Total Commander

I suggest to add a checkbox "in same panel" to the dialogs of cm_PackFiles and cm_UnpackFiles. So the user can easily pack/unpack to the source panel instead to the target panel. The checkbox may initially be enabled by a new command switch -InSamePanel. If the user modifies the path suggested by TC so that the path no longer begins with the source path or the target path, then the checkbox should get grey and ineffective. When the user toggles the checkbox, then the source path should be replaced by the target path within the specified path and vice versa.

This suggestion was inspired by topic "[Sugg] Create folder with name suggested from target panel".

Currently there is a similar choice only for copying, but offered by two separate commands (cm_CopyOtherpanel, cm_CopySamepanel) instead by one command plus a switch.

For cm_UnpackFiles: not really neccessary - all you have to do now is to press DEL key once to extract to current dir.

For cm_PackFiles: Good idea, but I think a button would fit better here.
What this function would technically do, is to remove the path from the target file name.

For cm_PackFiles it is not necessary too. You can assign Ctrl+Alt+F5 for this command and it will pack to the source panel instead of the target one (the same with Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F5 - for packing to the source panel with removing the original files after packing).

StatusQuo wrote:For cm_UnpackFiles: not really neccessary - all you have to do now is to press DEL key once to extract to current dir.

For cm_PackFiles: ... What this function would technically do, is to remove the path from the target file name.

Good idea! Actually you suggest to make use of the fact that TC (like almost any other program) starts in the current directory (source path) if you specify a relative path name. This approach has the advantage that the user can recognize more easily whether the operation writes to the current panel or to the other panel.

For the sake of symmetry and uniformity I strongly suggest to add the new checkbox or button to both commands. Furthermore my suggestion is actually not limited to cm_UnpackFiles/cm_PackFiles. It could also be applied to other commands.

StatusQuo wrote: For cm_PackFiles: Good idea, but I think a button would fit better here.

I also considered this alternative, but chose the checkbox because it would fit more nicely into the current layout of the dialog.
On the other hand I must admit that it is unusual that clicking a checkbox can modify the contents of a textbox.

Flint wrote:For cm_PackFiles it is not necessary too. You can assign Ctrl+Alt+F5 for this command and it will pack to the source panel instead of the target one (the same with Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F5 - for packing to the source panel with removing the original files after packing).

Of course you can, but I find it not user-friendly.

jb wrote:

Flint wrote:For cm_PackFiles it is not necessary too. You can assign Ctrl+Alt+F5 for this command and it will pack to the source panel instead of the target one (the same with Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F5 - for packing to the source panel with removing the original files after packing).

Of course you can, but I find it not user-friendly.

Why not? I think that the current behavior seems fine.

Flint wrote:For cm_PackFiles it is not necessary too. You can assign Ctrl+Alt+F5 for this command and it will pack to the source panel instead of the target one

Great, thanks for the hint.
I will have to think about the hotkey (I have assigned the free F5-combinations to create hardlinks/junctions),
but this can make life a little easier again.

An option in the dialog could do this without consuming hotkeys, though.

now wrote:Why not? I think that the current behavior seems fine.

I have already written quite a lot about the subject. Just read it carefully including the hyperlinked material and think about it.

2Flint

You can assign Ctrl+Alt+F5 for this command and it will pack to the source panel instead of the target one

Nice one! Is this documented somwhere? I couldn't find info about that in help or history.

Yes, it's documented in the help:

Hint: When you press CTRL while selecting the File->Pack menu item, the default will be to create the archive in the source directory instead of in the target directory

So any hotkey combination which includes the CTRL key will have this effect.

jb wrote:

Flint wrote:For cm_PackFiles it is not necessary too. You can assign Ctrl+Alt+F5 for this command and it will pack to the source panel instead of the target one (the same with Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F5 - for packing to the source panel with removing the original files after packing).

Of course you can, but I find it not user-friendly.

I'm rather a mouse-oriented user as you may have noticed from my posts. Therefore hotkeys are not that useful to me.
Now I discovered that Ctrl+Click on a button with the command cm_PackFiles has the same effect as Ctrl+Alt+F5!
Unfortunately Ctrl+Click or Ctrl+Shift+Click or Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Click on a button with the command cm_UnpackFiles makes no difference.

ghisler(Author) wrote:Yes, it's documented in the help:

Hint: When you press CTRL while selecting the File->Pack menu item, the default will be to create the archive in the source directory instead of in the target directory

So any hotkey combination which includes the CTRL key will have this effect.

The same should also apply to "File->Unpack Specific Files...", but it does not.