folders views

[Tony Vella]

On my old Vista machine and my wife's XP I set my Windows Explorer view
to details and all my folders are shown as "details" EVEN WHEN I "file >
open > select file> from various programs (Word, Excel, CorelDraw,
PaintShop Pro, etc.). On this new Win7 machine, however, I can't figure
out how to make "details" stick once and for all. As it is, once in a
while I get a list view, at times I get a thumbnails view, etc. I know
it's not a major catastrophe, but it does get annoying after a while.

Any help figuring this one out is appreciated in advance.

 

[Ed Cryer]

On my old Vista machine and my wife's XP I set my Windows Explorer view
to details and all my folders are shown as "details" EVEN WHEN I "file >
open > select file> from various programs (Word, Excel, CorelDraw,
PaintShop Pro, etc.). On this new Win7 machine, however, I can't figure
out how to make "details" stick once and for all. As it is, once in a
while I get a list view, at times I get a thumbnails view, etc. I know
it's not a major catastrophe, but it does get annoying after a while.

Any help figuring this one out is appreciated in advance.

Tools/ Folder Options/ View/ Apply or Reset.

Ed

 

[Wolf K]

On my old Vista machine and my wife's XP I set my Windows Explorer view
to details and all my folders are shown as "details" EVEN WHEN I "file >
open > select file> from various programs (Word, Excel, CorelDraw,
PaintShop Pro, etc.). On this new Win7 machine, however, I can't figure
out how to make "details" stick once and for all. As it is, once in a
while I get a list view, at times I get a thumbnails view, etc. I know
it's not a major catastrophe, but it does get annoying after a while.

Any help figuring this one out is appreciated in advance.

Below the menu bar (File, Edit, etc) you should see Organize. Click on
the down arrow. Select Folder and Search Options. Then View > Apply to
folders.

NB that this will set the current view to "all folders of _this type_"
(emphasis added), so if you find some folder opening with a different
view, change its view to Details, then do the Apply to Folders thing.
You should eventually have all folders behaving as you wish.

HTH
Wolf K.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message <[email protected]>, Wolf K

NB that this will set the current view to "all folders of _this type_"
(emphasis added), so if you find some folder opening with a different
view, change its view to Details, then do the Apply to Folders thing.
You should eventually have all folders behaving as you wish.

[]
How many "types" are there?

 

[Wolf K]

In message <[email protected]>, Wolf K

NB that this will set the current view to "all folders of _this type_"
(emphasis added), so if you find some folder opening with a different
view, change its view to Details, then do the Apply to Folders thing.
You should eventually have all folders behaving as you wish.

[]
How many "types" are there?

AFAIK, no fixed number, since an application can create a new type, just
as it can create a new file type ("extension").

HTH
Wolf K.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message <[email protected]>, Wolf K

NB that this will set the current view to "all folders of _this type_"
(emphasis added), so if you find some folder opening with a different
view, change its view to Details, then do the Apply to Folders thing.
You should eventually have all folders behaving as you wish.

[]
How many "types" are there?

AFAIK, no fixed number, since an application can create a new type,
just as it can create a new file type ("extension").

[]
So in order to get things the way one wants them, one might have to keep
doing this again and again. Or is there a way to "apply this view
regardless of [folder] type"?

 

[Wolf K]

In message <[email protected]>, Wolf K
[]
NB that this will set the current view to "all folders of _this type_"
(emphasis added), so if you find some folder opening with a different
view, change its view to Details, then do the Apply to Folders thing.
You should eventually have all folders behaving as you wish.
[]
How many "types" are there?

AFAIK, no fixed number, since an application can create a new type,
just as it can create a new file type ("extension").

[]
So in order to get things the way one wants them, one might have to keep
doing this again and again. Or is there a way to "apply this view
regardless of [folder] type"?

Not that I know of. I'd like to be able to get rid of "typed" folders
entirely, since e.g. media folders have far too many columns by default.
I expect the player to provide that information, not the file manager. I
suppose someone formed a major crush on "seamless experience". Maybe
thought it was an erotic technique. Or something.

Bah!

Wolf K.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

In message <[email protected]>, Wolf K

NB that this will set the current view to "all folders of _this type_"
(emphasis added), so if you find some folder opening with a different view,
change its view to Details, then do the Apply to Folders thing. You should
eventually have all folders behaving as you wish.

[]
How many "types" are there?

That's a valid question, but my real question has always been "what is
*this type*?".

I can never guess which set of folders that the setting will be applied
to

 

[Wolf K]

In message <[email protected]>, Wolf K

NB that this will set the current view to "all folders of _this
type_" (emphasis added), so if you find some folder opening with a
different view, change its view to Details, then do the Apply to
Folders thing. You should eventually have all folders behaving as you
wish.

