Using external copiers, horizontal scrolling, flat view (and other queries)

[nathan_never]

Hi,
Great program, slowly taking over from my other file manager (Q-Dir). I am finding new features everyday. Now for queries;
- I have supercopier as my default copier. All other file managers I have used, allows it. But when I use multicommander, it insists on using its own internal copier. Is there a setting to change this. Also on drag-drop, supercopier menu options never appear in multicommander.
- In list view, when I scroll horizontally, it skips panels in between and tries to go to the last panel and back to the first panel, so that I miss seeing the files in the middle panels. I took me sometime to understand this and gave me many anxious moments thinking that I have accidentally deleted the files in the skipped panels. (OK, seemed to have solved this. The culprit seems to the mouse scroller program "Katmouse", I have set it to scroll 3 lines per wheel scroll. But in other file managers, this never caused problems.)
- Is it possible to implement flat folder view option? Many times I would like to view combined files view in selected folders (2-5). Though I can use the find files options to view files in all the subfolders, I would like to view files only in selected folders.
- Is it possible to show the folder size, and the number of files and folders in it, automatically on selecting it? Now I find that I have to press the <space> key to show it and it shows only the folder size and not the number of files and folders within it.
- Is it possible to use the <tab> key to navigate between the 4 panes (1st tree pane -> 1st file pane -> 2nd tree pane -> 2nd file pane)?
- Is it possible to have single tree pane for both the file panes? This will increase the real estate available for the files view.

Thanks for patiently hearing my whining. Since I am still exploring the gold mine, I might have missed the already existing options. If so sorry for the unnecessary post and kindly point me in the right direction.

[Mathias (Author)]

- I have supercopier as my default copier. All other file managers I have used, allows it. But when I use multicommander, it insists on using its own internal copier. Is there a setting to change this. Also on drag-drop, supercopier menu options never appear in multicommander.

You might be able to use it via script. Not sure how it is accessed.
The Context Menu is built by Windows API so it should be shown. But if you run 64bit version of MC make sure that the Shell Extension also is 64bit.

- In list view, when I scroll horizontally, it skips panels in between and tries to go to the last panel and back to the first panel, so that I miss seeing the files in the middle panels. I took me sometime to understand this and gave me many anxious moments thinking that I have accidentally deleted the files in the skipped panels. (OK, seemed to have solved this. The culprit seems to the mouse scroller program "Katmouse", I have set it to scroll 3 lines per wheel scroll. But in other file managers, this never caused problems.)

"panels  in between" ? not sure what you mean.  You mean it scrolls to much horizontal ?. Not sure how "katmouse" hook it self into a process but i assume it send scroll horz command. So not sure why it should send to many.. If I get some time for it I will try katmouse and see if I can reproduce  it

- Is it possible to implement flat folder view option? Many times I would like to view combined files view in selected folders (2-5). Though I can use the find files options to view files in all the subfolders, I would like to view files only in selected folders.

I been planning something like that. But it is not an easy fix since a lot of commands in the Explorer Panel require that the current path of the item is the parent path of the item.. Showing multiple levels of items in a normal explorer panel results in all kind of strange issue.. But I got it on my list but it require lots of works to make it work.

- Is it possible to show the folder size, and the number of files and folders in it, automatically on selecting it? Now I find that I have to press the <space> key to show it and it shows only the folder size and not the number of files and folders within it.

The first part might be possible to add. But including addiontal information into the size column will not be possible. Maybe as extra column fields that can be added.

- Is it possible to use the <tab> key to navigate between the 4 panes (1st tree pane -> 1st file pane -> 2nd tree pane -> 2nd file pane)?

Well that is not possible. There is not 4 main panels (Looks like it but technically there is only two). Each "Panel" is its own instance of an application.
And a instance of the Explorer Panel is shown in a main panel (Or search is another, and sfv tool another, and settings another.) 
The Folder Tree inside the the Explorer panel.
You can toggle focus from the folder tree and the filelist with Alt+Num/ (can be redefined)

- Is it possible to have single tree pane for both the file panes? This will increase the real estate available for the files view.

No.. because of reason above.. The FolderTree is owned by the Explorer Panel. and there is a tight connection between the Tree and FileList.
If you click on a folder then the filelist is updated. If the tree was global what filelist should it then update. and there are some other cases where the Tree interact with the filelist that would not be easy or clear how that would work.
But there are minor plans to test have a separate tree that are not connected to the explorer panel. But not sure if that will work well.

[nathan_never]

re: Supercopier;
it registers a dll and makes itself the default copier, so that whenever a copy/paste command is used either with mouse or keyboard it is automatically activated and takes up the copy-paste function.

re: horizontal scrolling;
yes, it scrolls too much skipping the "panels" or columns of files  in between. Now that I have changed the setting in katmouse to move just by 1 line per scroll, the horizontal scroll works normal, but the per line scrolling in firefox is painful.

re: flat folder;
thanks for considering it.

re: folder size;
I meant "to show it in the status bar", not in details column. This feature is found in Q-dir and is very useful when navigating using list view. I have attached an image to further explain my request.

re: <tab> key for navigation;
thanks for the explanation. Will try your alternated method.

re: single tree pane;
thanks for the explanation.

[Mathias (Author)]

re: Supercopier;
it registers a dll and makes itself the default copier, so that whenever a copy/paste command is used either with mouse or keyboard it is automatically activated and takes up the copy-paste function.

