Settings per folder

Share any ideas you have on improving Explorer++
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csanchnc
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 2:34 am

Settings per folder

Post by csanchnc »

Explorer++ uses same settings for every folder, I would like some option to save settings per folder, like on Windows Explorer.
Janus
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2016 9:03 am

Re: Settings per folder

Post by Janus »

Really, the only consistent way to do that would be to add support for reading and using the hidden file desktop.ini which is how windows does it.

Which would then require an option to turn off usage if some users did want to use it.

The latter is simple, just another check box.
The former, that could be more complicated.
Especially considering saving changes in the desktop.ini file on the fly.
Not sure saving options in them over a network would work, or should.

Janus.
Edgar5
Posts: 63
Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2017 7:22 am

Re: Settings per folder

Post by Edgar5 »

I had troubles using desktop.ini and am exploring a different avenue. The problem I had with desktop.ini was that Windows doesn't seem to always want to honor valid information in them. The different approach I'm using is keeping an Explore++ internal list of every folder opened, storing the data when the folder is exited. It's still very early in the design process although I do have it reading and writing the list and storing/retrieving the proper information. The big question will be how slow it gets if the list gets very big. I already do cleanup on the list making sure that no items are duplicated and that all items still point to valid folders.
Janus
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2016 9:03 am

Re: Settings per folder

Post by Janus »

Which type of trouble did you have with it?
I am asking because windows has a habit of providing duplicate entries with the same name for composite folders such as desktop & start menu.

The only solution I found for someone else who had issues with desktop.ini in system/user folders, was to use the profile to open the file directly, and ignore the system version of the file, which windows sometimes opens if you just use the folder name.

C:\users\{Profile}\Desktop directly, perhaps using APPDATA. HOMEPATH, LOCALAPPDATA, USERPROFILE or USERNAME environmental variables.
This leaves out PUBLIC, DEFAULT and system profiles used for local services or networking.

The hard part though, is do you save customizations?
If yes, can you?
As long as you use the profile to open in the profile system/user folders, you should be able to.

Not that I am a real C/C++ programmer.


Janus.
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