Directory Opus Manual

Folder Formats

• Automatic formats:
  • (Configured via Preferences / Folders / Folder Formats / Automatic Formats.)
  • Makes this aspect of Opus similar to File Explorer, with changes saved implicitly, and folders remembering how you left them.
  • When on, changes you make in a Lister that affect the Folder Format (view mode, columns, grouping, sorting, etc.) are automatically saved for the folder you are in.
  • When off, changes must be saved explicitly, as before. If you find automatic formats messy, you can simply turn them off.
  • You can freely mix automatic and explicit settings. If a path has an explicitly saved Folder Format, that will override any automatic one.
  • By default, automatic formats for up to 100 folders are remembered. You can change the limit in Preferences.
  • Automatic formats are kept in a separate list. Your curated Folder Format list won't be flooded with garbage!
  • You can view the list of paths that have an automatic format saved in Preferences. A button there can clear the list.
  • Right-clicking a path in the list gives options to forget it, or convert it to a permanent Folder Format.
  • Automatic formats, if on, alter the Folder Format rules slightly: Editing one folder and then changing to another will load the format for the new folder, rather than make the edit "sticky".
• Per-folder settings:
  • Note: All settings within Folder Formats can be per-folder. This section is about settings which are usually globally defined but can be overridden on a per-folder basis.
  • Folder Formats can turn on Checkbox Mode automatically for some or all folders.
  • Folder Formats now include per-folder options for thumbnail size and thumbnail scaling mode.
  • Folder Formats now include per-folder options for the file display font.
  • Folder Formats now allow per-folder override of the "Sort newly created and copied files" option.
  • Several per-folder settings which were part of Folder Formats have been moved out, allowing you to configure independent things more easily:
    • Preferences / Folders / Folder Images: Per-folder background image and color. (The status bar's info icon now also tells you where per-folder backgrounds came from.)
    • Preferences / Folders / Folder Sizes: Per-folder size calculation overrides.
    • Preferences / Folder Tabs / Edge Colors: Per-folder tab accent colors.
    • Preferences / Labels / Label Assignments / In Specific Folders: Per-folder labels (e.g. highlight files matching a wildcard, only in special folders).
    • Preferences / Toolbars / Folder Toolbars: Per-folder toolbars.
  • Command: Set SORTNEWFILES – Changes whether new file are sorted in the current folder.
  • Scripting:
    • Format.sort_new_files property (values: "on", "off", "default").
    • Format.checkboxes property.
    • Format.thumb_size property.
• Content Type formats:
  • Folder Formats list in Preferences now displays the threshold (percentage of files that have to match) for each Content Type format.
  • Clicking the threshold value opens a dialog for editing it, instead of it being hidden away in the Folder Formats dialog.
  • Content Type formats are included in menus for manually changing formats, even when turned off:
    • Lets you prevent automatic format changes while still being able to manually select it.
    • The dialog for editing threshold also has an option to hide the format, if you never want to use it.
• Columns and grouping:
  • Auto-sized columns can now be given a minimum (as well as a maximum) size.
  • When grouping by a column, groups can now be ordered by member count (groups with the most members will be shown first).
  • Commands:
    • Set COLUMNSADD and similar commands allow min to be specified (following max).
    • Set GROUPORDER replaces Set GROUPREVERSE command (old command still works for compatibility).
  • Scripting:
    • Column.min property.
    • Format.group_order property. (Format.group_reverse still works for compatibility.)
• Filtering:
  • Added format option to filter out reparse points (e.g. all junctions can be hidden).
  • Hide/show wildcard patterns can now be multi-line, making it easier to list multiple filenames or specify multiple wildcards without having to combine them into a single pattern.
  • Similarly, the global wildcards, under Preferences / Filtering and Sorting / Global Filters, are now also multi-line.
• Flat View:
  • If the Format Lock is on when turning on Flat View, the lock will now respected and the Flat View folder format will not be applied.
  • Exception: If the Synchronize Tool turns on Flat View implicitly, the format lock won't prevent the Flat View format being applied.
• User interface:
  • Moved column auto-size and filename extensions settings to the Columns tab.
  • When searching for columns by name, the raw internal names and shorter heading names are now checked as well.
  • Column list has buttons to expand and collapse all categories at once.
  • Moved the Save button from the top to the bottom of the dialog, level with the other buttons.
  • Clear button is now called "Load" and opens a menu with options to reset the format to defaults (user or factory) or to load a Favorite format.
  • Loading a format now updates the dialog but does not auto-apply it. Gives a chance to cancel without affecting the file display.
  • In Preferences, you can now change the folder an existing path format affects. (Select it and click Browse above the list, or use the right-click menu).
  • Folder Formats list in Preferences now has Share and Paste buttons to save or share format definitions.
• Terminology:
  • Previously, we used "Folder Options" instead of "Folder Format" in some places, for historical reasons. We now use "Folder Format" everywhere.
  • In the default toolbars, Folder > Folder Options is renamed Folder > Folder Format.
  • Command: Properties FOLDERFORMAT replaces Properties FOLDEROPTIONS (old name still works, for compatibility).

Next: Preferences