tip list and/or a configurable context menu would be great.
I'll post more ideas when I get the chance.
I like multiple panes visible for easier drag & drop. I want to be able to sort by extension and use filters. I've always thought that much more could be done with the context menu and mouse over info as well. Seems that dbpoweramp has the BEST mouse over tool tip I've seen, but that's only for music files. A configurable tool tip list and/or a configurable context menu would be great.
I'll post more ideas when I get the chance.
Armbut
Reply #5 Friday, June 22, 2007 11:17 AM
Sounds a LOT like Vista's explorer...
Reply #5 Friday, June 22, 2007 11:17 AM
I'd like to have the ability to adjust thumbnail size on th fly as well. Maybe with a slider or something of that nature.
Sounds a LOT like Vista's explorer...
Jafo
Reply #6 Friday, June 22, 2007 11:23 AM
Reply #6 Friday, June 22, 2007 11:23 AM
There are a whole plethora of Explorer alternatives....I commonly use three already...though mostly Explorer Plus and ZtreeWin...
mschleisner
Reply #7 Friday, June 22, 2007 11:26 AM
Reply #7 Friday, June 22, 2007 11:26 AM
Got me, not thinking, first cup of coffee and grandbaby giving me grief this morning, right. I want to say sorry for being the dumb blond again.. 
Somethings I just don't get first thing before coffee, forget the grandbabys name and call her by my daughters in the morning,geez. close but not right....mschleisner...opps
Somethings I just don't get first thing before coffee, forget the grandbabys name and call her by my daughters in the morning,geez. close but not right....mschleisner...opps
REDstyler
Reply #8 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 5:52 AM
Reply #8 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 5:52 AM
I donno if yr still checking out this post, but I wanted to ask you which programming langauge yr using. I am a programmer myself. I am still a beginner but I tend to catch on very quickly.
Thanks
Thanks
bleedinglionz
Reply #9 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 6:20 AM
Reply #9 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 6:20 AM
Nice plan epyk; it would be a great boost if you could add the following:-
1. An I-Tunes type multimedia interface which shows thumbnails of all videos, and can be played in a small window in the left corner.
2. A customizable right-click menu. Sort of like our "Right-Click".
3. Option for tabbed windows for opening windows within the same window.
4. png support for icons. Dude, looking at object dock in the morning and then facing the age old icons of xp is almost a nightmare.
If its of any help, you can check out the free explorer codes available in the gnu bsd linux. the build is in c, so might help you.
Best of luck, do keep posting your progress here. All of us are waiting.
1. An I-Tunes type multimedia interface which shows thumbnails of all videos, and can be played in a small window in the left corner.
2. A customizable right-click menu. Sort of like our "Right-Click".
3. Option for tabbed windows for opening windows within the same window.
4. png support for icons. Dude, looking at object dock in the morning and then facing the age old icons of xp is almost a nightmare.
If its of any help, you can check out the free explorer codes available in the gnu bsd linux. the build is in c, so might help you.
Best of luck, do keep posting your progress here. All of us are waiting.
MichaelG04_NEW
Reply #10 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 1:52 PM
Reply #10 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 1:52 PM
folder sizes listed like ExplorerXP, but works on vista
Hawkeye666
Reply #11 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 2:03 PM
Reply #11 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 2:03 PM
My biggest discontent with Vista's Explorer is the lack of customizable toolbar. If there were someway to restore the toolbar without having to lose the rest of the new UI I would be a very happy user indeed. That's the single most painful change in Vista for me.
epyk
Reply #13 Thursday, June 28, 2007 6:50 PM
Reply #13 Thursday, June 28, 2007 6:50 PM
i was trying c++ but i decided to do c# based on the added features list
sViz
Reply #14 Thursday, June 28, 2007 8:26 PM
Reply #14 Thursday, June 28, 2007 8:26 PM
I think maybe the Windows Explorer needs to behave more like the Internet explorer.
-Tabbed browsing (I’d actually like to view multiple windows at the same time)
-Customizable favorites list with shortcut links to related programs that are scattered about: e.g. "Graphics > Ps7, MSPaint, 3ds Max" or "DesktopX > DesktopX, Current Project folder, AniUtil”
-Ability to open documents in same explorer window would be cool so I can multitask. (Text documents, word documents, stuff like that.)
-Easier way to rename alot of files besides r-click on each and every one.
-Recent Docs or History
Good luck!
-Tabbed browsing (I’d actually like to view multiple windows at the same time)
-Customizable favorites list with shortcut links to related programs that are scattered about: e.g. "Graphics > Ps7, MSPaint, 3ds Max" or "DesktopX > DesktopX, Current Project folder, AniUtil”
-Ability to open documents in same explorer window would be cool so I can multitask. (Text documents, word documents, stuff like that.)
-Easier way to rename alot of files besides r-click on each and every one.
-Recent Docs or History
Good luck!
PurrBall
Reply #15 Thursday, June 28, 2007 9:08 PM
Reply #15 Thursday, June 28, 2007 9:08 PM
I think maybe the Windows Explorer needs to behave more like the Internet explorer.
REDstyler
Reply #17 Tuesday, July 3, 2007 3:38 PM
Reply #17 Tuesday, July 3, 2007 3:38 PM
All these ideas areg great. But I have to ask if epyk is going to manage any of them. I'm sure that some of the things can be done, though.
This might be hard. If I am getting this right, sViz wants to have his documents viewed in Explorer. A whole new scheme would come into this as epyk would also have to write a word processor. This might be hard, or it might not. We don't know how good epyk is. Do we?
The reason I came up with the Recent Documents idea in the forst place is becuase it's not hard. You'd only need to use a treeview that links up with your Recent folder, and then create a filter. I have tried myself, but it hasn't worked due to some problems I have with Delphi. I have seen the results.
But that's beside the point. The main point of this reply is to say that we need to know how good epyk is before we can come up with these crazy (but ver nice & helpful) ideas.
Ability to open documents in same explorer window would be cool so I can multitask. (Text documents, word documents, stuff like that.)
This might be hard. If I am getting this right, sViz wants to have his documents viewed in Explorer. A whole new scheme would come into this as epyk would also have to write a word processor. This might be hard, or it might not. We don't know how good epyk is. Do we?
The reason I came up with the Recent Documents idea in the forst place is becuase it's not hard. You'd only need to use a treeview that links up with your Recent folder, and then create a filter. I have tried myself, but it hasn't worked due to some problems I have with Delphi. I have seen the results.
But that's beside the point. The main point of this reply is to say that we need to know how good epyk is before we can come up with these crazy (but ver nice & helpful) ideas.
sViz
Reply #18 Tuesday, July 3, 2007 9:26 PM
Reply #18 Tuesday, July 3, 2007 9:26 PM
I'm sure epyk will only do what he can and not just what everyone tosses out there. Still, it'd be pretty cool to do all of the above from just one window.
Firebird6
Reply #20 Thursday, July 5, 2007 8:25 AM
Dito!^^
But also with the option to decide, whether I want to have big Icons or listed mode...
Reply #20 Thursday, July 5, 2007 8:25 AM
folder sizes listed like ExplorerXP, but works on vista
Dito!^^
But also with the option to decide, whether I want to have big Icons or listed mode...
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Reply #1 Friday, June 22, 2007 9:49 AM