XYplorer File Manager makes me say Wow!
So you think you’re happy with your current file manager? Wanting to move up with more power, but not wanting a program that invades every part of your system? Donald Lessau of Köln, Deutschland (or Cologne, Germany for we “englisch”-speakers) wants to show you his XYplorer file manager, which according to its PAD file, “XYplorer is a multi-tabbed file manager featuring a powerful file search, versatile preview facilities, a highly customizable interface, and an array of unique ways to efficiently automate frequently recurring tasks.” Basically, that mouthful tells me XYplorer is a powerful tool. The more you dig into XYplorer, the sooner you discover its power to save you time and manage your files in ways no other file manager allows. Like some of you, I’m a huge Directory Opus fan. But the greatest strengths of Directory Opus — its complexity and multitude features — are in turn its weakness for some. In other words, it can be a bit much. Still XYplorer shares many of the same features of Directory Opus, even though they are implemented in different ways. Both sit at the top of power user file managers.
XYplorer has an extremely high level of customizability combined with power. Some users of Directory Opus tend to find this quality maddening, but XYplorer provides a clearer approach to its options. All changes can saved on Exit if you want, and are written to an .ini file in the install folder. XYplorer has an intelligent and active forum of users who have made many suggestions. It helps to have a responsive and flexible developer. And when he wants to change or delete an old feature, he announces it in advance and puts many of the changes up for a vote. Also, almost every time I thought, “If only XYplorer could do this,” it was already part of the program. Every coding decision must meet a speed criterion, i.e., any new feature must not slow the program down, and if it does, it becomes an option to toggle on/off. XYplorer’s file operation speed is noticeably faster than most other file managers.
In the end, it’s the little things that make XYplorer stand out. For example, CTRL+-D allows you to “Copy Here With Suffix Number” (duplicate) to a file; CTRL+S allows you to Copy Here As (i.e., “Save As…”); Tabs can be locked. Tabs (for folders, much like a text editor or browser) can be locked or unlocked. A wide variety file information can copied to the clipboard, not just the filename. The “Go” and “Favorites” menus provides access to a history of files and locations, system folders, the application folder, color-coded files or folders, allowing you to work exclusively with either certain type of files or an entirely self-defined project of files and folders. All configuration, layout, and customizations can be saved with two files: xyplorer.ini and catalog.dat, making XYplorer easily portable.
Try the latest XYplorer beta yourself over its entire trial period and see if it doesn’t make an impression on you. It takes some getting used to if you’re accustomed to another file manager, but the transition is not difficult, and you’ll love all the keyboard shortcuts built into the program. XYplorer is shareware, but like WinRAR, comes with a Lifetime license. If nothing else, it’s well worth a try.
Additional screenshots: http://www.anova.org//target/xyplorer/
DonationCoder.com Mini-Review of XYplorer: http://www.donationcoder.com/Forums/bb/index.php?topic=4849