Moving Files by Mouse

[frli]

Currently, I'm shifting to TC (from FreeCommander, but having considered current versions of xplorer2, Xyplorer, Directory Opus and others) since TC has an outstanding feature not encountered in ANY other file manager and which I'm in absolute need of, in fact, I tried out many programs now in order to find that feature, and TC is it.

Thus, whatever any other characteristics of TC are, I MUST have TC, so I must live with any quirk it might have, otherwise.

I didn't buy yet since the buying process is the weirdest I've encountered for software for a very long time, including posting a 3,5'' disk to me containing the key, and the corresponding page says, TC will be registered to the owner of the credit card, whilst that credit card isn't mine, and I would not like very much owning a TC where on the "Help - About TC" menu there would be another name. Checks drawn to German bank accounts are possible, it seems, but I don't have owned checks for years now, nobody else being asking for checks in 2011 (in France, that's a little bit different, but I'm not in France, then).

This being said, I have to accept TC as is, for that unique feature, but then, I would very much like it to behave in a normal way, otherwise. The renaming key is re-assigneable to F2, I understand, and I'm very happy about this; the very first action I took was stripping down TC to its possible bare minimum GUI, without buttons on top and so on, and I changed the fonts from bold to regular, and then my eyes experienced quite a relief, I might say!

Another quirk is the moving file by mouse behavior, though: I'd like to have an option somewhere where I could opt for "drag 'n drop" by mouse is MOVING yes /no", the default being at "no", ok, but just having the alternative to opt for.

This is because 99 p.c. of by "drag n' drop" actions are for MOVING a file, not for copying it, and thus, to press a shift key every time in order to make it move the file, instead of copying it, is more than awkward.

In the help file, I couldn't find any solution to this (and the right-click indications there for moving were even more weird in my opinion than pressing the shift-key), and in this forum, I couldn't find any solution neither; of course, I tried to find a setting in TC's options but there isn't, it seems.

Thus, could this made possible, please, just as an option, or did I overlook something, and is it possible even today?

As soon as I have a positive answer on this - and I'm sure many users would prefer the "drag n' drop" my way, so they would like to have that option I'm asking for here -, I'll be sharing my data concerning that unique feature in TC, and that's unknown (= judging by the forum there) even by those thousands of fellow users of another program (= not a file manager, that is) who'd be so happy to buy TC in order to get that feature that would help them out; I'll publish my findings here and in that forum, so there will be a many new happy TC users (who all are desperate, at this moment, for not having that feature, and for not finding it anywhere) like myself.

But then, there's always that question of how to buy...

[Clo]

[mod]Off topic, thread moved to Total Commander (English)
Clo, moderator[/mod]

[Hacker]

Hello frli,
Well, basically, there is no built-in way to switch the default drag and drop action to move, you will have to do with holding the right mouse button while moving (or holding Shift). Perhaps it could be done using an external script, if really necessary. Or perhaps someone comes up with a better idea.

Roman

[Stance]

Or perhaps someone comes up with a better idea.

Why don't you read even the first Phrase?
Please check again especially the part where these has been mentioned:

- FreeCommander
- xplorer2,
- Xyplorer,
- Directory Opus
..and others


All of these are Filemanagers and offer this function without a script or another Keystroke.

Probably a setting in the Configuration Dialog or (as usual) a Ini-setting?

[fenix_productions]

you will have to do with holding the right mouse button while moving (or holding Shift).

Alt is better for this: it does not select unnecessary files, so drag files with this key pressed.

[Hacker]

Stance,

Why don't you read even the first Phrase?

I beg your pardon? You lost me there.

Roman

[frli]

Hello There,

Thank you, both, very much for answering. Indeed, the words seemed a little bit harsh to me, but the meaning was, this guy (=me) has tried a lot of commanders, and is coming to TC for a special reason, but many of us have tried all those, and indeed, not having that very basic function in TC is a shame since all those others present no difficulty whatsoever with doing it, so why the he** TC must have this idisyncrasy (among others) that could be amended very easily since even cheap and free file managers don't have any difficulty to present it (remember, FreeCommander let chose you how you want it, copy or shift).

So, the meaning was, frli is right to ask for it, and many of us here would like to have that choice that even a free contender offers.

