Add ability to copy and move items using just mouse without leaving window of Everything

Discussion related to "Everything" 1.5 Alpha.
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Thy Grand Voidinesss
Posts: 615
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:01 pm

Add ability to copy and move items using just mouse without leaving window of Everything

Post by Thy Grand Voidinesss »

I hereby kindly propose disregarding how Windows acts in regards to dragging items [especially across drives] and simply expand file handling capabilities of Everything by making it possible to:

#1] always move any number of selected items when dragging them with Left Mouse Button

#2] always copy any number of selected items when dragging them with Right Mouse Button

#3] make it possible to drop selected items [be it for moving or coping purposes] when releasing a click on any column

#4] be able to define a list of favorite locations and make it available under the right click menu


Ad #1 and #2:
It is already possible always copy, cut and paste within Everything using keyboard - so why not make it possible also when using only mouse?

These options however should be made optional, as they might confuse long time users of Windows. And it should be possible to which click apply to which, maybe also with expanding the choice to Middle Mouse Button


Ad #3:
As it is already impossible to move items up and down on the list in main window, there is no reason for a fail safe of having only the Path column being eligible for dropping


Ad #4:
A feature od favorite locations is present in FreeCommander- a hard core file manager. The Send To and Move To entry are present in context menu of Mp3tag - which started as a tagging program for audio files, but has grown beyond than by [among others things] implementing these 2 [i.e. 3] features

If Everything could combine both these functionalities and create something like Bookmarks of Everything, but stripped down only to path as their data [and user given name], it would make it a more universal thus time saving program



I often find myself in a situation when after finding something with the help of Everything I need to move, copy or delete it. And from these 3 basic features in Everything only the last one is doable with these conditions:
● using either keyboard or mouse
● without aiming for the allegeable column
● without leaving window of Everything to finish the process is some other software
Last edited by Thy Grand Voidinesss on Fri May 19, 2023 12:05 am, edited 4 times in total.
void
Developer
Posts: 15401
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Add ability to copy and move items using just mouse without leaving window of Everything

Post by void »

#1] always move any number of selected items when dragging them with Left Mouse Button
#2] always copy any number of selected items when dragging them with Right Mouse Button
I will consider an ini setting to change the drag action.


#3] make it possible to drop selected items [be it for moving or coping purposes] when releasing a click on any column
Everything should do this already when using full row select.
You can even drop on the parent folder by dropping on the text in the Path column.

Only right-click dragging is enabled by default.

To enable left-click drag dropping in the path column:
  • Copy and paste the following into your Everything search box:
    /allow_path_ldrop=1
    Press ENTER in your Everything search box.
    If successful, allow_path_ldrop=1 is shown in the status bar for a few seconds.
allow_path_ldrop


#4] be able to define a list of favorite locations and make it available under the right click menu
There should be programs out there that customize the context menu to do this already.
Consider creating folder shortcuts under shell:sendto



Thank you for the suggestions.
Thy Grand Voidinesss
Posts: 615
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:01 pm

Re: Add ability to copy and move items using just mouse without leaving window of Everything

Post by Thy Grand Voidinesss »

void wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 8:28 am [...]
#3] make it possible to drop selected items [be it for moving or coping purposes] when releasing a click on any column
Everything should do this already when using full row select.
Maybe it should. But I do have

Tools > Options > Results > Full Row Select

turned on - and yet I can only release effectively my dragged selections on the Path column

[I am using Everything 1.5.0.1346a x64 Portable on Windows 10 Enterprise 20H2 19042.746 x64]


void wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 8:28 am You can even drop on the parent folder by dropping on the text ina the Path column.
You mean if I see in Everything e.g.

Code: Select all

C:\111\222\test AAA.txt
and

Code: Select all

C:\111\222\333\444\test BBB.txt
but nothing more in

Code: Select all

C:\111
and

Code: Select all

C:\111\222\333
[except for their sub-folders
222
and
444
then I should be able to drop
file test BBB.txt
to folder
333
and
file test AAA.txt
to folder
111
, by aiming precisely at them in Path?

If yes- then it also does not work for me


void wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 8:28 am
#4] be able to define a list of favorite locations and make it available under the right click menu
There should be programs out there that customize the context menu to do this already.
[...]
You are absolutely right - I retract this one

In my defense: this idea was a result of long time usage of Mp3tag [as it has its own shell menu] and of FreeCommander [as it uses at the same time, depending on what you click upon, both its own shell menu and that of Windows] - and of my relatively short aquittance with Everything
void
Developer
Posts: 15401
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Add ability to copy and move items using just mouse without leaving window of Everything

Post by void »

I will consider an option to drop onto any subpath part under the Path column.

For example, if the Path column shows:

C:\111\222\333

You want to be able to drop onto the C:\111 subpath
Currently, you can only drop onto C:\111\222\333



For now, please consider copying the file to the clipboard.
Right clicking in the Path column and under the Parent folder submenu (with the folder icon), choose the desired subpath submenu and click Paste.

For example:
Right click C:\111\222\333 in the path column
Under the 333 submenu, under the 111 submenu, click Paste to paste to: C:\111

Thank you for the suggestions.
Thy Grand Voidinesss
Posts: 615
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:01 pm

Re: Add ability to copy and move items using just mouse without leaving window of Everything

Post by Thy Grand Voidinesss »

OK, so what I have described is pretty much already present in Everything - with the caveat of having to use entries nested in the right click menu

And what is really missing is ability to define what should mean dragging with held down mouse button; and maybe this new idea of Everything splitting shown Path into pieces / levels eligible for receiving


Thank you for spending your time to explain this
Last edited by Thy Grand Voidinesss on Wed Jun 21, 2023 5:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
void
Developer
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Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Add ability to copy and move items using just mouse without leaving window of Everything

Post by void »

To always show the parent folder submenu:
  • In Everything 1.5, from the Tools menu, click Options.
  • Click the Advanced tab on the left.
  • To the right of Show settings containing, search for:
    parent
  • Select context_menu_parent_folder.
  • Set the value to: Show.
  • Click OK.


I will consider an option to specify the drag action (and what is dragged) with the used mouse button.
Thank you for the suggestion.


I have put on my TODO list to add the parent folder submenu that you see when right clicking in the path column to the right-click drag-drop menu when dropping in the path column.
klark1kent
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2022 1:26 am

Re: Add ability to copy and move items using just mouse without leaving window of Everything

Post by klark1kent »

void wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 8:28 am
#1] always move any number of selected items when dragging them with Left Mouse Button
#2] always copy any number of selected items when dragging them with Right Mouse Button
I will consider an ini setting to change the drag action.


#3] make it possible to drop selected items [be it for moving or coping purposes] when releasing a click on any column
Everything should do this already when using full row select.
You can even drop on the parent folder by dropping on the text in the Path column.

Only right-click dragging is enabled by default.

To enable left-click drag dropping in the path column:
  • Copy and paste the following into your Everything search box:
    /allow_path_ldrop=1
    Press ENTER in your Everything search box.
    If successful, allow_path_ldrop=1 is shown in the status bar for a few seconds.
allow_path_ldrop


#4] be able to define a list of favorite locations and make it available under the right click menu
There should be programs out there that customize the context menu to do this already.
Consider creating folder shortcuts under shell:sendto



Thank you for the suggestions.
Hi @void If I've missed this elsewhere my apologies, but, I'm in the forum today looking for the capability to do something similar to the activity that you reference in your comment specific to: /allow_path_ldrop=1. However, instead of the file or folder being moved, I was hopeful it could simply pull the list of File or Folder name text and insert it into a txt file or spreadsheet (csv, tsv, xls*, whatever).

I use the Copy Full Path context menu often, however, I've found that a lot of what I am doing is comparing Folders or Files to other lists of Folders or Files within another program. I've not observed a context menu option to Copy just the Name Column, but I thought that it used to be an option, and even thought at one point I could drag and drop and just get the file names outputted but maybe thinking of something else.

So for example, let's take %USERPROFILE%\AppData (just using env variable for the sake of ease), instead of having to copy paths like below, and then splitting them by delimiter to get the name.
  • %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local
    %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow
    %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming
Desired state would allow me to select any amount of folders / files, and drag them over to Excel or Notepad, ideally the result being based on the column that I was in on original click to drag and drop, but would ultimately appreciate if just the Name was the result. What I find to be odd is that I can right click and Copy based on column header in other columns, for example Size, Date, etc... but if I do the same thing on Name, the context menu presents no options to Copy.
  • Local
    LocalLow
    Roaming
Similar action, different behaviour than the OP, but I think that's where keyboard modifiers could assist in differentiating. If I can already copy the list of names, and I'm just using the wrong column, please advise, I'm using: Name,Index,Name
void
Developer
Posts: 15401
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Add ability to copy and move items using just mouse without leaving window of Everything

Post by void »

The latest 1.5 alpha (1355) shows a "Copy Name" context menu item when right clicking under the Name column.

To always show the "Copy Name" context menu item:
  • In Everything, from the Tools menu, click Options.
  • Click the Context Menu tab on the left.
  • Select Copy Name.
  • Check Show this item (or Show this item when Shift key is down)
  • Click OK.
jimspoon
Posts: 161
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2011 11:39 pm

Re: Add ability to copy and move items using just mouse without leaving window of Everything

Post by jimspoon »

void wrote: Sun May 21, 2023 1:57 am I will consider an option to drop onto any subpath part under the Path column.

For example, if the Path column shows:

C:\111\222\333

You want to be able to drop onto the C:\111 subpath
Currently, you can only drop onto C:\111\222\333
I think this would be very useful. Say a file is contained in the folder C:\111\222\333. As it is now, If you wanted to move the file to the 111 or 222 folder by drag-and-drop, you'd have to find another file in the results list where C:\111\222 or C:\111 is displayed in the Path column. But depending on the search, there may be no such file in the results list. But with the option to drop onto any subpath part, that would never be a problem. I hope to see this feature implemented!

p.s. until this is implemented, I have set context_menu_parent_folder to Show, so I can copy/move to parent/ancestor that way, as you have suggested.
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