24 February 2008

64-bit ActiveX (Preview/Office/Web) plugin

The new ActiveX plugin is now available for 64-bit versions of Directory Opus.

This plugin allows you to view a variety of formats, including Office documents and HTML files, within the Opus preview pane.

It has been packaged together with the other recently-converted 64-bit plugins:

(Edit: Plugin installer links removed. The plugin now comes with the latest version of Opus so you should install that instead.)

32-bit users: Nothing new for you today. Do not download the 64-bit installer/zip as it won't work on your system.

Feedback: There's a forum thread for feedback on the new plugin. (You can also leave moderated comments here without needing to sign up.)

23 February 2008

64-bit Animated GIF, TextThumbs, NFO plugins

64-bit users:

64-bit versions of the Animated GIF, TextThumbs and NFO plugins are now available for the first time. They're packaged together in the installer and zip file linked below. Pick either of them, depending on whether or not you prefer to install things by hand. (To install them by hand, download the zip version and copy the DLLs to the /Home/Viewers alias in Opus.)

(Edit: Plugin installer links removed. The plugin now comes with the latest version of Opus so you should install that instead.)

More 64-bit plugins are on the way (and some already come with Opus, of course)...

(24/Feb/2008: Updated links above to the new installer/zip which include the ActiveX plugin.)

32-bit Users: Ignore this post. You've already got these plugins.

Directory Opus version 9.1.0.3

An update for Directory Opus is now available for download from the GP Software website.

Directory Opus Version 9.1.0.3

  • Added support for MP3 'BPM' (beats per minute) field

  • Added a new advanced option to disable the normal behaviour of the 'find-as-you-type' field when the same letter is pressed repeatedly. Normally this will scroll through all files beginning with that letter but with the fayt_firstchar_repeat option turned off, normal string matching will be performed

  • Navigation Lock was broken in the previous release, now fixed.

  • The 'Auto select first file in folder' option no longer steals focus from the Folder Tree

  • Fixed crash that could occur in Clipboard PASTE when pasting text (only happened in conjunction with WindowBlinds compatibility mode)

  • Fixed problem with WindowBlinds compatibility mode preventing Go LASTACTIVELISTER from working

  • Pasting text into the rename dialog now only strips spaces from the beginning or end of the pasted text if it would result in the new filename beginning or ending in a space

  • If the Go FOLDERCONTENT command is added to the All Folders filetype, this now works from the Folder Tree

  • Fixed a problem dragging files from a collection when multiple files in different paths are selected

  • Fixed a problem with Album thumbnail sizing and rendering, and a more general problem with Folder thumbnails when the state of the dynamic thumbnail sizing option was changed.

  • The ability to override the system Windows hotkeys (Windows-E etc) now works in 2000/XP as well as Vista

  • The 'Sort shortcuts to folders like folders' option is no longer ignored when coming out of FlatView mode

  • Fixed a problem with layouts that open multiple overlapping Listers - it was possible to end up with the active Lister behind a non-active one, and a click would not properly bring it to the front

  • Drag & drop from a RAR file with encrypted filenames no longer asks repeatedly for the password

  • Renaming a folder from the Folder Tree now updates the Undo List correctly

  • Fixed a problem with file change notification not working reliably beyond a junction point

  • Fixed a crash on Windows 2000 in the initial setup wizard

  • The Go SWAP command now behaves consistently in a dual-Lister and in a multiple single-Lister scenario

  • Double-clicking a .url file inside the Windows Favorites folder no longer displays a security prompt on Vista

  • Fixed a crash when logging actions on files with Unicode filenames

  • The Clipboard COPYNAMES command now operates on the Folder Tree when it has focus

  • It is now possible to drag and drop folders to the 'exclusion' list in Preferences / Launching Opus / Explorer Replacement. This can make it easier to add system folders that don’t appear in the Browse Folders dialog

  • Opus should now maintain the selection state of files that are overwritten by a 'safe-save' operation (e.g. Word)

22 February 2008

ActiveX Plugin v3.0.0.3

A new version of the ActiveX plugin is now available. You can get it from the the plugin's thread at the Resource Centre.

The plugin has had two updates since it was last mentioned on this page. Here's what's new:

Changes in v3.0.0.3 (21/Feb/2008):

  • Fixed, or at least reduced, problems when multiple Office viewers were open at once.
  • Fixed Excel not taking the focus after the file display was clicked and then Excel clicked.
  • Fixed focus being lost when the viewer has focus and is closed. (Fix required change to Opus as well as plugin, so won't be seen until the next Opus version is also released and installed.)
  • The plugin now attempts to restore focus back to the lister after documents are loaded.
  • The plugin tries to forward mousewheel messages to the viewer even when it is not active. This only works with some ActiveX controls.

Changes in v3.0.0.2 (13/Feb/2008):
  • Fixed Windows 2000 compatibility.
  • Fixed Office 2000 resizing.
  • Fixed Excel 2000 incorrectly displaying partial Web toolbar.
  • Fixed viewer window lock-up if viewer set to handle HTML files when double-clicked, and the HTML document was then scrolled to the bottom.
  • Fixed problems with Windows MAPI Preview Handler sometimes not responding, or causing the next file you view to be unresponsive. (e.g. When changing between .msg and .eml files a few times.)
  • Fixed bits of the ActiveX control sometimes being left over the Opus window after resizing rapidly.
  • Fixed loading Flash files with non-ASCII filenames via the Internet Explorer method. (Workaround for bug in Flash ActiveX control.)
  • Fixed problems caused by clicking links in Flash files when viewed via the Generic ActiveX method. These used to cause the viewer to exit and are now ignored completely (for security reasons). The Internet Explorer method, which is the default for Flash files, does not have this limitation.
  • Tested against standalone Office viewers without problems.

