23 November 2011

Directory Opus version 10.0.2.1 (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 10.0.2.1 is available now for all Opus 10 users.

Directory Opus 10.0.2.1 x86 (32 bit)
Directory Opus 10.0.2.1 x64 (64 bit)

Directory Opus 10.0.2.1 Deutsch x86 (32 bit)
Directory Opus 10.0.2.1 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:

  • Added LOADPREV argument to Find command to control loading of previous find parameters when find panel opens
  • Added REF argument to Help command to open the help file showing certain reference pages
  • Added relsoftlink option for Copy MAKELINK and Clipboard PASTELINK commands to allow creation of relative soft links.
  • The Description column now shows relative link targets as well as absolute targets
  • In thumbnails mode, the next (not yet visible) row of thumbnails is now cached in advance to make browsing through images faster
  • Added /acmd argument to the DOpusRT program– this is similar to /cmd but sends the command to last active window instead of source window.

Bug fixes:

  • Fixed a layout/painting issue when resizing tree view
  • Using the command sequence {file$|noext} with Copy ADDTOARCHIVE CREATEFOLDER now works correctly
  • Dropping files on Go PATH toolbar buttons now respects the copy/move/link restrictions imposed by the drop target and also allows RMB drag to display a menu
  • Drags from archives handled by the Opus7Zip plugin now exclude Move operations for read-only archives (instead of leaving them available and showing an error message if they are attempted)
  • On Windows XP, the Find tool (and other things which trigger a progress bar or marquee behind the Location field) could cause excessive CPU usage and an unresponsive UI while taking longer than they should to complete.
  • Fixed problem with shortcuts to control panels on XP which didn’t work in Opus when double-clicked.
  • Context menu 'Search' command did not work on Drives folder tree under Windows XP.
  • Setting a description on a directory now works correctly when using NTFS descriptions (no longer complains that the descript.ion system is disabled).
  • In the Select Folder dialog (e.g. {dlgfolder} in a command), fixed the ability to type a new folder path and click OK to create that folder.
  • Fixed problem with Toolbar location fields not repainting in response to colour changes.
  • The Advanced Rename preview list was not updated correctly when selecting a preset that turns on or off the "Rename in sub-folders" option
  • Documents are now added to the system recent list when double-clicked
  • The Image drop-down in the Filter editor did not display a scrollbar
  • Changes to icon overlays (e.g. from TortoiseSVN) are now reflected in the folder tree correctly
  • In Windows 7, control panel shortcuts created by searching in the start menu didn’t always work in Opus.
  • Fixed problem with the Metapane being unable to edit certain image files (saving changes would fail, and leave a temporary file in the source directory)
  • In fullscreen/slideshow mode the viewer now properly hides the mouse cursor (previously it would flick on and off when the next image was loaded)
  • Find filters for certain Image fields (e.g. aspect ratio) did not work correctly
  • The Zip Comment command did not appear in the background context menu for zips in libraries
  • Applying a label to a folder via the tree (context menu) could result in the label being applied to the wrong folder; and in some cases, the originally selected folder in the tree would stop working until the tree was rebuilt
  • Flickr config data was left behind after deleting a Flickr account from Prefs.
  • The ActiveX plugin now assigns SVG files to Internet Explorer by default. (IE9 or above is required to display SVG files.)
  • The ActiveX plugin sets Windows Media Player to 100% volume, instead of its default 50%.
  • A button that starts with an @ifset: directive will now use the parameters for that directive as the basis for context sensitivity (e.g. as if it was a straight Set command) rather than the command that follows it.
  • Archives were not sorted correctly in the folder tree when listed below a library
  • File displays did not correctly respect the system drag-distance metric.
  • Saving the folder format "for all folders" now disables all the default format types
  • Grouping the file display by a metadata column that took a while to populate could cause rendering issues once all the metadata had been read
  • The {fd} command sequence did not correctly resolve the path of files in libraries
  • Adding folders to zip files with the Copy ZIP command did not work correctly in libraries
  • Tagging files in the viewer did not work for files in libraries.
  • The ContextMenu internal command did not work properly for files in libraries.
  • When alt-clicking to edit a toolbar button that was in a sub-menu of a chevron menu (e.g. had been pushed off-screen because the toolbar was too small) changes to the toolbar button would not be saved
  • When viewing a library in FlatView Grouped mode, make changes to folders could cause a dummy folder to be displayed in the library
  • Changing system locale settings now causes date and time columns to update immediately instead of on the next directory refresh.
  • Date/Time columns (e.g. "Modified") now align and truncate better. If the column isn't wide enough, the time part will be truncated first while keeping the date part lined up.
  • The internal sound player didn’t work on files in libraries
  • The FileType NEWNAME argument didn’t work correctly in libraries.
  • When ‘Preserve descriptions of copied files’ option is on, folder descriptions are now preserved as well as file descriptions
  • The Clipboard COPYNAMES=path command now copies the correct path when used within a Quick Find Results collection
  • In Libraries, the {infotip} sequence did not work in tooltips
  • The command “Rename FROM {filepath$|..|noterm} TO {file$|noext}” now works correctly.
  • Fixed problem where folders could incorrectly appear in Flat View (No Folders) mode if they were renamed.
  • The Copy AS argument now works correctly when creating a zip file
  • The Preferences tree control didn’t indicate when a branch had focus when not themed.
  • Fixed crash when right-clicking one item followed immediately by another item in the Styles menu
  • Reduced lag when smooth scrolling is enabled and repainting is slow. (e.g. Huge window in thumbnails mode with a background image.)
  • Fixed the look of status bar graphs with g=3 or g=4 on a glass background.
  • Fixed black square instead of context menu icon for Notepad++ on Windows XP.
  • Fixed support for drag and drop from Eudora
  • Fixed some cases where drag & drop on to a folder (or toolbar button which navigates to a folder) would not restrict the copy/move/link restrictions imposed by the drop source.
  • Fixed problem with jumplist icons and roaming profiles. (Jumplist icons are now cached into a roaming-profile folder, since the jumplist that refers to them is inherently stored in the roaming profile as well.)
  • Blacklisted problematic shell extension: Qualcomm Atheros Commnucations Bluetooth Suite (BtvAppExt.dll, {B8952421-0E55-400B-94A6-FA858FC0A39F}).
  • Fixed some painting issues with the Folder Options - Columns list when unthemed.
  • Fixed first item being given the focus after folder change if "automatically select first item" was turned on but another command quickly changed the selection/focus after the folder change.
  • With item-themes disabled, lasso-selection did not re-paint the left edge of the Name column until the mouse button was released.
  • The ActiveX plugin now sets Windows Media Player and Quicktime (and possibly others) to only play the selected file once, instead of in a loop.
  • The Find-As-You-Type field's "DOS Command" mode incorrectly used the colours configured for its "Command" mode, when triggered via the '?' keypress.
  • Fixed some painting issues with the Preferences page list when sections near the bottom were expanded and collapsed.
  • Fixed problem with the SSL library initialisation failing in some situations.
  • FTP Fixed issues with strange router/server reports of “unable to assign requested address”.
  • FTP Fixed issue with SFTP failing with “server key mismatch” for some servers.

