Folder Bar (1.5.0.1303a) - Dots, Roots, Filters; (duplicate ToDos)

[meteorquake]

At least in dark mode, the dots delineating the folder structure are quite overt and the + - buttons hardly stand out from them. Can I suggest the dot colour be either absent (Explorer doesn't show them) or rather faint relative to the background colour.
Actually there's another way to indicate folder depth, which is to have each level a strongly or slightly different colour.

The broad concept of root folders has been mentioned before (couldn't spot it on the todos) but it would be nice to be able to set the root folder so the user can focus on a particular folder and its subfolders without seeing all the rest. Since there's the root called 'Everything' you could right click a folder (or manually add from menu) and have it appear as a sibling below 'Everything', similar to how the old root option on XP windows explorer used to work (perhaps the aim of having an Everything root was to accommodate just such things). You could also right-click it to remove it as a root. When searching, the search should be within whatever root context you are currently in so if you are in a folder whose tree has a certain root then search results would be within that scope. If you clicked on the Everything root then results would be Everything again - hope that makes sense. Not sure if they should persist across closure - might be best tackled by persisting them and having an option to remove all the non-Everything roots added using this way unless they are marked as persisting in which case they should get added as a filter. Such different roots do seem to me to be the analogue of the filters except of course also showing a navigable substructure and it may be there should be concordance made between filters and these roots, so that any filters ticked to do so should appear as navigable folders beneath (i.e. not in) the 'Everything' root, and as you navigate the filter the filter's file filter applies to what you see (filtering files and also folder structure by the filter's file/folder restrictions), and when you do a search it recognises you are currently within a particular filter and the results reflect that.

Also I noticed you've 67 identically duplicate ToDos - in Notepad2 I ran the sort-with-merge-identical-lines and that reduced the todos from 480 to 413 !

David

[meteorquake]

I imagine also if one were to drag a folder to an empty area of the Folder bar it could create a navigable view of that folder (rooted on the folder). Even though not an item created in the filters, it could perhaps be regarded as a temporary filter (persisted until removed) which you could right-click in the Folder Bar and adjust the filter settings for in the usual way (showing the edit filter dialog).

I'm supposing you have some idea already planned for the space below the 'Everything' root so these have just been my thoughts.

d

[void]

Thank you for your feedback meteorquake,

The dots delineating the folder structure are quite overt

I will trial quieter dots in the next alpha update.

Can I suggest the dot colour be either absent

I will consider an option to disable the dotted lines and use the modern expand/collapse icons.

but it would be nice to be able to set the root folder

I have a favourites folder on my TODO list.
An option to searching the folder sidebar is also on my TODO list.

Thank you for your suggestions.

[meteorquake]

I'm just thinking how the different elements will tie in together in the end... perhaps this will match your ideas...
I'm imagining a scenario where you select a filter on the filter bar and if it has a full path search element (i.e. a root concept) then the folder structure in the Folder Bar will change to a tree rooted on that path (or if the filter has several full path roots, then several sibling trees). The word 'Everything' might then change to the filter or root folder name (if 1) since you are no longer on the filter 'Everything'. Changing the filter back to Everything will restore them all.

Favourites I'm imagining under the hood are just simple filters like any other, merely presented with a title 'Favourites'. In essence that would mean filters fall under two named categories ('Filters' and 'Favourites') but equally if those two are generalised to more than two maybe the user could create more filter categories, such as Work, where their searches and favourites are all held related to work. Sometimes Work can generate a lot of such things which you want to keep separate from a Home set of filters, or maybe some big home project or hobby has its own filters for when you are in that project mood, but want to be able to flit between the categories.

You mention being able to filter the folders. I'm supposing each base element in the results will be individually drillable to lower levels that do not match the original search - that would certainly be useful for the things I do.

I was also imagining at some time the project might be a nice opportunity to allow users to clean up the windows explorer right-click menu of its clutter which might be a matter of users specifying the titles (or title patterns) of the items they never want to see. For example, if I right-click a file object I would never want to see 'Rename' 'Cut' 'Copy' 'Paste' 'Share' 'Properties' as I do those from the keyboard and they burden the menu.

Cheers, and I know I've been a bit prolix but the development is really exciting for all of us to see happening

David

[void]

I will trial using the search/filter to set the current active folder sidebar selection.
(setting the folder sidebar selection would also set the search)

Sort-of like the Advanced Search -> Located in



The current plan for a search filter is to show only folders where a folder, child file/folder, or grandchild file/folder contains the specified search.



Full customization of the context menu is on my TODO list.

Thank you for your suggestions.



Everything 1.5.0.1304a makes the folder sidebar dotted lines softer.

[meteorquake]

Quick question - is there currently any way to jump directly to a specific folder in the Folder Bar? (I am suspecting it would be useful in the long run to be able to set it with eg a modifier such as pathat: )

d

[void]

Currently, only by drag-dropping a file or folder onto the folder sidebar title bar.

Setting the folder sidebar selection from the command line (or possibly the search) is on my TODO list.
Thanks for the suggestion.

[meteorquake]

Brilliant - dropping on the bar's title is great for the meanwhile! David