16 December 2011

Directory Opus version 10.0.2.3 (Beta)

This is a beta version. If you aren't comfortable running the very latest version of Opus then you may like to wait for the next stable release.

Directory Opus 10.0.2.3 is available now for all Opus 10 users.

Directory Opus 10.0.2.3 x86 (32 bit)
Directory Opus 10.0.2.3 x64 (64 bit)

Directory Opus 10.0.2.3 Deutsch x86 (32 bit)
Directory Opus 10.0.2.3 Deutsch x64 (64 bit)

This is a preliminary, beta release. It fixes a number of issues reported since the release of Directory Opus 10.

New features and minor changes:

  • The Preferences filter is now cleared if you click your mouse/keyboard's Back button to go back to a page which is currently hidden by your filter. (Previously, the page would be shown while the tree was left with some other page selected.)
  • After the first time you apply a Preferences filter, you no longer have to click Back twice to go back to the previous page if applying the filter did not cause the page to be changed.
  • Archive extensions handled by plugins are automatically removed from the list of Zip extensions, both at startup and when applying Prefs. (Avoids problems if people mistakenly add .RAR to the list of Zip extensions, or confusion over which handler is being used for .ZipX.)
  • During shutdown, the config file listing your active toolbars is only saved if it's different to what's already on disk.

Bug fixes:

  • Fixed problems with dummy folders appearing in the tree underneath Libraries.
  • The help window is no longer obscured by the Preferences or Customize windows if they are set to "on top of Opus" mode.
  • Fixed problem with the Location field showing internal library paths for library items added to collections.
  • Internal library paths are now resolved to their real filesystem paths before being passed to rename scripts.
  • Pressing F1 to display file/EXIF information in the viewer now works for plugin-supplied images like RAW.
  • Fixed problem where expanding a folder tree branch in a library could trigger a password prompt if the folder contained any password-protected archives.
  • Fixed newly/recently created items being auto-selected after creating a new folder, if "Automatically select newly copied files" was on.
  • After cropping or restoring an image in the viewer, the image dimensions displayed in the status bar is now updated.
  • Previously, if you did a crop, rotate, undo and reset-rotation then the image would end up rotated from what it was originally.
  • If the viewer was set to fit-to-page or grow-to-page and you cropped an image and then zoomed in or out, the new zoom size was miscalculated (although only for that first jump).

9 December 2011

Directory Opus version 10.0.2.2 (Beta)

This is a beta version. If you aren't comfortable running the very latest version of Opus then you may like to wait for the next stable release.

Directory Opus 10.0.2.2 is available now for all Opus 10 users.

Directory Opus 10.0.2.2 x86 (32 bit)
Directory Opus 10.0.2.2 x64 (64 bit)

Directory Opus 10.0.2.2 Deutsch x86 (32 bit)
Directory Opus 10.0.2.2 Deutsch x64 (64 bit)

This is a preliminary, beta release. It fixes a number of issues reported since the release of Directory Opus 10.

New features and minor changes:

  • Preferences and Customize filters now filter as you type, without the need to push return. The Prefs filter no longer loses focus after running a search, allowing you to more easily refine your search.
  • The Set command can now move the slider between dual file displays. Use Set DUALSIZE=50 to make both displays 50% wide/tall, Set DUALSIZE=25 to make the left/top display 25% while the other is 75%, etc. You can also make buttons which toggle between two sizes, e.g. Set DUALSIZE=75,50 will make the first display use 75% of space when clicked once, then restore both displays to using 50% when clicked again.

Bug fixes:

  • Sub-menus set to open "above the menu button" would open on top of the button instead of above it, making it easy to accidentally click the bottom item.
  • Workaround for Send To -> Mail Recipient not working with Outlook 2003, due to Outlook 2003 loading its DLLs in an non-secure way which Opus 10 blocked by default.
  • Workaround for issue dragging attachments from Outlook to Opus, where Outlook would interpret the drop action as a Move rather than a Copy.
  • The @ifset directive can now be used to test which side of a dual display Lister is source (e.g. @ifset:source=left, @ifset:dest=left, @ifset:focus=right, etc)
  • Folder colors now work more reliably in libraries - a colored folder will show in both the library path as well as the real disk path, and library roots and individual member folders in the tree (if shown) can be colored
  • InfoTips now appear for files in Search Results collections if enabled for local drives only
  • Fixed problem with top-level checkbox behaviour in Sync results.
  • Toolbar buttons which run Set DUAL=vert and Set DUAL=horiz now have their visual state updated as soon as the dual-display orientation changes.
  • Invoking a user command and passing selected filenames to it with the {file} etc codes now works correctly.
  • Fixed problem where dummy/duplicate folders could appear in the tree underneath Libraries
  • Configuration restore from a library path now works
  • Display of duration, etc, now supported for .WTV files (the .wtv suffix must be added to the settings for the Movie plugin if it isn't already)
  • Fixed problem where a newly created zip file could be cached and incorrectly displayed as empty even after folder added to it (triggered by Copy ZIP=Single,KeepFolder command)
  • When the list was grouped, running the Select HIDEUNSEL command and then revealing hidden files would not correctly regroup the displayed files
  • Dragging a file with the right button from a library to a physical folder now displays the correct drop menu
  • The {leftpath} and {rightpath} control codes are now resolved correctly for library paths
  • The Customize / Keys list no longer considers disabled hotkeys as duplicates (drawn in red).
  • Drops on the tree and toolbar buttons no longer leave the drag image visible while processing the drop.
  • Double-click on list in Customize/Keys was unreliable