If you do copy Paste  Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V or Select Copy/Paste from context menu. Then windows will handle the copy and MC has no control at all.
and if that program is hooked into window it should do what it does.

re: folder size;
I meant "to show it in the status bar", not in details column. This feature is found in Q-dir and is very useful when navigating using list view. I have attached an image to further explain my request.

Ahh statusbar.. yes something is panned but not for the app status bar.

[nathan_never]

If you do copy Paste  Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V or Select Copy/Paste from context menu. Then windows will handle the copy and MC has no control at all. and if that program is hooked into window it should do what it does.

The problem is, it doesn't do it only in MC. Also in right drag-drop actions other file managers show supercopier options but MC doesn't show it. I have attached the screen grabs showing the right drag-drop context menus in MC and other file manager. Maybe I'm missing some advanced settings in MC? Hopefully someone using both supercopier and MC can enlighten me.

Ahh statusbar.. yes something is panned but not for the app status bar.

Too bad. Can only hope that it can be implemented in future versions.

[Mathias (Author)]

If you do copy Paste  Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V or Select Copy/Paste from context menu. Then windows will handle the copy and MC has no control at all. and if that program is hooked into window it should do what it does.

The problem is, it doesn't do it only in MC. Also in right drag-drop actions other file managers show supercopier options but MC doesn't show it. I have attached the screen grabs showing the right drag-drop context menus in MC and other file manager. Maybe I'm missing some advanced settings in MC? Hopefully someone using both supercopier and MC can enlighten me.

MC have no control of anything with standard Cut/Paste, The Cut/paste command are send to windows and everything about that is handled by Windows.
The right drag menu is a different thing. That is not supported.  I suspect that that tool hook it self into the Windows Explorer Shell.. many file manager is built on top of the Explorer Shell. but MC do not do that

[nathan_never]

MC have no control of anything with standard Cut/Paste, The Cut/paste command are send to windows and everything about that is handled by Windows.
The right drag menu is a different thing. That is not supported.  I suspect that that tool hook it self into the Windows Explorer Shell.. many file manager is built on top of the Explorer Shell. but MC do not do that

That explains right drag-drop handler, but still not  the regular copy-paste. I've already tried uninstalling and reinstalling supercopier. I will try doing it again. Thanks for your support.

[Mathias (Author)]

The question is really what feature do that tool has that you miss from MC..  Maybe it is something that can be added.  who knows..

[nathan_never]

Sorry for the late reply. I was without 'net for the past 2 days. Thankfully restored now.

The question is really what feature do that tool has that you miss from MC..  Maybe it is something that can be added.  who knows..

This is great. Here are some things which I would like to have in MC:
- ability to remove files added to the copier (esp in case of large number of files being transferred or wrong files added to the queue)
- show queued files automatically without clicking show queue everytime.
- control copy/move speed
- ability to control what to do in case of pre-existing files, on-the-fly.

Thanks for the consideration.

[Mathias (Author)]

Sorry for the late reply. I was without 'net for the past 2 days. Thankfully restored now.

The question is really what feature do that tool has that you miss from MC..  Maybe it is something that can be added.  who knows..

This is great. Here are some things which I would like to have in MC:
- ability to remove files added to the copier (esp in case of large number of files being transferred or wrong files added to the queue)
- show queued files automatically without clicking show queue everytime.
- control copy/move speed
- ability to control what to do in case of pre-existing files, on-the-fly.

Thanks for the consideration.

Modify the queue is on my todo list.
Copy Speed is half implemented (you can see references to it in the program, but it is greyed out) But it been pushed down the list since almost nobody uses it and there been more impotent things to complete first.

[nathan_never]

Modify the queue is on my todo list.
Copy Speed is half implemented (you can see references to it in the program, but it is greyed out) But it been pushed down the list since almost nobody uses it and there been more impotent things to complete first.

That's fair enough. I myself have used the copy speed restriction only twice so far. But modifying the queue list is a very useful function to have. Hope you can implement it in the next version.

[Mathias (Author)]

Modify queue will not be in the next version..  It require quite a bit of work. but it is very high up on the "major feature to add" list.. So it will be added

[Crash+Burn]

- Is it possible to implement flat folder view option? Many times I would like to view combined files view in selected folders (2-5). Though I can use the find files options to view files in all the subfolders, I would like to view files only in selected folders.

I been planning something like that. But it is not an easy fix since a lot of commands in the Explorer Panel require that the current path of the item is the parent path of the item.. Showing multiple levels of items in a normal explorer panel results in all kind of strange issue.. But I got it on my list but it require lots of works to make it work.

I wonder if it would be easier to utilize a non-explorer ListView, that can contain pretty much anything, and then just limit what can be performed on such a list to a handful of custom-file operations, or even 'any file operation' but pass the full path of each file selected to said operation via a modified helper function/method, that would communicate to the normal internal functions that require the Explorer listview.

I've used AHK and other tools to create "file-lists" displayed in an on-the-fly ListView and the items are just treated as text-strings. Actions performed on said items, need to "FINDFILE/or interpret the string" before doing things like getting file properties (file-size, date, copy, etc).

Thus when using "Flat-View", hide the Explorer ListView, and display the non-explorer listview.

About the only thing I miss from the 'other' file manager, but I've commented on that once or twice before with a few conceptual ideas regarding it. Which is pretty much akin to having a Virtual-File-List/Virtual Panel.