Posted by jon at Wednesday, November 23, 2011

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8 November 2011

Heads up: Right-click crashes triggered by Qualcomm Atheros Bluetooth Suite

We've had several crash reports recently which turned out to be triggered by Qualcomm Atheros Bluetooth Suite and the shell extension it installs.

If you have that software installed (and it may come pre-installed with some computers), and you are also getting crashes when right-clicking files, then it is probably the trigger.

The shell extension in question will be blacklisted in the next Opus update (after 10.0.2.0), but if you are affected by it now you can manually tell Opus to ignore it:

  • Go to Settings -> Preferences / Miscellaneous / Advanced.

  • Double-click ignore_context_menus.

  • Paste this into the list:

    {B8952421-0E55-400B-94A6-FA858FC0A39F}

  • Click OK twice.



(The shell extension appears to create its own background threads and windows when files are right-clicked, then falls over if the extension is unloaded while those threads/windows still exist. The COM object's name (shown in the debug output) is the generic-looking AppShellPage Class, and the associated DLL is C:\Program Files\Bluetooth Suite\BtvAppExt.dll.)


For more information on tracking down problematic shell extensions, see our FAQ: Crash, exit or high CPU when right-clicking certain files. The steps in that FAQ were used to track down this problem and work out what needed to be added to the ignore list.

Posted by Leo at Tuesday, November 08, 2011

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How to create a Styles tab-bar (like Opus 9)

Directory Opus 10's default toolbars have the Styles list in a menu:



Directory Opus 9's default toolbars had a row of tabs, instead. You can still have that in Opus 10 if you want:



If you upgraded from Opus 9 to Opus 10, you may still have the old "Tabbar" toolbar, in which case you just need to turn it on:


  • Go to Settings -> Customize Toolbars.
  • Select the Toolbars tab.
  • If Tabbar is in the list, simply turn it on and click OK.


If you don't have the old toolbar, don't worry; it is very easy to create from scratch.


You can add the tabs to an existing toolbar but you'll probably want to give them a whole row, so let's create a new toolbar for them to live on:


  • Go to Settings -> Customize Toolbars and select the Toolbars tab, as before.
  • Click the New Toolbar icon above the list of toolbars.
  • Call the new toolbar "Tabbar" (or whatever you want).