8 December 2011

Warning about CNet / Download.com bundled installers

Until very recently, if you downloaded Directory Opus from CNet / Download.com you may have received a bundled installer, filename starting with "cnet_", with unwanted extras such as advertising, browser toolbars, browser home-page modifications or other junk. (The exact modifications varied.)

In some cases these modified installers triggered anti-virus warnings, and quite rightly so.

Due to the way the CNet / Download.com installers were packaged and presented, they may have given the impression that the unwanted extras were endorsed by, or even part of, Directory Opus. This was not the case. The modified installers hosted on Download.com were created entirely without GPSoftware's knowledge or permission.

After battling with their support team, CNet have finally agreed to remove their modifications and return to hosting proper, untainted versions of Directory Opus on their site. We still make this announcement so that anyone affected by CNet's actions knows the story and to help spread the word to other developers whose software may still be on Download.com in a modified state.

The official installers for Directory Opus have always been available from GPSoftware directly and have never contained anything but the product itself. If you ever need to verify that a Directory Opus installer is unmodified, check its digital signature. If the digital signature is missing, invalid, or created by someone other than GPSoftware, you should delete the file and download a replacement from GPSoftware or an official distributor:


CNet's modifications have been done to many other software products listed on Download.com. For background reading, and to give credit to those who brought this issue to wider attention, please see here:


With news of this spreading, CNet sent an email to developers explaining that the scheme is in its early stages and that next year we'll all be able to share in the profits. We have told them that they can either host our installers unmodified or not host them at all. We have no interest in profiting by pushing unwanted junk on unsuspecting users.

We know that bundling browser toolbars and other garbage would be a way to make a quick buck but we also know it would devalue our product and disrespect our users. We hate seeing that rubbish when we install other products, especially ones we paid good money for, and we're not about to push it on anyone else. We make Directory Opus good enough that people choose to install it; we don't build Directory Opus as a lure to trick people into installing other junk on behalf of third parties whose products are not good enough to sell themselves. It may be unfashionable but we believe in selling our product, not selling our users.

Like many others, we are extremely disappointed that CNet have been adding this nonsense to our work and in such a dubious way, making an extra profit at the expense of our users and our reputation. It is ridiculous that these modifications were done without notification, let alone authorisation. CNet had no right to use our intellectual property or trademarks in this way. The scheme should never have been "opt-out" in the first place and it is absurd that it took us several emails, bordering on legal threats, to actually opt out. It is still a problem that so much other software hosted on CNet / Download.com will continue to be modified in this way until its authors find out and assert their rights.


While I'm here...

If you search Download.com for Directory Opus, the third hit you get (after the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Opus) is a program called iSysCleaner Pro. It is included in the results because it claims to clean up "Third party applications junk files (Acrobat Reader, AVG Anti-virus, Directory Opus, Microsoft Terminal Server Client, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera)."

Intrigued by this, and not finding any further details on its website, I downloaded the tool to find out what it does. Its configuration file reveals that it simply looks for and deletes the Directory Opus thumbnail cache:

[Directory Opus]
version=1.1
selected=1
display=Directory Opus Thumbnail Cache
items=1
0.folder_include={localappdata}\GPSoftware\Directory Opus\Thumbnail Cache
0.extension_include=*.db
0.subfolder=0

The thumbnail cache is not what I would call "junk" data, but if you do wish to clear it or disable it entirely, you don't need a third party tool. Just go to Settings -> Preferences / File Display Modes / Thumbnails, click Adjust cache settings and then Empty. After doing that you can also clear the Cache thumbnails checkbox to disable caching.