ShellFolderFix - Manage folder window positions/size

[tweaker]

It would be nice to be able to keep them where they are regardless of which folder you are currently viewing.

Have you tried changing the option "When navigating to a new location" to "Temporarily use window as is" or "Use window as is"? One of those might work better for you, at least the window won't move when you're navigating.

 

[KenRD]

It would be nice to be able to keep them where they are regardless of which folder you are currently viewing.

Thanks for the tip. The 'Use Window as Is' option is what I wanted.

Thanks again.

Ken

 

[Ricco62]

First, let me say thanks because, well MS dropped the ball big time and you picked it up and helped us all.

Thanks.

but...

While this is a great idea I think it needs to be taken one step sideways. What I mean is that SFF should only save folder position when you hold down shift while closing.

My reasoning is (and I think this holds true for most people I see when dealing with folders) that I make only a few decision as to where I want a folder to open but, like retiredfields, I am constantly shuffling around my open folders depending on the clutter (other open folders and programs) on my desktop.

The logic goes like this:

When a user makes a new folder, the position will be either system default or as defined by SFF's 'Init Defaults From' option.

At this point the user will leave the folder positioned as is and close it or they will customize the position and then they would then have to 'shift-close' to save the folder position. (Note that this customizing of a folder's position only happens infrequently as users don't really think "Is this where I want to position this folder?" every time they close it.)


So, in the course of using a computer (with SFF running) three situations arise:

1 Only one folder is opened and the position probably isn't going to change.

or

2 Multiple folders are opened via the 'save/restore workspace' option in which case 'wanted and expected' workspace is changed only on an infrequent and 'considered' basis.

or (and this seems to be how myself and most people I know handle folders most often, with or without SFF)

3 Folders are opened... then more folders are opened and then you need to move some around to see others. Then some need to be moved yet again because you just opened other folders. This means that users are positioning folders dynamically and the positions are dependent on a temporary desktop folder/program arrangement. Now, logically, if these multiple folders were left in their SFF saved positions or if they got moved back into them, then SFF doesn't need to 're-save' their positions, but that's what it does.

So to me using 'shift-close' to save a folders position (occasionally) seem more efficient in the long run then always saving it and then having me re-arrange temporary folder positions and would create an even more consistent desktop 'folder environment'.

 

[tweaker]

So to me using 'shift-close' to save a folders position (occasionally) seem more efficient in the long run then always saving it and then having me re-arrange temporary folder positions and would create an even more consistent desktop 'folder environment'.

Since I added the ability to disable saving as well as the shift-close functionality (actually it ended up being control instead because shift is already taken by Windows), it seems like a smaller change to make shift-close work in reverse.

I was currently testing the release candidate for the new version, but if it's just a simple change I'll add this aswell for release sometime within the next days.

 

[Ricco62]

I'll be lookiing forward to it, thanks.

Rick

 

[tweaker]

New version is now up. Change list is added to first post.

--

It would be nice to be able to suspend saving window locations as you exit them. I like to move windows around ... An on-off switch, in the right click menu, would be great.

I added this under "Disable State Recording", just enable the option to show the command in the context menu. There's also an option to reset it back to non-disabled every time the app starts, in case you want that. The other solution to hold down a key (control) while closing is also added if you want to try that.

tweaker: Yeah, the Computer window which I normally keep open in a small window in the upper right hand corner (to see loaded disks), will regularly be large way off in the middle of the screen on startup

I don't know why that happens, I can only make guesses, so this may or may not help. I added an option to set a startup delay, try to set that and see if it helps. I would suggest starting with something longer, like 2.5 seconds (2500) or even 5 seconds (5000), and if it does help then you can try reducing the delay a bit again.

I'll be lookiing forward to it, thanks.

The feature made it in. Under Disable State Recording check the "Disable" and "Enable control key modifier to record" options, that will only save it if you press control while closing.

 

[Ricco62]

Awesome! Downloading it now.

 

[drumtrucker]

Please add link to download area when new version is available or in context menu.

 

[tweaker]

Please add link to download area when new version is available or in context menu.

The ReadMe file in the latest version does include the link. It's located in the installation directory (usually C:\Program Files\ShellFolderFix). I might add a Start Menu item for the ReadMe file or View ReadMe button somewhere in future versions.

 

[jknauth]

Shouldn't the ReadMe for the 1.1.4 Ctrl key changes say "folder windows"
instead of just "windows" for what is affected by the database updating
suppressed/allowed by the new functions? Non-Explorer windows, e.g.,
for Excel, IE, Control Panel, etc., don't seem to be affected by the new
functions, but instead their state is always recorded in the database no
matter how the new options are set and Ctrl key is pressed during close
of the window. The tooltips for the SFF options menu do say "folders",
not just "windows in general", and that seems to be the way SFF works in
my few tests. Is there any reason why the new functions are restricted
to just folders instead of applying to more general windows?