You should now see a new, blank toolbar below your old ones. Now:


  • In the Customize window, select the Commands tab.
  • Type styles into the filter at the bottom of the window.
  • One of the matching items should be called Lister Styles - Tabs.
  • Drag the item out of the Customize window and drop it on your toolbar.


While in Customize mode, you won't see the actual tabs; instead you'll see a placeholder that designates where the tabs will appear. (Click OK in the Customize window to save your changes and make the tabs appear.)


While in Customize mode, you can right-click the placeholder to change how the tabs will look. You'll probably want to turn on the Use Visual Styles option:



Also, if you choose Edit... in the same menu, you can change or remove the "Styles:" label that appears to the left of the tabs:


Posted by Leo at Tuesday, November 08, 2011

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2 October 2011

The update cycle and lifetime licences

(See also: List of FAQs organised by topic)

  • Major Updates vs Minor Updates

    (Not to be confused with Stable vs Beta updates, which is covered separately.)

    Put simply, 'major updates' are when the first part of the version number changes and 'minor updates' are all the others in-between.

    All of the 9.x.x.x updates are considered to be part of the same 'major version', i.e. 'Directory Opus 9'.

    Similarly, all of the 10.x.x.x updates are part of a different 'major version', i.e. 'Directory Opus 10'.

    These terms and conventions are not absolute and aren't used by all programs. For example, Chrome and Firefox don't assign much meaning to their major version numbers and will bump them for fairly minor updates. Similarly, while one 'minor' Opus update may only contain a handful of changes, another may contain so many that it would qualify as a 'major' update for many other products.

  • Lifetime Licences vs Lifetime Update Licences

    When you buy Directory Opus you get a lifetime licence to use the current major version (e.g. 'Directory Opus 10'). All updates released for the same major version are yours for free and you can keep using them forever.

    There are typically three or four years between each major version change. (See below for a detailed look at that.)

    When a new major version is released you are given the option of buying it for an upgrade fee. (You may also qualify for a free upgrade. The time window varies but, as an example, people were given free upgrades if they bought Opus 9 within four months of Opus 10's release.)

    If you choose to buy the upgrade then you can use the new major version, and any updates released for it, forever.

    If you decide not to buy the upgrade then you can ignore it and continue using your existing version forever. (You can also change your mind and buy the upgrade later, of course.)

    So, buying Opus gives you a lifetime licence and (typically) a lot of free updates over a long period of time, but it does not entitle you to free updates forever.

    (Obviously, the 'lifetime licence' is subject to the conditions of the licence agreement. Your licence may become void if you share your registration details with half the Internet or anything silly like that.)

  • Update Size and Frequency

    If you look at the history of Directory Opus, people were only asked to pay for major updates every three to four years. (Most recently: 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2011. As an aside, the price of Opus has remained fixed over that decade, although the foreign-exchange rate has fluctuated.)

    In the years between major updates, many minor updates were given away for free. Although they are called 'minor' updates, those free updates weren't just occasional bug-fixes; some of them added significant features & improvements.

    Many companies charge money (often once a year, like clockwork) for 'major' updates with fewer improvements than you get with the free 'minor' Opus updates. Those companies would not even think of producing an update as big as a 'major' Opus update.

    A lot of work goes into the free updates while effort towards the next major version ramps up slowly in the background. Major updates are not released according to the calendar; they are worked on until it is felt they are worth asking money for. Of course, if a major update is released and you don't think it's worth the asking price then you can skip it and continue using the version you already have.

    As a guide, the list below shows the complete update cycle from Opus 9 to Opus 10, plus the Opus 10 updates to the time of writing. Each version links to a change-log so you can see how big or small it was.

    Directory Opus 9 consisted of fifty updates over four years. Free updates added hundreds of improvements and features, including a native 64-bit version (Opus 9.1 in Dec 2007) and Windows 7 support (Opus 9.5 in Oct 2009).

    In the list below, all of the updates were free except for the two major updates in bold.



  • Why not Lifetime Updates?

    You get a lot of free updates with Opus, and you get to use whatever you buy forever without having to pay again, but you don't get free updates forever. Why not?

    The short answer is that a lot of full-time work gets put into Opus and the people who do that work need to earn a living so they can keep doing it.

    Of course, some programs do give you free updates forever. How can this be? If you look at those programs they almost all fall into these groups:

    1. Programs which never get significant updates.

      It's very easy to promise to give you nothing forever for free. :) If you look at the update history of many programs in this camp, you'll get more improvements and better support from a single Opus update cycle than you will get from the other program in a lifetime. In this case, what are you really gaining from the lifetime updates deal? It often just makes it official that there will never be an update worth paying for.

      That isn't to say the programs in this group are bad. Some tools focus on one particular task and do it well without much scope for improvement or need to adapt to changes in Windows or other things they may interact with. We all use (and some of us have written) tools like that, but Opus does not really fit into this group. (If you disagree, you are free to buy the current version of Opus and use it forever!)

