the search for "recent documents"

[Spacey Spade]

Hello everyone. Recent documents and recent folders in XP has been my
holy grail for some time. Mainly I have sought recent folders. I've
tried all types of aftermarket software, and they all fail for files
opened and saved without an Open or Save As dialog.

I was all happy in win98 with the use of Quick Folders, by Alexey
Rubtsov. In winXP, Quick Folders has some issues. I think it doesn't
work with multiple user accounts. I've had mixed success with it, as
sometimes it stops working in winXP altogether. Lately I've been using
it again just fine on a computer with only one user account, but there
is one difference, which is true for any aftermarket "recent folders"
type application for winXP: if you double click on a file to open it in
Windows Explorer, the folder the file is in does not get added to the
recent folder cache. Lately I haven't needed this feature... I think
it depends on what apps you use, because if I "save as" for the
document in most apps, the "save as" dialog opens to the folder where
the file resides. Also, if you save a document without the "save as"
dialog, just by clicking save, and you opened the same document by
double-click in Windows Explorer, then the folder the document resides
in never gets added to the recent folders.

So Quick Folders only works with the Open and Save As dialogs and
nothing more. Opening and saving without a dialog won't track the
recent folders in Quick Folders, or any other aftermarket "recent
folders" type software. I guess M$ has to take away some features so
that the next OS will be better. I'd say a history of what stuff
you've been working on is pretty vital.

Lately I have tried to figure out the behaviour of the built-in winXP
recent documents. I have tried to modify it to include this
functionality for ALL documents. I think I have succeeded, except for
files that do not have an extension ( files that are * and not *.* ,
like boat and not boat.txt). I did this by deleting ALL editflags in
the registry. I felt no ill effects. As far as I can see, editflags
only REDUCE functionality, by enforcing unecessary rules on an item
type. I may be mistaken, but this is what I understand from briefly
looking at the M$ website.

I also wanted a more convenient access to recent folders. I took it
off the Start Menu, and added it as a toolbar in the taskbar. (right
click taskbar > toolbars > new toolbar...) Recent now shows up in the
taskbar, and you click on the icon next to it to get a popup with all
the recent documents AND recent folders. As you go about your
business, they get stacked in chronological order, which is exactly as
I wanted it.

Unfortunately, when you turn off the computer, the order is lost, and
the display will be alphabetical. As you work on more documents, new
documents are added to the bottom of the stack in chronological order,
with the old items still in alphabetical, until the alphabetical items
get driven off.

This is the best solution I have found. If you have better, please
respond.

Spacey

 

[Helen]

Hello everyone. Recent documents and recent folders in XP has been my
holy grail for some time. Mainly I have sought recent folders. I've
tried all types of aftermarket software, and they all fail for files
opened and saved without an Open or Save As dialog.

I was all happy in win98 with the use of Quick Folders, by Alexey
Rubtsov. In winXP, Quick Folders has some issues. I think it doesn't
work with multiple user accounts. I've had mixed success with it, as
sometimes it stops working in winXP altogether. Lately I've been
using it again just fine on a computer with only one user account,
but there is one difference, which is true for any aftermarket
"recent folders" type application for winXP: if you double click on a
file to open it in Windows Explorer, the folder the file is in does
not get added to the recent folder cache. Lately I haven't needed
this feature... I think it depends on what apps you use, because if I
"save as" for the document in most apps, the "save as" dialog opens
to the folder where the file resides. Also, if you save a document
without the "save as" dialog, just by clicking save, and you opened
the same document by double-click in Windows Explorer, then the
folder the document resides in never gets added to the recent folders.

So Quick Folders only works with the Open and Save As dialogs and
nothing more. Opening and saving without a dialog won't track the
recent folders in Quick Folders, or any other aftermarket "recent
folders" type software. I guess M$ has to take away some features so
that the next OS will be better. I'd say a history of what stuff
you've been working on is pretty vital.

Lately I have tried to figure out the behaviour of the built-in winXP
recent documents. I have tried to modify it to include this
functionality for ALL documents. I think I have succeeded, except for
files that do not have an extension ( files that are * and not *.* ,
like boat and not boat.txt). I did this by deleting ALL editflags in
the registry. I felt no ill effects. As far as I can see, editflags
only REDUCE functionality, by enforcing unecessary rules on an item
type. I may be mistaken, but this is what I understand from briefly
looking at the M$ website.

