vanjac / chromafiler

Column-based file manager for Windows

ChromaFiler

ChromaFiler is a file manager utility with a unique interface, borrowing ideas from Spatial file managers and Miller Column browsers and taking inspiration from the classic Mac OS Finder.

It functions similar to a column-view browser, but each column can be broken off into its own window by dragging and dropping. You can use it as a popup menu docked to your taskbar for quickly locating a file, or as a complete replacement for Windows File Explorer (and Notepad). More about the design.

ChromaFiler works on Windows 7 through 11.

Download

Check the Releases page for the latest beta release. See installation instructions for additional information.

ChromaFiler is still in development, so be sure to turn on the auto update check feature so you'll be notified of new releases.

Tutorial

See the wiki for an introduction to the app.

Building

Building requires MSVC and the Windows 10 SDK (install through the Visual Studio Installer; I'm using VC++ 2017 and SDK 10.0.17763.0), as well as Visual Studio Code for running build scripts. The installer is built using NSIS. (You will need to clone all submodules.)

VS Code must be launched from the "x64 Native Tools Command Prompt" (or equivalent for your platform) to access the correct MSVC build tools, which can be found by searching the Start menu. Type code in this prompt to launch VS Code. Open the ChromaFiler directory, then open src/main.cpp and press Ctrl+Shift+B to build the app in the Debug configuration.

Suggested pairings

• Everything by voidtools (recommend installing with folder context menus)
• Microsoft PowerToys (see notes on preview handlers)

Donate

If you find ChromaFiler useful, please consider donating to support development.

Contact me

For questions / feedback / bug reports please email me

chromafiler's Issues

Windows 7 support

See also #55

Display Links folder on taskbar

Always open, no window header but otherwise behaves like a normal folder window. Display in List view

Glitchy parent button drawing in Windows 10

aaaaaaaaaa

Duplicate command, unsaved items

Depends on #8. Add a "Duplicate" command to proxy menu. Like MacOS, creates a duplicate in RAM (or maybe temp storage). If the user attempts to close without moving to a real location, ask if they want to delete the file.

Highlight glued edge when titlebar is grabbed

Proxy icons

Like MacOS.

Support:

• Right click context menu (icon or title)
• Tooltip
• Drag and drop (icon only), including modifier keys
• Drop target (folders, executables)
• Double click (icon or title; close window)
• Click to rename (with delay; must be already focused)

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20040920-00/?p=37823
https://groups.google.com/g/microsoft.public.win32.programmer.ui/c/PhXQcfhYPHQ
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20041206-00/?p=37133
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20210512-00/?p=105208

High resolution scrolling in folder windows

This may not be possible. It doesn't seem to work in file dialogs.

Remove unnecessary horizontal scrollbars

In Small Icon view there should be no horizontal scrolling at all.

IExplorerBrowser overrides view mode in some cases

In some folders of music or images that have not been visited yet, IExplorerBrowser seems to be overriding the view mode to details or large icons respectively. This started happening with 8f9d84e.

Control panel doesn't persist view state

Setting the property bag breaks sorting

File dialog extension

Similar to FlashFolder, add some utilities to Windows open/save dialogs.

• Drop target to navigate to a folder/file
• Draggable proxy icon to save

Configure default location

Options: Desktop, Quick Access, This PC, custom...

Preserve child window size

Selecting an item should restore the size of the previous child window, even if the selection was cleared in between. This shouldn't apply to folders (see #9).

This setting should be stored in the folder property bag.

Update jump list whenever item is pinned

Cursor gets stuck in preview window

Restore folder view mode if already visited

Including sort order, columns/sizes. ChromaFiler view mode settings should be separate from File Explorer settings

Recently opened folders in Jump List

Make it harder to accidentally close child

Block deselecting if window isn't active

Add command to path

Allow launching ChromaFiler by typing a command in a terminal

Detach window shortcut

Maybe Ctrl+/. Move window to align with the root parent window. Make sure to keep window onscreen.

New folder shortcut

Ctrl+Shift+N. Should use same registry key as file explorer for name

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1773381/what-is-the-shell-namespace-way-to-create-a-new-folder

PowerToys Always On Top applies to only one window initially

Window layers in group are updated correctly if the window on top is reactivated.