    2. Programs where the lifetime updates option costs several times the normal upgrade fee.

      For programs that do have significant ongoing effort put into them, there is usually a hefty premium on the "lifetime updates" option.

      Effectively, you have to pay for several major updates in advance to get the rest for free. You're being asked to pay for future versions before you know what is in them and when -- or even if -- they will actually come out. You will only save money over a very long period, and only if the developers keep making the program and you keep choosing to use it. If development stalls or something better comes along, you could effectively lose money instead of saving it. Even if everything goes well, the amount you'll potentially save is negligible given the length of time and risk involved. Put simply, there are better ways to invest your money.

      A similar option could be offered for Opus but, quite frankly, it does not seem worthwhile. It seems to give questionable value to the user while diminishing the developer's incentive to create updates that are worth buying.

    3. Lifetime update licences that don't actually last a lifetime.

      There are cases where lifetime update licences were sold for products which were then discontinued, only to be replaced by very similar products with different names. People's lifetime update entitlements became worthless because they didn't qualify for the new product and no further updates were released for the old one. Some cases might be "bait and switch" scams while others may just be the result of well-meaning people trying to offer lifetime updates, because it's a nice thing to do, but then ending up without enough income to fund future development. One is worse than the other but neither is good.

      There are also cases where companies used to offer free lifetime updates early in a product's life but circumstances changed such that it no longer made sense to offer the same deal to new customers. (Perhaps the initial deal was to help promote a new product, or the project started as a spare-time hobby but became successful enough to grow into a full-time job.) Those cases are fair enough, provided the existing agreements are honoured, but also irrelevant to Opus since Opus is a well established product with several people working on it full-time.

    4. Completely free software.

      Of course, it would be wrong not to mention free (as in beer) software, which obviously gives you free lifetime updates.

      A lot of free software falls into the first group, with updates restricted to modest changes made by people in their spare time. There are some Windows file managers in this camp but if you think they are good enough then you wouldn't even be considering Directory Opus.

      At least when it comes to polished Windows software, the free software that receives significant, full-time support and development usually has corporate sponsorship behind it, paying for the work to be done one way or another. Unfortunately, nobody has shown interest in acting as a sugar daddy for the development of Windows file managers, so this group is not relevant to Opus.

    There are always exceptions and the groups above don't cover absolutely everything, of course. (e.g. Services funded by advertising where you are the product, not the customer.) But let's be clear: Unless someone wins the lottery, it is a fantasy to expect the amount of time & effort that goes into Opus to be done indefinitely for free. In what other profession would it even be reasonable to ask for that? If you don't appreciate that time & effort, and the multiple years of free updates & support you get with each major version of Opus, then you can choose to use another file manager or to buy Opus but never upgrade it. Presumably you do appreciate the effort or else you would not be here. :)

Posted by Leo at Sunday, October 02, 2011

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21 September 2011

"SSL Library" errors, preliminary fix

If you're getting "SSL Library" errors in Opus 10.0.2.0, there's a preliminary fix you can try here:


This has worked for everyone who has tried it & reported back so far, but it is also hot off the compiler so it has not yet been fully tested.

Posted by Leo at Wednesday, September 21, 2011

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9 September 2011

Directory Opus 10.0.2.0 now available

Directory Opus 10.0.2.0 is now available as a free update for all Directory Opus 10 users.

You can download the update via the GPSoftware website, or use the Check For Program Updates command in the program's Help menu.


This 10.0.2.0 update includes everything from the 10.0.1.x beta versions:This update also includes the following new changes:
  • The new Opus 10 help file (manual) is now complete and included. (Use the Help menu or F1 key to view the built-in copy. You can also view the online version, or download the PDF version for printing.)
  • Google Desktop Search support was broken.
  • With the copy queue enabled, Copy AS / Move AS now asks for new filenames (or rename pattern) when the operation is queued rather than when the job starts running.
  • Automated Find commands (those that use both NAME and IN arguments to automate the Find function) no longer inherit the previous settings of the Find dialog.
  • SetAttr META * no longer modifies the file timestamps if this is disabled in Preferences.
  • The Folder Options Save For All Folders + Layouts & Folder Tabs command did not correctly update folder tab groups.
  • Prefs PAGE=imageshack now opens the correct page.
  • Fixed problem where only the first file would be extracted from a zip file when the contents of the archive were dropped on the desktop.
  • Fixed problem where metadata added to PDF files generated by GhostScript would not be recognised in other programs.

Posted by Leo at Friday, September 09, 2011

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2 September 2011

Opus 10 manual in PDF format

The Opus 10 manual is now also available in PDF format, for those who wish to print it out.

Make sure you have plenty of paper as it's 720 pages!

Posted by Leo at Friday, September 02, 2011

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