Of course, that's what I understood, while I'm not the poster. But whatever, I'm a beginner here, but otherwise, I'm a very experienced pc user / program developer, and indeed, I can become more than harsh with programs where I explained in depth the shortcoming, and then there comes nothing; every developer should be interested in optimizing his program, and should therefore be thankful for any good explanation why something that is missing, is so important to implement - it's NOT a question of "this user wants this feature, another one wants that other one", but it's the search of perfection, no less than that.

I'm thankful for BOTH answers since now at least, I know that I didn't overlook any way of tweaking TC, and there are many of them; for me that's a step ahead; and I'm delighted to have my wanting this function backed by a very experienced user here; many a times I am unfortunately the only one who sees some shortcomings, and no other user seems to bother, so nothing is done about.

So, when I'm fed up with unresponsiveness, I can be much more harsh, than I read here, but then, is Mr. Ghisler reading these threads, is there a moderator who transfers the things to be considered to him, or are we left to our own here? - this is NOT meant as a pun, I'm just asking!

Indeed, for some details, TC is much better than competitors, or let's say, TC does things that competitor do not... but this MUSTN'T come at the price of having to accept weirdness even in basic things - I'm not criticizing, I'm just asking for things to be amended, but in order for them to be considered by Mr. Ghisler, of course he must be informed of our wishes, etc. - if he delegated the maintenance of this forum to others, there should be a way of transferring things to him, and there certainly are such ways.

Thus, my kind request to inform him that normal mouse commands for many, many people are to shift files, not to copy them... whilst many, many other users do exactly the opposite in their workflow, them having other tasks to perform, and that thus it might be extremely helpful for people not that the current mouse behavior be changed, since that would unduly punish those people who need the current mouse behavior (and which I think are one third of all, perhaps 25 p.c., but there is no reason to take this function away from them) - but that many, many people need it the other way round, so that Mr. Ghisler could please introduce that function as an option. Since I have some programming knowledge, please let me say that this would "cost" 2 to 3 hours' programming time, but would make millions of people happy.

I even tried FAR and many minor competitors, I'm really into excellence and I'm not one of these mainstream people that only accept standards, averages, mediocrity, but I accept very special things when they are excellent, and I don't try to minimize the great value of TC, so let me add - I should have mentioned that in my first post, I'll do it here in my second one -, that I consider TC an outstanding program, even when I didn't get on giving it an acceptable look yet, many links to examples of TC better looking being orphaned.

All this being said, at this moment, I wanted to replace FC by TC altogether, but I'm considering now not using TC but for that special command where it's without a competition now - but the beauty of excellence also commands for having a MINIMAL workflow, i.e. not having multiple programs for multiple needs, but INTEGRATE your tools as much as possible, so as to have only a minimum of them that perfectly work together.

TC's idiosyncrasies prohibit this for many people - and for me it's the copying instead of moving files - that's a pity.

When I spoke of a positive answer, I didn't meant execution of my wishes within a fortnight, but if Mr. Ghisler told us it'll be integrated in some of the next versions and within say six or eight months, I'd immediately tout that splendid feature of TC here and there, on the forum of that other program where TC is so much needed.

But I'm not young anymore, and I have known many a people and many a situation, and please believe me, doing things for people who don't do things for you, is too devastating in the end for being continued all your life. Thus I'm waiting for a positive answer.

And please allow me a remark that could be taken as offensive but isn't meant that way: Mr. Ghisler has many, many customers - whom he serves very well on most accounts, that's understood. But imposing such idiosyncrasies without giving people a chance to have it THEIR way (which happens to be the normal way, "normal" in the meaning of usual way, the big number, the majority), could be seen as a means of imposing your personality on a 5-digit (or is it 6-... 7-digit?) number of people that all have it YOUR way, not their way; that's a narcissistic satisfaction indeed -

but then, please, Mr. Ghisler's imposing his way onto people could not increase his satisfaction to have written the best file commander in the world: that's enough for being the absolute star, the absolute hero: let us have our way within your scope of work, it would bring a major increase in the user base.

For example, we "experts and half-experts" know / quickly understand how to change the default fonts, but "normal" users (i.d. that use MS Word, etc., instead of all those special things that we use) quickly dismiss TC and buy DO or whatever instead that pleases them more at first sight, and without ever having known what TC could have offered them as pluses, had they stuck with it.

But no, today as years before, TC installs with a font that makes people flee it, and such ways of trying to impose your style on many a people makes a lot of otherwise would-be customers making rich some minor* competitors. Is that wise?