[]
How many "types" are there?

That's a valid question, but my real question has always been "what is
*this type*?".

I can never guess which set of folders that the setting will be applied
to

This all about Win7. Basically, whatever folder view you had when you
closed the folder will be the one that comes up when you reopen it. I
haven't found a way to control this one way or another.

The only types I'm sure of are libraries, data folders, program-data
folders, and system folders. The latter two are normally hidden.

"Libraries" have columns you may or may not find useful, such as
contributing artists, album, # (track number?), title. Or Tags and
rating in Pictures. Etc. Any subfolders you create will inherit these
columns.

You can avoid the preselected columns of Libraries by creating your own
folders, which will have the IMO far more useful size, type, and date
columns as defaults. But you can add other columns via right click on
any column.

And that exhausts my knowledge (and my poor brain, too. ;-) )

Wolf K.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

In message <[email protected]>, Wolf K
[]
NB that this will set the current view to "all folders of _this
type_" (emphasis added), so if you find some folder opening with a
different view, change its view to Details, then do the Apply to
Folders thing. You should eventually have all folders behaving as you
wish.
[]
How many "types" are there?

That's a valid question, but my real question has always been "what is
*this type*?".

I can never guess which set of folders that the setting will be applied
to

This all about Win7. Basically, whatever folder view you had when you closed
the folder will be the one that comes up when you reopen it. I haven't found
a way to control this one way or another.

Sorry. My question refers to the effect of clicking on "Apply to
Folders" in the Windows Explorer's Folder Options | View pane.

The text in the pane says that "You can apply the view ... to all
folders of this type", and J. P. Gilliver asked "How many 'types' are
there?". I replied to that with my question above, "what is *this
type*?".

In other words, I want to know, in more detail than Windows provides,
what the effects are of clicking that button on a given folder, and,
ISTM, J. P. Gilliver has similar concerns.

The only types I'm sure of are libraries, data folders, program-data
folders, and system folders. The latter two are normally hidden.

"Libraries" have columns you may or may not find useful, such as contributing
artists, album, # (track number?), title. Or Tags and rating in Pictures.
Etc. Any subfolders you create will inherit these columns.

I will not use the Library. It is too easy to create a disaster by a
careless click in the Library view. More accurately, I should say that
it is too easy *for me* to have that problem

You can avoid the preselected columns of Libraries by creating your own
folders, which will have the IMO far more useful size, type, and date columns
as defaults. But you can add other columns via right click on any column.

Since I avoid the use of the Library, I have not felt the urge to
customize the Library view.

 

[Wolf K]

On 11/24/2011, J. P. Gilliver (John) posted:
In message <[email protected]>, Wolf K
[]
NB that this will set the current view to "all folders of _this
type_" (emphasis added), so if you find some folder opening with a
different view, change its view to Details, then do the Apply to
Folders thing. You should eventually have all folders behaving as you
wish.
[]
How many "types" are there?

That's a valid question, but my real question has always been "what is
*this type*?".

I can never guess which set of folders that the setting will be applied
to

This all about Win7. Basically, whatever folder view you had when you
closed the folder will be the one that comes up when you reopen it. I
haven't found a way to control this one way or another.

Sorry. My question refers to the effect of clicking on "Apply to
Folders" in the Windows Explorer's Folder Options | View pane.

The text in the pane says that "You can apply the view ... to all
folders of this type", and J. P. Gilliver asked "How many 'types' are
there?". I replied to that with my question above, "what is *this type*?".

In other words, I want to know, in more detail than Windows provides,
what the effects are of clicking that button on a given folder, and,
ISTM, J. P. Gilliver has similar concerns.

[...]

IOW, you'd like someone to experiment. Me, maybe? Well, I might, when I
get a couple of spare moments. I should really be working on our Annual
report to Friends'n'Relations right now.

Ciao,
Wolf K.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

[...]

In other words, I want to know, in more detail than Windows provides,
what the effects are of clicking that button on a given folder, and,
ISTM, J. P. Gilliver has similar concerns. [...]

IOW, you'd like someone to experiment. Me, maybe? Well, I might, when I get a
couple of spare moments. I should really be working on our Annual report to
Friends'n'Relations right now.

Ciao,
Wolf K.

Well, I *would* like someone to experiment, but here's what I think:

1. It would be next to impossible to check all the combinations

2. It would also be a thankless task ...

That's why I won't try it myself, and why I don't recommend you to try
it either.

What I would like, and what I think is possible[1], is for Microsoft to
document the behavior thoroughly and carefully.

I am not holding my breath

[1] By "possible", I mean "not actually impossible", rather than
"likely to happen"...