I also wanted a more convenient access to recent folders. I took it
off the Start Menu, and added it as a toolbar in the taskbar. (right
click taskbar > toolbars > new toolbar...) Recent now shows up in the
taskbar, and you click on the icon next to it to get a popup with all
the recent documents AND recent folders. As you go about your
business, they get stacked in chronological order, which is exactly as
I wanted it.

Unfortunately, when you turn off the computer, the order is lost, and
the display will be alphabetical. As you work on more documents, new
documents are added to the bottom of the stack in chronological order,
with the old items still in alphabetical, until the alphabetical items
get driven off.

This is the best solution I have found. If you have better, please
respond.

Spacey

I'm using XP SP2 and don't have that problem, if you mean, in
Word/File...
I just tried turning my computer off to see if they were still there,
and they were.
Perhaps I'm not understanding what you're saying?

Helen

BTW I dislike toolbars and didn't change mine from the start menu. It
only
shows up there after it's (a particular program) has been opened several
times.

 

[Spacey Spade]

Spacey Spade wrote: [snip]

Lately I have tried to figure out the behaviour of the built-in winXP
recent documents. I have tried to modify it to include this
functionality for ALL documents. I think I have succeeded, except for
files that do not have an extension ( files that are * and not *.* ,
like boat and not boat.txt). I did this by deleting ALL editflags in
the registry. I felt no ill effects. As far as I can see, editflags
only REDUCE functionality, by enforcing unecessary rules on an item
type. I may be mistaken, but this is what I understand from briefly
looking at the M$ website.

I also wanted a more convenient access to recent folders. I took it
off the Start Menu, and added it as a toolbar in the taskbar. (right
click taskbar > toolbars > new toolbar...) Recent now shows up in the
taskbar, and you click on the icon next to it to get a popup with all
the recent documents AND recent folders. As you go about your
business, they get stacked in chronological order, which is exactly as
I wanted it.

Unfortunately, when you turn off the computer, the order is lost, and
the display will be alphabetical. As you work on more documents, new
documents are added to the bottom of the stack in chronological order,
with the old items still in alphabetical, until the alphabetical items
get driven off.

This is the best solution I have found. If you have better, please
respond.

Spacey

I'm using XP SP2 and don't have that problem, if you mean, in
Word/File...

I have SP1 with some SP2 patches of my choice (mainly, a total of one
patch), but read on...

I just tried turning my computer off to see if they were still there,
and they were.

The recent documents and folders are still there for me too (after
restarting), but they are in alphabetical rather than chronological
order. As I start opening and saving, new recent stuff gets added
chronologically under the alphabetical items. So when I restart, I
lose the chronological ordering of the recent items.

Perhaps I'm not understanding what you're saying?

That's ok, I'm not sure what you're saying either, but perhaps we'll
figure it out.

Helen

BTW I dislike toolbars and didn't change mine from the start menu.

I unlock the taskbar and push the Recent toolbar all the way to the
right side, so that it really isn't a toolbar anymore, but sort of a
secondary start menu.

It
only shows up there after it's (a particular program) has been opened several
times.

What is "It" that shows up? The toolbar?

 

[Spacey Spade]

Spacey Spade wrote: [snip]
I'm using XP SP2 and don't have that problem, if you mean, in
Word/File...

[snip]

No, I use Windows Explorer to open my documents. I don't first start
the application, then go and open a file. I open Windows Explorer,
then double click on the file I want to open. This is good because you
can organize stuff easily while you are browsing your folders. You can
also open 2 or 3 files of different types all at once.

Put a copy of the Windows Explorer shortcut found at Start > Programs >
Accessories and put it in your Quick Launch bar or the program RUNit
(pricelessware, I believe).

I have it open to my E:\ drive like this:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n,/e,e:
But you can open it to your My Documents if that is where you keep
stuff.

 

[Al Klein]

Spacey Spade wrote: [snip]
I'm using XP SP2 and don't have that problem, if you mean, in
Word/File...

[snip]

No, I use Windows Explorer to open my documents. I don't first start
the application, then go and open a file. I open Windows Explorer,
then double click on the file I want to open. This is good because you
can organize stuff easily while you are browsing your folders. You can
also open 2 or 3 files of different types all at once.

Put a copy of the Windows Explorer shortcut found at Start > Programs >
Accessories and put it in your Quick Launch bar or the program RUNit
(pricelessware, I believe).

I have it open to my E:\ drive like this:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n,/e,e:
But you can open it to your My Documents if that is where you keep
stuff.

Are you saying that Windows Explorer rearranges the order of your
files from Latest to Alphabetical?

Right-click on a blank area in WE, go to Arrange Icons By and select
Modified. (Or, if you're in Details view, click on the Date Modified
text in the header (once for Ascending, again for Descending). That'll
keep the files in date modified order. (Do it any time to make sure
you have your files in the order you want them.)