* = DO seems to be a very good program indeed (but not offering that special TC feature), but is excruciatingly overpriced, but then, I would not want to relegate it into "minor competitors", by sheer quality; it's one of the "minor" competitors as soon as you compare the quality-price relation (= including updates, secondary computers...).

Thus, even for that special feature only, TC is well worth the price for me, but at the same time, Mr. Ghisler makes my unhappy for not being able to get rid of FC (or to have to buy any other "normal" file commander, and to be specific, I could very well use the free version of xplorer2, but again, it's not 20 or 30 dollars more, it's the cluttering of my pc and of my workflow that's that much bothering me!).

Promise us a solution to this, Mr. Ghisler, please?

[Hacker]

frli,

is Mr. Ghisler reading these threads

Yes.

is there a moderator who transfers the things to be considered to him

No.

Roman

[frli]

Hi Roman,

I see you ain't in bed as late as I am. Again, I seriously think that Mr. Ghisler is well advised to consider that because of some things that all could easily be amended within some few weeks, TC has not, and by far has not, the customer base it deserves.

I, personally, am interested in those things that bother me, personally, but on top of that, I'm always willing to enter a discussion where a program - as fine a program as TC, that is - should be amended to please to a much larger customer base, be that details of no importance to me, personally. Thus, I think I can give valuable advice, much beyond just touting my personal interests.

And then, TC having a much broader customer base yet than it has now, would mean that we wouldn't have to fear anymore that Mr. Ghisler, one day, perhaps rather soon, establishes an update price for existing customers; as we all know, he'd be in his right to do so, since buying TC is NOT buying a lifetime license even if updates so far have been free.

Thus, making TC fit to appeal to many more users than it has today, would mean that a lot of additional money (deservedly) would flow to Mr. Ghisler, who then would not get in any need to ask for more money from his existing customer base now.

The classic win-win situation, then.

I'm really fond of this program, and I hope that shines from between my lines.

(One other clue to this broadening the customer base: See the "Advice to Belgian Customers" (I cite from memory here): Am I to order from a Dutch-speaking vendor (= myself not speaking Dutch, but only F-GB-D) who hasn't even got a web-page to place the order??? To ask him by e-mail to sell me a licence? This is utmost amateurish and will put off even number of (= not-concerned =) non-Belgian customers... and it's at the opposite of the utmost professionalism of TC itself.)

[ghisler(Author)]

1. About the Drag&Drop: This cannot currently be changed. Why not use the method where you hold down the right mouse button just before releasing the left? This works as fast as normal drag&drop, and you don't move any files by accident.

2. About purchasing: You can order a key with someone else's card, you just need to use the GIFT option in this case:
http://www.ghisler.com/resell.htm

[frli]

Thank you very much for this quick answer.

Sorry for bothering again, but I just discovered that, if TC does allow for selecting several files, it is NOT possible to LAUNCH that group of files, as so many other file commanders allow for (I suppose). That is to say, in TC I select a group of files, then I press Enter, and that indeed launches the ONE file only (in the program attributed to the file's suffix) where the cursor is at that given moment, but the group isn't taken into consideration for that. I cannot pretend I tried all those competitors for this, but in FreeCommander at least, I didn't have any difficulty to do this, and I did it for years, multiple times every day.

Is this another detail where TC doesn't follow the competition, or did I overlook a way to tweak that function?

As said, this is very important for me, and up to now, I always considered this a most basic function to find everywhere, I didn't even think about it being a fine feature of FC, I thought it a common base of all file managers.

Please state if it is possible today, or if it falls into the category of things TC users have to live without.

Thank you very much in advance.

( I am just speaking of groups of files within the same directory and bearing the same suffix, i.e. to be launched by the same and common program; I'm not speaking of scenarii in which there would be disparate files in such a group, to be launched by different programs. In fact, I never needed / tried such groups, neither here nor elsewhere. Just simple bunches of files to be opened together, instead of having to press Enter 20 times in a row...)

[petermad]

That is to say, in TC I select a group of files, then I press Enter, and that indeed launches the ONE file only (in the program attributed to the file's suffix) where the cursor is at that given moment, but the group isn't taken into consideration for that. I cannot pretend I tried all those competitors for this, but in FreeCommander at least, I didn't have any difficulty to do this, and I did it for years, multiple times every day.

