How to make Listary work with MC in single instance mode?

[mrbig]

Hi my first post here.

I have started using MC but have used Listary Pro (a folder launcher) for a while with other file managers.

I have a tree of Favorite folders stored in Listary. My problem is that I cannot make Listary open any folder from this list in MC when I have checked Core Settings > System > "Allow only a single instance of Multi Commander". With this box unchecked, Listary opens the desired folder, but in a fresh instance, which clogs up memory with multiple copies of MC.

Is there any way to open folders selected in Listary in the same instance of MC? Thanks for any help.

[Mathias (Author)]

If "Allow only a single instance of Multi Commander" is checked then if anohter instance is started the currently running will only pop to the front.

If you want it to open a new tab with a specific path you need to tell the launching program to start MultiCommander with "MultiCommander /OPEN <Path>"
then the <path> is sent to the other running MultiCommander and a new tab for that path is opened.

[mrbig]

Thanks Mathias for your quick reply.

If "Allow only a single instance of Multi Commander" is checked then if another instance is started the currently running will only pop to the front.

But if I check "Allow only a single instance...", there can surely only be one instance, not two. And sure enough, when I check this box, Listary does not open a new instance, it tries to open its folder in the same instance of MC - only nothing happens.

If you want it to open a new tab with a specific path you need to tell the launching program to start MultiCommander with "MultiCommander /OPEN <Path>" then the <path> is sent to the other running MultiCommander and a new tab for that path is opened.

But I don't want to have another running MC, nor do I want an extra tab opening in the same pane in the same instance; I want to change the current tab in the current pane in the current instance, as happens in other Listary-compatible apps (Dopus, XYplorer, Total Commander, and of course Windows Explorer). It would be exactly the same as clicking an entry in MC's Favorites list.

Maybe I misunderstood you. I really hope that there is a way for an external application such as Listary (the best of them IMHO) to have this effect in MC.

If there isn't, I guess I will have to transfer my list of Favorites to MC's inbuilt Favorites feature; no big deal, but I have become accustomed to Listary. Overall, Multi Commander still seems the best Explorer replacement I have found yet, so a big thanks for your hard work here.

[Mathias (Author)]

Thanks Mathias for your quick reply.

If "Allow only a single instance of Multi Commander" is checked then if another instance is started the currently running will only pop to the front.

But if I check "Allow only a single instance...", there can surely only be one instance, not two. And sure enough, when I check this box, Listary does not open a new instance, it tries to open its folder in the same instance of MC - only nothing happens.

If you want it to open a new tab with a specific path you need to tell the launching program to start MultiCommander with "MultiCommander /OPEN <Path>" then the <path> is sent to the other running MultiCommander and a new tab for that path is opened.

But I don't want to have another running MC, nor do I want an extra tab opening in the same pane in the same instance; I want to change the current tab in the current pane in the current instance, as happens in other Listary-compatible apps (Dopus, XYplorer, Total Commander, and of course Windows Explorer). It would be exactly the same as clicking an entry in MC's Favorites list.

If the "allow only one instance" is check you only get one instance of MC. So if you tell "listary" to open MultiCommander.exe with the "/OPEN <path>" parameter. then the <path> will be transfered to the running instance of MC and it will open a tab there.

[mrbig]

You're right. "/OPEN <path>" works! I just didn't understand you correctly the first time. 

What I've noticed is, when this happens, the changed pane opens with no folder tree pane, meaning I have to press Alt+Num* each time. Is there some permanent setting or another switch similar to /OPEN to ensure that the folder tree pane is switched on too? I've checked the online help but can't find anything in the List of Custom Commands. I'd like the folder tree pane to stay on permanently, even when I change to another pane using Listary.

Thanks for further assistance here.

[Mathias (Author)]

Menu > Configuration > Explorer Panel > (DisplayTab)

Almost at the bottom there is a "Default settings for new tabs"
There you check a settings if new tabs should show the folder tree by default.

[mrbig]

Thanks again Mathias, just what I was looking for.

MC takes a little getting more getting used to compared with some others, but it's worth it. For example, I expected that when the R pane has focus, using Listary to select a folder would open it in the R pane. But no, it's always the L pane that changes. I can work around this by moving the current L tab to the R pane, then activating Listary. There isn't a default keyboard hotkey for doing this (compared with Ctrl+U for swapping panes), but (for the benefit of other newbies) no matter, its easy enough to create a custom hotkey in Configuration > Keyboard Customization.

If there's a way to make the currently active pane the focus for Listary, rather than always the L pane, that would be easier and more intuitive.

[Jungle]

There is an option Set focus at startup to located in Core Settings > Application Layout > Panel Tab. But it seems to be respected only at new MC instance startup.

So i have 3 suggestions:
1. If /OPEN key was passed, Set focus at startup to should be respected
2. If only single instance allowed, -R and -L parameters should be allowed. Now nothing opens in that case
3. Allow multiple -R and -L parameters or multiple separated paths. Now only last is used.