 

[Ricco62]

@jknauth: this program is only intended to handle explorer folder windows (see quote from first post by tweaker) as I believe that most apps remember their own positions from their own settings.

Although I have to agree that, for clarity, the readme should always specify 'folder windows'.

Quote by tweaker: "This is an app to make Windows 7 explorer folder windows remember their size and position. It has a couple of additional features too, and hopefully some more later on. It does NOT manage window size/positions of regular applications"


@tweaker: I have been using the new 1.14 and I am loving it. The settings State Recording: 'Disable' combined with 'Enable control key modifier to record' are, for me just great.

There does seem to be an occasional bug where a folder window position is recorded even though the ctrl key was not pressed. It has not happened often, but I think it happens when, for instance, I have Documents open and also have a sub folder of Documents open at the same time and move/re-size one/both of them. It seems that sometimes the parent takes on the altered position. Of course when I try to recreate this, it never happens. It's really just conjecture, as the 2-3 time I've seen it happen it's only after I go back into a window i.e. Documents and it is not where it should be that I realize that it has happened.

Also note that I am NOT opening Documents via the library 'file viewer' but rather through direct shortcuts to the folder.

 

[tweaker]

Shouldn't the ReadMe for the 1.1.4 Ctrl key changes say "folder windows"
instead of just "windows" for what is affected by the database updating
suppressed/allowed by the new functions?

In some cases I use "folder" and "windows" interchangeably (maybe just to sound less repetetive or I thought it fit better), since the ReadMe (aswell as the first post in this thread) establishes early on that SFF deals with folder windows.

I'll look over the readme again for future releases, maybe add a caps-only line emphasizing that other apps are never ever affected

 

[Monsoon]

If this is what it looks like, you have indeed fixed a bug that would have caused me a lot of frustration over the next several years.

It's a big enough issue to me that in spite of having a hard drive running windows 7, i've been using this XP drive for the past 2 months.

Well i'm going to log onto the 7 drive and install this.

Hopefully i'll be reporting back with success, shortly.

 

[Monsoon]

This fix worked perfectly!
Didn't require a reboot, and it's so easy to run and adjust.
I set it for 5,000 views and hopefully that will be enough.

 

[Lykho]

I was positively fuming when I learned that my frustration with this 'globalization' effect was the result of a design decision--not a bug--a decision to deprive people of features they expect, features the programmers are obviously capable of producing!

Thank you so much for this vital little program. I really wasn't sure I was going to be able to stick with 7 until someone put me onto your solution!

 

[maschampan]

Thanks.
Is very good program. I like it very much
Thanks

 

[8zkkqi]

Hi, I like the program a lot. One thing I'd like to ask--if it can remember individual window layout? Like for some windows I want to see the navigation pane, but not for other windows.

Also, a small thing--I seem to see when I open a certain window it'd try to appear at the location of the last opened window, and then it'd quickly move back to it's own last opened location.

Thanks.

 

[KremmenUK]

Hi, I like the program a lot. One thing I'd like to ask--if it can remember individual window layout? Like for some windows I want to see the navigation pane, but not for other windows.

Also, a small thing--I seem to see when I open a certain window it'd try to appear at the location of the last opened window, and then it'd quickly move back to it's own last opened location.

Thanks.

Wouldn't that be the icing on the cake. I never understood why M$ decided that all folders should look the same. Windows Explorer, then yes, a navigation pane, but not for desktop icon folders.

 

[tweaker]

if it can remember individual window layout? Like for some windows I want to see the navigation pane, but not for other windows.

I'd like that too. I don't know if it will be possible, at least there's no easy straight forward way.

Also, a small thing--I seem to see when I open a certain window it'd try to appear at the location of the last opened window, and then it'd quickly move back to it's own last opened location.

That's a side effect of that how Windows initializes the windows, I'm afraid there's not much I can do about that (I did try once).

 

[MikeK22]

ShellFolderFix

I installed ShellFolderFix and I saw no change. I tried to decipher the instructions and changed a few settings, but nothing seems to make any difference. When I installed it, I set it to run from statup on login and that does seem to happen as ShellFolderFix.exe shows up in TaskManager, but nothing else happens. Any folder opens in the same location and size as the last folder closed, not as a folder it self was when it was last closed. I ran the version check and it says it it up to date. Any help would be greatly appreciated.