Libraries implementation seems SO clumsy... am I missing something?

[sstowell]

OK, "no whining" was not included in the rules, so here goes:

I understand the concept of Libraries, but a good idea is not enough! It needs to be better implemented!!!! Irritants just encountered in adding to libraries:

* when I add to a library I can't hold down the control or shift keys to select multiple folders although this is standard stuff these days

* when I add that next folder I could not select with CNTL I am now viewing the next level INSIDE the last folder I just added to the library. That's not a useful default!

* still trying to include more folders to my new library. I choose Add then look in my Sidebar where I hope to see some useful locations/folders. But to find anything, I have to start from the top of my disk drives unless I happen to have already covered my Desktop with shortcuts!

SO WHY don't I see "add to library" as an option when I right click on a folder?

Seems to me that it should be easier to get to commonly used locations, e.g. your own "default" locations, other users default location, and public folders.

And why haven't those indispensable add-ons "copy to folder" & "move to folder" become part of Windows: it would be so nice if they could open the desktop and follow shortcuts, etc.

But of course I am still suffering from using the automated migration tool from XP to Windows 7. I ended up with lots of duplicate folders copied from a backup drive to my new drive. Perhaps "public" is an artifact from "shared" that is not well integrated into Windows 7? Is anything well integrated in Windows 7?

Maybe I am just getting too old. I still miss DEC VAXen, Apollo/Domain, CDC and other charming antiques. And I think I feel a (tiny bit) better now.

 

[fseal]

yeah...

I think the LIbraries idea itself is a bit on the fence. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see it gone from Windows 8. I don't think they really felt it was a hot enough idea to do more than implement it in the most simplistic way. If it catches on, then expand it in the next version, if not then quietly make it go away.

I've personally found them useful for some very small utility (having music scattered on multile machines all in one place is nice, but really just facilitates being lazy about proper file organization). I could do with or without them. I think they confuse most people frankly.The idea that you are looking though a higher order filter on the contents of your disk is a bit much when a lot of your users don't really know where their files go when they hit "save"

 

[Brink]

SO WHY don't I see "add to library" as an option when I right click on a folder?

Hello sstowell,

You could use the tutorial below to customize the Send To context menu to by adding a shortcut to a included library folder (ex: user or public). This way you could right click on a file, folder, etc.... and click on Send To -> library folder to basically do that.

Send To Context Menu - Vista Forums

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[sstowell]

I am struggling on this one (adding to Send To)

Sounded good, BUT NOT SUCH A GOOD PLAN:

Based the brief tutorial, I created a shortcut to a specific library and added that to the "send to" directory, and now have this in my "send to" MENU. So I selected a random folder and chose "send to" --> that library.

What I saw: "copying 14 items" (the 14 jpg files in the chosen folder). And when I open the library? No sign of this folder or the individual files, just the 5 folders originally included. But when I search the library the folder that I "sent" shows up: turns out the folder & contents were copied into the first of the properly included/added folders.

Now I have two copies of this folder, one in a nonsensical location! So I will UNDO that ...

But I guess if I put a shortcut every single existing and new folder in app roaming "send to" I could use "send to" instead of "copy to folder" :huh: I don't think I "get" "send to" even as well as libraries...

 

[seavixen32]

sstowell, I quite enjoyed your rant and I do have some sympathy for you.

I haven't used libraries from the start and prefer to keep all my personal stuff arranged in folders in a data partition, which is then subject to an incremental backup each day.

 

[sstowell]

Yes! Thank you!

 

[xxxdannyxxx]

Well Im on the other side of this fence. I use the libraries feature all the time. I have ten libraries which cover every folder in my profile. It becomes especially handy if you have folders on different partitions and drives, saves searching around through 100s of folders.Although I agree they could have been simpler to add to but once set up I find them very handy.

Danny

 

[bbearren]

I don't use libraries, either. I've been using Windows long enough to know how I want to use Windows. I've changed the Windows Explorer shortcut so that it opens in "Computer", not in "Libraries".

I prefer to organize my files the way I work, not change the way I work to suit someone else's idea of how I should organize my files.