ShellFolderFix - Manage folder window positions/size

[tweaker]

It is possible to have SFF auto-start by other means without checking the option, like manully adding a shortcut to the Startup folder for example. It'll always save the database on exit (or auto-save) regardless of auto-start though. (And as previously mentioned if you "shut down" using sleep/hibernate, all running apps will remain running when you power on again.)

As for the crash, I can of course not 100% eliminate SFF as the cause, even if it would seem that cut-paste isn't related to SFF's operations, nor does it interact with the right click contect menu in any fashion. But since you upgraded SFF we can hope for a little xmas miracle

If it crashes again you could take a look at crash details (there should be some button in the crash dialog) and see what module (dll or exe file) it crashed in. If lucky that could tell what app is causing it, or give useful clues.

 

[meeotch]

First - thanks for the great app. (And thanks for making it self-contained. Too many little utilities out there cluttering the world with full-blown installers & all sorts of registry crap.)

One more vote for adding remember-view-settings functionality, if it's at all possible. Or at least remembering navigation/preview/details pane status and size. Win7 already remembers view settings, for folders that aren't in a library - but it doesn't seem to remember pane settings.

 

[KenRD]

I have been using your application on Windows 7 for a while now and it does just what I expected. A question: Does it work on Windows Server 2008 R2 64 bit?

Thanks

 

[tweaker]

One more vote for adding remember-view-settings functionality, if it's at all possible. Or at least remembering navigation/preview/details pane status and size.

Definitely would like that myself, if at all possible it would require some obscure workaround which I haven't had the time to figure out yet.

Does it work on Windows Server 2008 R2 64 bit?

I would expect it to work fine, but I don't have any first or second hand reports so far though.

 

[kazink]

Possible bug report: It seems that after filling the window database SFF starts having problems storing further folder windows into it. After some months of using it on my new computer (Windows 7 32-bit) the windows that were not previously opened are restored like this (top left corner of the desktop):



I have made some tests and this is what I found out:
1. If I open My Computer, browse to a new folder that I have not opened yet (it is not in the SFF's database), then restart the system or just SFF: it will be positioned in the top left desktop corner with small size, as shown above. If I change its position or size before restarting SFF - it does not change anything. Also if I close the window, then browse to it again, and then restart SFF, it will be still placed like above.
2. After restart, if I resize and reposition the window, and restart again - it will be now correctly remembered.

In conclusion I think that there may be a problem with adding new windows into the database when the database is full - the entry itself is added, but it's position and size is not (or is, but incorrectly).

Of course I can perform additional tests, send you the database and even run debug versions (like the last time), if that will help to track it down .

 

[tweaker]

Hmm, not sure off hand what that could be. Might be something involving the temp window state (related to "Temporarily use window as is" or navigating to folders not previously in the db).

In order to try to replicate the issue as accurately as possible could you tell me what SFF version you're using and what your "When navigating to a new location" setting is?

 

[kazink]

I'm using version 1.1.4 and "Temporarily use window as is" indeed

 

[JonPattrsn75]

Possible bug report: After some months of using it on my new computer (Windows 7 32-bit) the windows that were not previously opened are restored like this (top left corner of the desktop.

I've been having the same issue but I didn't think it was because my database was full- I think I have it set to at least 5000 folders. It doesn't seem like I would have set that many. Especially since I use the "temporarily view as is" feature and not too often do I move it (which is what would create an entry- right?)

The annoying thing about this bug is that the window is so small- it's unusable so I HAVE to modify it.

 

[JonPattrsn75]

Does ShellFolderFix have a silent installation switch?

 

[peterm6389]

Folder views don't restore correctly

This program works beautifully on restoring foler size and position but frequently when I close a desktop folder which has icons, when I reopen it I get the navigation pane, despite the fact I removed it before closing the folder. I then have to remove it all over again.

This behavior seems to be related to having opened an explorer window, although I haven't done extensive tests.

 

[tweaker]

Does ShellFolderFix have a silent installation switch?

Nothing I've added explicitly at least. The installer toolkit used to create the installer might have some functionality, but I don't know. I'm a bit short on time currently, but if you want you can check Inno Setup Help yourself and see if there's anything useful. I see there's /SILENT or /VERYSILENT but not sure if that works for install or only uninstall.

EDIT: btw the issue kazink and you reported has been fixed, it didn't have anything to do with the database being full, it also happened on almost an empty db. It's related to the temp handling when the setting "Temporarily use window as is" is used. I'll release an update soon, just wanted to test it a bit first.

when I close a desktop folder which has icons, when I reopen it I get the navigation pane, despite the fact I removed it before closing the folder. I then have to remove it all over again.

This is something Windows controls, SFF affects nothing other than the size and position of the windows.

