6 October 2009

Directory Opus version 9.5

This update adds support for Windows 7 Explorer Replacement mode, and also provides several new minor features and fixes for a number of anomalies reported since the release of Opus 9.1.3.0.

This is a free update for all registered Directory Opus 9 users.

If you are using a pre-release beta version then you should still update to 9.5 to get the final version of the code. A few changes have been made since the last beta release in response to feedback.

Bugs fixed / minor changes:

  • Support for Explorer Replacement mode in Windows 7. Also fixed creation of soft-links in Windows 7.
  • FTP re-upload changed files option now works with programs launched from buttons.
  • The Print Folder function can now print meta-data (e.g. Author, Title, Artist, etc) columns in File Collections.
  • Improved handling of Office safe-saves for files within collections.
  • Text pasted into the Create Folder dialog is now stripped of any linefeeds.
  • Fixed rendering problem with List Mode when font size meant the label text was smaller vertically than the icon.
  • Zip auto-extract now sets the correct current directory for files that are in sub-folders of the zip file.
  • Fixed sorting with Name column when file extension is hidden (previously the extension was still considered for the sort).
  • Image ADDSUFFIX now works correctly when the filename has a dot in the name.
  • Blank links in multi-line commands no longer cause some functions to misbehave.
  • The {filepath} command code no longer incorrectly adds a \ to the end of RAR file paths.
  • Fixed problem with space/quote handling with the {allfilepath} command code.
  • Fixed drag & drop problems when dragging from/to FTP -- now correctly uses functions defined in File Types.
  • Fixed problem that could cause infinite loop of listers/tabs to be opened when a path like C://Dir was entered.
  • Fixed problem with drag & drop that could prevent listers from coming to the front correctly.
  • Fixed problem when dragging images from Firefox 3.5 to a lister (now writes the original image file instead of a bitmap version).
  • With full-row selection on for the Folder Tree, double-clicks to expand/contract a branch are now active anywhere on the row instead of just on the label.
  • Drag & drop from FTP/SFTP to the desktop now works correctly instead of only copying 4K of the file.
  • Added @sync to the drop-down list in the Advanced function editor.
  • Fixed potential infinite loop in the FTP file properties dialog if an error message appeared and the dialog was closed before the error dialog was.
  • Fixed a crash on startup that could occur if any environment variables contained %%.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur in the Licence Manager on x64 systems.
  • FTP Interim support for VMS servers.
  • File permissions are now updated correctly when undeleting a file from the recycle bin (prevents files appearing with a 'padlock' icon overlay in Windows 7).
  • The Delete confirmation dialog (and other dialogs where appropriate) now respond to the 'Y' and 'N' keys as well as the existing accelerators for each button. ('Y' and 'N' are localised as appropriate.)
  • The Find Panel now correctly inherits the current path when a new lister is opened.
  • Ctrl-Z to undo a Paste now works in inline rename.
  • Moving a file in a File Collection to a folder on the same hard drive now correctly moves the file instead of using copy/delete semantics.
  • Fixed problem which meant that, in rare circumstances, files within archives were not fully read by viewer plugins.
  • Fix for possible memory corruption with glass docked toolbars in Office style.
  • Fixed incorrect sort order in Profile branch of tree in Windows 7.
  • The 'Open With' menu item is no longer added for .EXE and other program files (same as Explorer).
  • FTP improvements: Increased upload speed for both standard FTP and SSH.
  • Fixed error that could allow a Copy/Move to take place with no valid destination path (e.g. if My Computer was open in the destination file display).
  • Folder colors, toolbar icons and status bar icons now support aliases/environment variables.
  • Added /homeroot alias for root of program drive.
  • Folder aliases are now sorted correctly when displayed in the tree.
  • For DOS commands with @leavedoswindowopen set (which includes commands run from the FAYT field), Opus now only adds /K to the command line if the command processor is the default cmd.exe; if the %ComSpec% environment variable is set to something else, Opus will now look for a new environment variable called %ComSpecLeaveOpenArg% which can be used to specify an argument for the "leave open" option.
  • Fixed problem where a checkmark next to a context menu item may not have been shown (for example, the Always available offline context menu command).
  • Additional fixes for rendering of glass docked toolbars.
  • Buttons on "taskbar" and "borderless" toolbars docked to the right edge of the screen can now be clicked when the mouse is right at the edge of the screen.
  • Fixed crash when attempting to view some 16-bit Photoshop images.
ActiveX plugin improvements:
  • Added workaround for "Adobe PDF for Vista" preview handler not working under x64 due to Adobe registering it incorrectly.
  • Added workaround for "Adobe PDF for Vista" preview handler rendering blank pages sometimes when scrolled with the mouse wheel.
  • "Adobe PDF for Vista" preview handler is now enabled by default, if installed, as it's the only Adobe PDF viewer applet that works properly on Windows 7 x64 and it doesn't depend on the "Display PDF in browser" setting of Adobe Reader. People who preferred Adobe Reader can still configure the plugin to use it instead of the Adobe PDF preview handler if they want to.
  • Added .MP4 to default Generic ActiveX extensions.
  • Added workaround for Microsoft preview handlers that have identical names. It's now clear which is which.
  • Added a hardcoded list of default preview handler associations to use as a fallback when no association exists in the registry. (Example 1: Uninstalling the FoxIt preview handler does not re-assign .PDF to the Adobe preview handler. Example 2: On a vanilla Windows 7 install there is no .EML filetype but there is an Email preview handler which works fine if the plugin knows to use it.)
  • Plugin configuration dialog now opens a bit faster on Windows 7 x64.
  • Fixed using Microsoft Office itself (not the preview handlers) to view documents on Windows 7 x64.
  • The Open Office file types are now viewed via an embedded Internet Explorer, by default, as this works better with OpenOffice 3.
  • The default configuration now recognises Open Office documents (.ODT), spreadsheets (.ODS), graphics (.ODG) and presentations (.ODP).
  • Internet Explorer and the Windows Email preview handlers can now be scrolled with the mouse wheel without first clicking on them. (Unfortunately, this has to be done by giving them the focus when you scroll.)
  • Adobe PDF preview handler no longer takes the focus when scrolling with the mouse wheel.
  • Added workaround for Adobe PDF preview handler on Vista x64. (Different to the previous workaround for Windows 7 x64.)
  • Added workaround for Adobe PDF preview handler locking files when they are viewed.
  • Added workaround for Adobe PDF preview handler not responding to the keyboard after scrolling with the mouse wheel.
  • Added workaround for Adobe PDF preview handler not allowing you to tab-cycle to or from it.
  • Added workaround for Adobe PDF preview handler not drawing pages if you scrolled rapidly using the keyboard.
  • Note: The above two Adobe PDF workarounds are done by installing a keyboard hook into the Adobe PDF viewer process. When you view a PDF file, if your anti-virus software complains that docsvw32.exe (part of the Opus ActiveX plugin) looks like a keylogger then you should either dismiss the ignore the warning or disable the keyboard hook by setting KeyHooks="no" in the plugin's configuration file. A FAQ has been posted with more details: Opus executables and hooks.