If this isn't what you were talking about, and I stated the painfully
obvious, ignore this post.

 

[Sietse Fliege]

Hello everyone. Recent documents and recent folders in XP has been my
holy grail for some time. Mainly I have sought recent folders. I've
tried all types of aftermarket software, and they all fail for files
opened and saved without an Open or Save As dialog.

I was all happy in win98 with the use of Quick Folders, by Alexey
Rubtsov. In winXP, Quick Folders has some issues. I think it doesn't
work with multiple user accounts. I've had mixed success with it, as
sometimes it stops working in winXP altogether. Lately I've been
using it again just fine on a computer with only one user account,
but there is one difference, which is true for any aftermarket
"recent folders" type application for winXP: if you double click on a
file to open it in Windows Explorer, the folder the file is in does
not get added to the recent folder cache. Lately I haven't needed
this feature... I think it depends on what apps you use, because if I
"save as" for the document in most apps, the "save as" dialog opens
to the folder where the file resides. Also, if you save a document
without the "save as" dialog, just by clicking save, and you opened
the same document by double-click in Windows Explorer, then the
folder the document resides in never gets added to the recent folders.

So Quick Folders only works with the Open and Save As dialogs and
nothing more. Opening and saving without a dialog won't track the
recent folders in Quick Folders, or any other aftermarket "recent
folders" type software. I guess M$ has to take away some features so
that the next OS will be better. I'd say a history of what stuff
you've been working on is pretty vital.

Lately I have tried to figure out the behaviour of the built-in winXP
recent documents. I have tried to modify it to include this
functionality for ALL documents. I think I have succeeded, except for
files that do not have an extension ( files that are * and not *.* ,
like boat and not boat.txt). I did this by deleting ALL editflags in
the registry. I felt no ill effects. As far as I can see, editflags
only REDUCE functionality, by enforcing unecessary rules on an item
type. I may be mistaken, but this is what I understand from briefly
looking at the M$ website.

I also wanted a more convenient access to recent folders. I took it
off the Start Menu, and added it as a toolbar in the taskbar. (right
click taskbar > toolbars > new toolbar...) Recent now shows up in the
taskbar, and you click on the icon next to it to get a popup with all
the recent documents AND recent folders. As you go about your
business, they get stacked in chronological order, which is exactly as
I wanted it.

Unfortunately, when you turn off the computer, the order is lost, and
the display will be alphabetical. As you work on more documents, new
documents are added to the bottom of the stack in chronological order,
with the old items still in alphabetical, until the alphabetical items
get driven off.

This is the best solution I have found. If you have better, please
respond.

Spacey

Windows PowerPro lets you show folders recently accessed with Explorer.
I frequently make use of it: when I right click the caption bar of any
window, up pops a menu with a lot of items, including a column with a
configurable number of recently opened folders, in chronological order
and conserved across Windows sessions.

(The thing is though that while PowerPro is Pricelessware every year, it
is not for everyone.)

 

[Spacey Spade]

On 25 May 2006 20:43:39 -0700, "Spacey Spade" <[email protected]>
wrote: [snip]
Are you saying that Windows Explorer rearranges the order of your
files from Latest to Alphabetical?

[snip]

No... I was talking about Recent Documents. The Recent Documents are
arranged in Chronological order, but then when you restart the
computer... read my previous posts! Note that I've deleted all
"EditFlags" in my registry... probably doesn't make a difference, but
can't ignore differences.

 

[Spacey Spade]

Sietse Fliege wrote:
[snip]

(The thing is though that while PowerPro is Pricelessware every year, it
is not for everyone.)

I've tried to use it. I don't have patience with it for two reasons...
- it duplicates lots of features I already have, in a way that I like
less.
- as a floating toolbar, it stands out like a sore thumb.

I still plan to try it out... I keep it in my "Startup-" folder (note
the minus sign).
I'm overloaded with higher priority work at the moment. Thanks though.

Spacey

 

[Diddily Squat]

Sietse Fliege wrote:
[snip]

(The thing is though that while PowerPro is Pricelessware every year, it
is not for everyone.)

The thing is .... if s/he can't figure out how to retain historical
order in "Recent", then PowerPro is gonna blow his/her brain. (Assuming
therew is a brain there).

I've tried to use it. I don't have patience with it for two reasons...
- it duplicates lots of features I already have

duplicates features ?? With PowerPro you don't need the other 20 or 30
apps you use to get these 'features'.