You could try going into "Folder Options", in a folder window that looks the way you like, and click "Apply to Folders" on the "View" page.

 

[peterm6389]

It looks like I'm going to have to live with it . Is there any chance of extending SFF to save the folder views as well as size and position? Windows does seem to remember one setting which it applies to everything. If I change the view, the new setting gets applied to everything. Without knowing too much about how SFF works, I thought maybe there's information that could be intercepted and stored.

 

[tweaker]

Is there any chance of extending SFF to save the folder views as well as size and position?

I'm not sure. It's something that I would've liked to add from the very start, but there's no normal access to that kind of stuff. The only way would be to try to find hacks and tricks, which takes a lot of time with no guarantee of success.

 

[drumtrucker]

weird and annoying behavior:
If I search an open folder, the 'search results' change the size/position of window, which is ok, but when I hit back button to return to original folder, it does not snap back to original s/loc.

I am running defaults in settings ( I think).

 

[jemcgarvey]

So I assume you gave up on the snapped windows... I had hoped it might be dealt with by Microsoft by now, but I guess they don't give **** about us as long as we already spent our money...

 

[tweaker]

weird and annoying behavior:
If I search an open folder, the 'search results' change the size/position of window, which is ok, but when I hit back button to return to original folder, it does not snap back to original s/loc.

That happens if the folder (before the search results) is seen as temporary, meaning a folder that hasn't gotten an explicit size and/or position assigned. I had been thinking about adding some extra handling to avoid that special case with search windows, I'll look at it again and see if it's simple to fix for the coming update (due soon).

Meanwhile it's possible to turn off so search results resize the window ("Update window for search results" option), in case you don't want it to resize or it's less annoying for you.

So I assume you gave up on the snapped windows...

Not necessarily given up, it's still on the list of things to look into, but unfortunately I can't say when/if I get time for those less critical things where success is questionable.

 

[jemcgarvey]

Wow I'm curious. Do people really not get used to snapping? Personally that's one of the number one reasons I was excited about Win7. I have to say in a good days work, I probably slap windows right and left a hundred times.

Maybe it's just the fate of the 2560 pixel minority...

 

[Ricco62]

Wow I'm curious. Do people really not get used to snapping? Personally that's one of the number one reasons I was excited about Win7. I have to say in a good days work, I probably slap windows right and left a hundred times.

Maybe it's just the fate of the 2560 pixel minority...

oh windows snap, i do find it useless let me count the ways:

it's not tiling
there is no shortcut key
there is no command button in the upper right
ie: '-' minimize, '<-' snap left, 'square' maximize, '->' snap right, 'x' close
it's not tiling...
I will often have lot's of windows open and will want to see them all so
I'd like to tile them like I can in a lot of user programs: afik, it can't be done

Areo peek: use show desktop (and why move show desktop to the right?) and is
there a shortcut? why not?

Areo shake? huh? just make it a button and shortcut! doh!

These kinds of things that MS has done with win 7 along with the removal of:
custom window positions, custom icon positions in an 'icon view' window, custom
view settings by window.... is why people, who try to maximize their production
with-in the os, are so annoyed by MS and so love programs like shellfolderfix and
classicstartmenu.

As a society we constantly worry about lost man hours due to illness, to such
an extent that business, government and physicians promote flu shots on a nation
wide basis 'to save lost man-hours'. How much lost time is created by MS changing
the most basic functionality of their OS? And not only changing it but forcing it
to be 'mouse centric' (ie inefficient) by not providing (and in some cases even
removing) shortcuts to features that have no business being mouse-locked like
areo snap?

 

[jemcgarvey]

Well I haven't personally learned the shortcuts, and I don't like tiling. With a large enough screen it is like having two desktops side by side, and I'm only really working between two at a time, and reaching over to the left side for the taskbar is pretty easy. Therefore, the first thing I do when something opens is snap it right or left, and if this was remembered it would be just fine, but currently this actually "undoes" whatever was remembered, and I have to manually stretch every single program into 50% of the screen if I want it to stay that way.

 

[Ricco62]

Are you talking program windows or folder windows because program windows will
(almost always) remember their last position. It's the folder windows that are a
bugger.

And btw I misspoke when I said there are no shortcuts, DOH! Because of this
discussion I just thought I'd google 'win 7 snap shortcuts' and viola there they are.

Again, I say, DOH!

Still don't like snap though

Have you considered using the 'workspace' feature of sff?

To quote tweaker:

'- workspaces, allows you to save "presets" of your open folders (can be useful if you work on different projects and are used to have a set of folders open specifically for each project), or just restore a common folder setup in case windows messes it up'

Again this applies to folder windows not program windows.