9 February 2008

Directory Opus version 9.1.0.2

Directory Opus 9.1.0.2

A new version is now available.

New features:

  • Rename script mode now has an alternative function that can be used for script languages that don't support "pass by reference" values.

    The original function definition (in VBScript) was:

    Function Rename_GetNewName ( strFileName, strFilePath, fIsFolder, strOldName, ByRef strNewName )

    with the strNewName parameter passed by reference. The new function definition is:

    Function Rename_GetNewName2 ( strFileName, strFilePath, fIsFolder, strOldName, strNewName )

    Note that the second function is called Rename_GetNewName2 and strNewName is no longer passed by reference. Instead, the new name for the file is provided as the return value from the function. In VBScript, this means:

    Rename_GetNewName2 = strNewName

    Both the old and new function variants are supported, so existing scripts will continue to work.

Bugs fixed:
  • When accessing a hidden network share (eg \\server\c$) the hidden share is now correctly shown in the Folder Tree.
  • Fixed a problem that could cause system namespaces like My Computer to appear very slowly for some people.
  • Jpeg file conversion/writing was broken in the x64 version, this has been fixed.
  • Flickr photo matching now displays a progress bar to indicate the length of the procedure.
  • Fixed a problem in Flickr synchronization that could cause Opus to erroneously remove photos from groups.
  • Fixed menu commands generated with the Marker MENU=File function. (e.g. Items in the File menu added inside system namespaces now work properly.)
  • Fixed a problem assigning some keys as hotkeys on French keyboards.
  • The status bar preview in Preferences now respects the configured colors for the status bar. Also, the {dlet} code is no longer ignored in the preview.
  • Dragging a file to an empty tab no longer causes a crash.
  • The standalone image Viewer menu is no longer editable and ignores Customize mode (it never supported editing, but would erroneously go into edit mode).
  • Mixing the rename command with user commands in the same function now works reliably (the user command now sees the new names of any renamed files).
  • Functions that use @admin to run elevated in Vista now work if UAC is disabled.
  • The archive bit is now set consistently when moving files between devices and on the same device.
  • Fixed a parsing problem with MS-DOS batch scripts user commands with a template and "&" in the body of the function.
  • The 'Select Zip File' dialog (shown using the Add To Zip... context menu function) now lets you create a new zip file on the desktop.
  • Password-protected zip files are now ignored when generating thumbnails and retrieving file descriptions.
  • Fixed window depth issue with Preferences dialog and plugin configuration dialogs (Prefs window would sometimes be sent to the back when closing a plugin config dialog that was on top of it).
  • Fixed a crash that would occasionally happen when opening the Plugins page of Preferences.
  • The time-only Lister columns now sort by time-only when clicked as opposed to date & time.
  • Changes made to a newly created Filetype function would sometimes be ignored.
  • Pressing control-backspace in the 'Find in' field of the Find dialog would remove the last path component from the field but the Find dialog would not notice the change and continue searching in the original path.
  • If a function has @set var = {dlgfolder} in it, cancelling the dialog folder now correctly aborts the entire function.
  • The meaning of the Go TABCLOSEALL=left and right arguments was swapped around.
  • Dragging and dropping multiple folders to a collection and selecting the 'copy as sub-collections' option no longer mixes up the sub-folder contents.

ActiveX Viewer Plugin version 3

BETA VERSION:
This new version of the plugin is still being worked on and has not been extensively tested. There are some known issues, and probably some unknown issues as well. Feel free to install the plugin, and please do provide feedback, but keep in mind that it is a beta.

ActiveX Plugin

Version 3 of the ActiveX Plugin is a complete re-write with several improvements:


  • Support for Preview Handlers within Directory Opus. Preview Handlers are a new type of lightweight viewer used by Windows Vista's Explorer and Microsoft Office 2007.

    Vista & Office 2007 ship with several useful Preview Handlers for formats including Word, RTF, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, fonts, contacts, web pages, saved e-mails, various video formats, and more.

    Additional Preview Handlers are available on the net and some work on XP as well as Vista.

  • As before, support for Microsoft Office documents if you have Office or the standalone Office ActiveX viewers installed. The default configuration has also been updated to include the new Office 2007 file extensions.

  • Improved support for web documents. In addition to the old HTML support the plugin can now view MHT, URL and XML files.

  • New support for QuickTime .MOV files. Opus's Movie plugin is still the better choice for MOV playback if you have the required DirectShow filters installed, but now the ActiveX plugin provides a decent fallback for those who don't.

  • Generally improved compatibility. Several ActiveX controls which did not work in the past now work with this version.

  • Support for USB mode, meaning the plugin works when Opus is running from a portable device. (At the time of writing this has not yet been tested.)

Requirements:

Version 3 of the ActiveX plugin requires Directory Opus 9.1.0.1 or above. It is currently for 32-bit installs only but a 64-bit version is in progress.

Installer:

(Edit: Plugin installer links removed. The plugin now comes with the latest version of Opus so you should install that instead.)

Screenshots:

The new configuration dialog allows you to specify which types of ActiveX controls should be used to view different files. You can also disable certain Preview Handlers entirely if you find they get in the way of other viewers which you prefer. (Some are disabled by default, for example Vista's plain-text handler.)


Word document:


Excel document:


MHT web page archive:


QuickTime .mov:


Font:


E-Mail:


Shockwave Flash:


XML:


MP3: