What file managers are supported in addition to Windows Explorer?

In addition to Windows Explorer and Windows command line utilities, Quick Access Popup provides extended support for popular Explorer replacement applications Directory Opus and Total Commander and support for about 15 other file managers.

You can select your preferred file manager in the Options window, tab File managers.

Directory Opus support (DOpus)

  • If installed on your system, Directory Opus is detected automatically at QAP’s first launched and you can select if you want to use it as your primary file manager when QAP opens a folder in a new window.
  • Changing folders in an existing DOpus lister is supported for both regular and Special folders (My Computer, Network Neighborhood, Recycle Bin, etc.).
  • QAP can integrate the content of the Directory Opus Favorites and Directory Opus Layouts in a QAP sub menu.
  • The list of folders currently open in DOpus are automatically included in the Current Windows and Reopen a Folder QAP features.
  • Quick Access Popup is fully compatible with the new Directory Opus version 12.
  • More info here: Using Quick Access Popup with Directory Opus.

Total Commander support (TC)

  • If installed on your system, Total Commander is detected automatically at QAP’s first launched and you can select if you want to use it as your primary file manager when QAP opens a folder in a new window.
  • Changing folders in an existing TC windows is supported for both regular and Special folders (My Computer, Network Neighborhood, Recycle Bin, etc.).
  • QAP can integrate the content of the TC Directory Hotlist in a QAP sub menu (the TC wincmd.ini location must be set in Options).
  • The folders in currently active tabs in TC panes are automatically included in the Current Windows and Reopen a Folder QAP features.
  • More info here: Using Quick Access Popup with Total Commander.

QAPconnect: Universal File Managers Support

  • QAP also offers partial  support for a list of about 15 file managers described in the setting file QAPconnect.ini based on a list developed by Roland Toth (blog.rolandtoth.hu) for Folders Popup.
  • There is no need to install an addon to use these file managers in QAP.
  • First, make sure the info for your file manager is accurate in QAPconnect.ini: the directory must be the one where your app is installed.
  • To edit the QAPconnect settings file, in the Options, tab File managers, select QAPconnect and click the Edit QAPconnect.ini button under the dropdown list. Save the file and deselect/reselect the QAPconnect radio button to refresh the list.
  • Then, select QAPconnect and choose your file manager in the dropdown list.
  • Supported file managers: A43, Altap Salamander, CubicExplorer, Double Commander, EF Commander Free, Everything, Explorer++, ExplorerXP, Far Manager, FreeCommander XE, IrfanView, Just Manager, MultiCommander, One Commander, Nomad.NET, Snowbird, SpeedCommander, Tablacus Explorer, UltraExplorer, Unreal Commander, WinNC, XnView, xplorer2 lite, XYplorer & XYplorerFree.

How do I enable Directory Opus support in Quick Access Popup?

Quick Access Popup is fully compatible with the new Directory Opus version 12!
Video Demos: 

Quick Access Popup is fully compatible with Directory Opus, an impressive file manager program written by GPSoftware, in Australia. Directory Opus (DOpus) replaces Windows Explorer and integrates lots of features, including file compression, FTP capabilities, folder syncing and much more.

QAP is fully aware of DOpus capabilities and utilizes them via the internal DOpusRt.exe commands to offer seamless and reliable integration.

Directory Opus support

  • Automatic (but optional) enabling of DOpus support if the software is found on your system.
  • Seamlessly change a DOpus lister to user favorite folders, recent folders or Special folders (My Computer, Network Neighborhood, Recycle Bin, etc.).
  • Integration of Directory Opus Favorites and Directory Opus Layouts to the QAP menu.
  • Easily add the folder currently displayed in a lister to your favorites with the Add Active Folder or Web page menu.
  • Switch to a folder open in an existing lister with the Current Windows menu.
  • Switch instantly any file dialog boxes (File Open, Save As, etc.) to the folder active in a Directory Opus lister or Windows Explorer with the Reopen Current Folder in Dialog Box menu.
  • Open any folder active in a Directory Opus lister or Windows Explorer with the Reopen a Folder menu.
  • Restore groups of related folders in desired tabs and sides.
  • Adapted support for Special folders and FTP sites in DOpus.

How-to enable DOpus support

When you start it for the first time, Quick Access Popup checks if DOpus is installed on your computer (looking for the file [Program Files]GPSoftware\Directory Opus\dopus.exe). If it is found, it asks if you wish to enable Directory Opus integration. If you answer Yes, it records the DOpus.exe file path in the Settings, Options dialog box.

 

If DOpus is installed on your system after QAP or is installed in folder not found by Quick Access Popup, you can manually enable integration by browsing to your DOpus.exe file in the Options dialog box, File managers tab.

Directory Opus Favorites and Layouts

You can also add the Directory Opus Favorites menu manually from the QAP Features list. In the Customize window click Add, select the QAP Feature type, under the Dynamic Menus category, select Directory Opus Favorites and click the Add button, then Save your changes.

DOpus layouts are included by default under the QAP DOpus favorites menu but there is an option if you prefer not to include them if you do not use Layouts. Note that all layouts are displayed in this menu. QAP currently does not exclude layouts that would have the Hide option checked.

How do I enable Total Commander support in Quick Access Popup?

Quick Access Popup is fully compatible with Total Commander, a very popular file manager program written by Christian Ghisler, in Switzerland. Total Commander (TC) replaces Windows Explorer and integrates lots of features, including file compression, FTP capabilities, folder syncing and much more.

Quick Access Popup is aware of TC capabilities and utilizes them via TC internal commands to offer seamless and reliable integration.

Total Commander support

  • Automatic (but optional) enabling of Total Commander support if the software is found on your system.
  • Seamlessly change a TC window (any pane or tab) to user favorite folders, recent folders or special folders (My Computer, Network Neighborhood, Recycle Bin, etc.).
  • Integration of Total Commander Directory Hotlist.
  • Easily add the folder currently displayed in a TC window to your favorites with the Add Active Folder or Web page menu.
  • Switch to a folder open TC with the Current Windows menu.
  • Switch instantly any file dialog boxes (File Open, Save As, etc.) to the folder active in TC or Windows Explorer with the Reopen Current Folder in Dialog Box menu.
  • Open a folder active in a TC pane or Windows Explorer with the Reopen a Folder menu.
  • Restore groups of related folders in desired tabs and sides.
  • Adapted support for special folders and FTP sites in TC.
  • Import TotalCommander Hotlist to QAP menu

How-to enable Total Commander support

When you start it for the first time, Quick Access Popup checks if TC is installed on your computer (looking for the file TOTALCMD.EXE or TOTALCMD64.EXE). If it is found, it asks if you wish to enable Total Commander integration. If you answer Yes, it records the TOTALCMD.EXE file path in the Options dialog box, File Managers tab.

 

If TC is installed in a folder not found by Quick Access Popup, you can manually enable integration by browsing to your TOTALCMD.EXE or TOTALCMD64.EXE file in the Options dialog box. In order to integrate the TC Directory Hotlist in QAP, set the TC wincdm.ini file location in Options, File Managers tab.

You can choose if you prefer to launch Total Commander and on which pane you prefer to add new tabs: active side, left, right or destination (target) side.

Note: Applications launched from Total Commander can use some TC exclusive environment variables like %COMMANDER_PATH% or %COMMANDER_EXE% (see the Pseudo environment variables section of this page). These variables are unknown from QAP if you launch QAP before Total Commander.

To use these variables in your QAP configuration, for example if the variable %COMMANDER_PATH% is used in a redirection command for the Directory HotList data ([DirMenu] section of the settings file wincdm.ini) or to use TC variables in your favorites paths, you must launch QAP from Total Commander. This can be done manually but can also be automated at startup using a plugin like Autorun.

Or, if you prefer to run QAP normally, you could simply avoid using these pseudo-variables and enter the fully qualified paths where required.

If the TC Directory Hotlist menu has not been added automatically to your QAP menu when you installed it, go to the Customize window, click the Add button, select the QAP Feature type and, under the Dynamic Menus category, select TC Directory Hotlist.

Note: Total Commander commands starting with cm_ (like cm_OpenDesktop or cm_OpenDrives) are currently not supported in QAP TC Directory Hotlist. Entries in the ini file containing these commands are skipped.

At this time, the Reopen a Folder and Current Windows menus will only include the active tab in each TC pane. Other tabs are not included in these menus. Also, re-opening the active TC folder in a file dialog box is currently not supported for some Windows Special Folders like My Computer or Recycle Bin. These features could be improved with future releases of QAP and TC.

New! Import Total Commander HotList to QAP

QAP Forum user CaptainSolo wrote an utility program to convert the TC Hotlist to a CSV file that can be imported in QAP using the CSV in Add Multiple Favorites. Simply run this great utility and import the resulting CSV in QAP.

To import the CSV file, open the Favorite, Add Multiple Favorites dialog box, select CSV file and import all or only the selected favorites. More help here.

How do I setup QAPconnect for another file manager?

QAP offers partial  support for a list of about 15 file managers. The QAPconnect.ini settings file act as an interface between Quick Access Popup and these file mangers. You can find this file in QAP’s Settings Folder.

When configured for your file manager and selected in the QAP Options dialog box, File managers tab, these settings allow QAP to change folder or open new folder in your file manager.

Note 1: If you only use Windows Explorer and file dialog boxes (Open, Save As, etc.), you don’t need to care about this file. Just use QAP as it is.

Note 2: The file managers Directory Opus and Total Commander are already supported by QAP without needing additional settings in this file. To use one of these file managers, select it in OptionsFile managers tab.

How does QAPconnect works?

When QAP needs to open a new window (or tab) in a file manager or to change folder in the current window, it needs to know what command to send to the file manager. This is done by selecting your file manager in QAP Options dialog box.

But, first, you need to make sure the info in the file QAPconnect.ini is OK for your installation of the file manager.

  1. In the Options, File Managers tab, click the Edit QAPconnect.ini button.
  2. In the list of file managers in the QAPconnect.ini file, find your file manager. File manager names are enclosed in square brackets. If you do not find it, see Note 3 below.
  3. Edit the AppPath parameter to reflect the current path to your file manager exe file.
  4. Save this file keeping its actual name and location.
  5. In Quick Access Popup, open the Options window and select the File managers tab.
  6. Select the QAPconnect radio button and choose your file manager in the Application drop-down list.

Note 3: File managers added to QAPconnect after you installed QAP are not added the file QAPconnect.ini (to avoid overwriting the file if it was edited). Instead, the file QAPconnect-default.ini is added to your QAP Settings folder. Check if this file includes your file manager. If yes, copy the section for this file manager to the QAPconnect.ini file and edit it as explained from steps 3 above.

Note 4: For users using QAP in a “portable” environment like an USB key, you can set a relative path for your file manager exe file (i.e. “..\MyManager\MyManager.exe”). Path is relative to the QAP Settings Folder. If you preferred the portable installation, it is the directory where QAP exe file is running.

Adding a file manager

Actually, over 15 file managers are supported in QAPconnect. If your custom file manager is not in QAPconnect.ini, you can add it to the list if it meets certain conditions. The main condition is that it must accept commands via the command line to open a new window, open a new tab (if applicable) or change the folder in the current file manager’s window.

1. To add a file manager, add a new section at the bottom of this file with the name and version of your file manager between square brackets […]. For example:

[MyManager (v1.2.3)]
AppPath=
CommandLine=
NewTabSwitch=
NeverQuotes=

2. Set your file manager path and command line options:

a) AppPath: path to your custom file manager application executable (absolute or relative)

b) CommandLine: parameters that will be passed to the application (set in AppPath)
  – the placeholder %Path% will be replaced with the path of the favorite folder selected in QAP popup menu
  – the placeholder %NewTabSwitch% will be replaced with the NewTabSwitch parameter (see below)
See examples in sections for other file managers in the QAPconnect.ini file. Refer to your file manager’s documentation to see if these parameters are available.

c) NewTabSwitch (optional): command line parameter to open folder in a new tab (if available) or in a new instance of your file manager. NewTabSwitch is used only when you ask Quick Access Popup to open a folder in a new window. It will tell QAP how to open the folder in a new tab instead of a new window.

d) CompanionPath (optional): path to a command line executable, companion of the main file manager executable. For example, EF Commander Free main application is EFCommanderFreePortable.exe. But a second executable EFCWT.EXE is used to open or change folders. Setting the CompanionPath helps QAP manage properly file manager windows.

e) NeverQuotes: Normally, QAP encloses %Path% between double-quotes if it includes at least one space. If in your file manager, %Path% should never be enclosed, set NeverQuotes to “1” (without the double-quotes).

3. Save this file. In QAP, click the Refresh applications list to reflect your changes in QAPconnect.ini. You can now select your newly added file manager.

 

Can I open a folder a on specific monitor of a multiple-display system?

Video Demo:

Users with dual-display or multi-monitor systems have full control on the location of the Windows Explorer windows displaying their favorite folders.

Enabling the multi-monitor option

By default, QAP let Windows decide where new Explorer windows are open. But you can control it by enabling the option On a multi-monitor system, always open the Explorer window on the active monitor under the File Managers tab of the Options dialog box. Make sure Windows Explorer is selected first (this option is not available for users of other file managers).

 

When this option is enabled, the new Explorer windows are open on the active monitor. The following screen capture shows a system that has two monitors. The active monitor is the one where the Middle Mouse Button (or another button if you configured it differently) was clicked to open the QAP menu. If you open the menu with the keyboard shortcut (Windows + W, by default), the active monitor is the one where is the active application (top most window).

Maximize a folder on the selected monitor

If, in the Add/Edit Favorite dialog box for a Folder favorite, you select a custom window position under the Window Options, and choose the Maximized window state, you can specify on which monitor the Explorer or Total Commander window for this favorite will be maximized. This is also available for favorites of types Special and FTP when Explorer or Total Commander is the active file manager (Directory Opus users should use DOpus Layouts instead).