There are several ways to launch more than one file - using the Internal associations is one - but the easiest way is just to use the right-click menu and then choose "Open".

[frli]

Thanks a lot, petermad!

I was't aware of any right-click menu since short right-clicking doesn't bring it on the screen, only long right-clicking.

But then, TC's way of selecting files in the first place - by right-clicking on them - not intuitive for me, especially since I suppose having understood that the developer will always do exactly what's in his mind, and impose it on users, which is his choice, and a choice that makes me back off, especially since the "unique" feature in TC isn't as unique as that, at least one contender has it but hides it from view.

Thus, I think having understood that my wish to just use ONE file manager to do all sorts of things for me, was a dream that cannot be fulfilled, especially since all those add-on programs for TC just ain't that useful for me - I'm saying this not in order to devaluate them in any way, but just for explaining that for me, they ain't any features that make TC outstanding for me.

You see here that my willingness to accept TC's idiosyncrasies were bound to my thinking I couldn't do without it, which has been an error; in fact, after the developer's answer here I digged deeper into competiting programs, and heureka, I CAN do without TC!

Sorry for being this blunt, but a program stands and falls with its developer(s), not with its forum. This being said, the kindness and responsiveness in this forum is high above average, and I want to acknowledge this and say thank you, to all of your, for this.

And I must make a confession, my assertions on other file managers' allowing for simple drag-n-drop as moving, not copying, being as an option, were largely erroneous. In fact, I have been spoilt by FC but even this one just does these, on the same drive, as move, whereas it copies between different drives, and I simply forgot. I could have sworn there was an option setting, but I couldn't find it now. Perhaps that option is available in the last version of TC, but I reverted to the version before, since FC isn't developed any more and the last version has more bugs than that before as I felt it, thus my going back. Anyway, competitors don't offer any option for this neither, they do it as TC does it, more or less, not the way I would like them to do it.

Thus, my memory had become a victim of my wishful thinking, but errors becoming lies the moment you become aware of them, it was important for me to fix it. (A pity, though, that TC doesn't do it better than the competitors, another chance lost.)

Unfortunately, there isn't any quasi-perfect file manager on the market, and TC certainly isn't it... but then, DO isn't it either, far from it. But so many so simple things could have been amended for years now, and there would be that quasi-perfect file manager, and that bothers me, that refusal to do some little things but addressing basic needs, on top of the highbrow work.

Another aspect: If TC is perhaps one of the top file commanders out there, together with DO, it's for that add-on by a third party developer who implemented virtual folders, where in DO, these virtual folders are build into the program itself.

I must say that in TC, I didn't have the courage to try this feature, since in order to understand how to install it and how it will work, I would have to read almost THIRTY pages in forum thread, and that wasn't too much.

But the thing here that I have some difficulty with, is, that add-on is highly valuable and highly highens up the value of TC... whereas the developer of the add-on does it for free, whereas the developer of the main program takes the profit. (If TC was a community venture, my appreciation of this would be very different, of course.)

All this being said, I'm disappointed, but then, it's also because the basic features I need are not implemented the way I would like them to be implemented, whereas the elaborate features, except for one, are of no use to me, and thus, I'm not really in a position to appreciate the high value of TC since most / all of its strengths ain't for me.

Thank you again very much for your warm welcome that cannot be found on every forum out there.

[MVV]

Right-click selection is a world-wide standard for years and it comes from DOS file managers and it is much more useful than dumb Windows selection. You may select/deselect single file using right button or Insert or Space, you may select group of files using Shift, and selection is kept when you move cursor. However you may switch to left button selection mode in configuration.

Imagine that you have junction that points to folder at another drive. What your FC will do? Move? Copy? It should copy since folder is at another drive, but I think it will move like dumb Explorer does. In contrast to this unstable behaviour TC always acts in same way - it copies or moves depending on what you tell to do.

It is impossible to made any 'quasi-perfect file manager' that will be suitable for all users. If we add all features into single program we will get a monster that won't be suitable for users who like small and fast programs (like me).

Anyway, you are free to use any other file manager)) and we will use TC and enjoy it!

[petermad]

But then, TC's way of selecting files in the first place - by right-clicking on them

You can set up TC to select files the way Explorer does, "Configuration" -> "Operation" -> "Mouse selection mode" -> "Left mouse button (Windows standard)". That will also take away the the delay for right-click menu to appear.