Autoplay sound files

Autoplay toggle for audio preview. Could this be done with the Windows Media Player preview handler, or is a new preview handler needed?

Opening a file should deselect

Can't select files with broken preview handlers

Maybe windows shouldn't close if there's an error

Title color incorrect if window accents enabled

Should be white instead of black when active.

https://github.com/res2k/Windows10Colors

Built-in text editor

Should be basic and Notepad-like (old Notepad) except with a couple enhancements:

• Multiple undo levels
• Auto indent, indent selection

Should support autosave!

Missing features:

• Find/Replace
• #158
• #157
• #127

Right-click menu (based on Notepad):

• Undo / Redo
• Cut / Copy / Paste / Delete
• Select All

Status bar:

• Unsaved changes
• Encoding

Settings:

• File extensions
• Word wrap
• #156
• Font
• Auto indent

Watch filesystem for updates to item path

Add shortcut to Windows 11 context menu

Depends on #257

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsdeveloper/2021/07/19/extending-the-context-menu-and-share-dialog-in-windows-11/

Opening preview can cause window to lose focus

Similar to #18. If another application window is in front, a currently open preview is focused, and then a new item is selected, sometimes the window is sent back behind the other application again.

Allow refreshing any window

Update window if item is moved or renamed

Should update the title and refresh the view, preserving view settings. Depends on #5. This could be done with Distributed link tracking

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/shell/links

Multithreading

IShellImageFactory, IExplorerBrowser, and IPreviewHandler should be accessed in separate threads. Currently selecting items can hang the app as they load, and a long copy operation can freeze everything.

Should each chain have its own thread?

Different paths to same folder have different view settings

Eg. a folder on the desktop can be accessed via Desktop > Folder or {Path to Desktop} > Folder. Or the user folder can be accessed via Desktop > user or C:\Users\{user}. These two paths have different view settings.

Wrong item focused initially in control panel

The first item should be focused by default, but due to manual sorting this doesn't work in Control Panel.

Show all grouped windows in alt-tab preview

This can be done using "owner windows," but that breaks resizing currently. Maybe could work if all grouped windows had a shared owner?

Detaching child doesn't always bring to front

If another application is focused, and a child window is grabbed and detached, it may appear behind parent windows.

One window per item

This would have to work between multiple instances!

If an item is selected and it's already open, temporarily make it a child. If it's deselected before being activated for the first time, restore its original position/parent instead of closing. (Remember items can have multiple parents if accessed through a shortcut.)

If the parent button is clicked and the parent is already open... ?

Should be an optional feature.

Thumbnail window flickering at large sizes

I think this started happening in alpha05?

Command to save window settings as default

Save property bag as default for folder windows

Title bar doesn't render correctly with high-contrast theme

See also #22

Alt-Esc should move all windows to back

Similar to #14, maybe this could be fixed by using owner windows?

Assign child size after opening parent

Ctrl+N always opens Desktop

Make sure to update docs when this is fixed

Home/End buttons don't always scroll to show item

Support "Open path" when made default browser

With #13 implemented this is a File Explorer feature that ChromaFiler doesn't support: opening a folder with a particular item selected. Eg. "Open folder location" for shortcuts, "Open path" in Search Everything, or "Reveal in File Explorer" in VS Code.

Make ChromaFiler the default file browser

This can be done! But it's potentially dangerous.

Currently ChromaFiler can't launch with a specific item selected ("Open path").

"Problem with Shortcut" dialog appears multiple times

Selecting a broken link causes the Problem with Shortcut dialog to appear. If this fails, the dialog can keep popping up multiple times.

Restore folder window sizes

Preview handler editor

Create an enhanced and friendlier version of Preview Handler Association Editor. Or find an existing tool and document how to use it.

Features:

• List all preview handlers, including PowerToys (these are missing from PreviewHandlerEditor)
• List/edit all file types associated with a handler, or all handlers associated with a file type
• Allow selecting a default handler that's different than the default app for opening
  • This works if you add an extension instead of a class name!