filez vs zlauncher file manager

[twinsdad]

Being a newbie to file management on the palm os I was wondering if someone could tell me the advantages (if any) of a third party file manager like filez or mcfile over the zlauncher file manager (or clie files for that matter).

Thanks

Don

[wnm]

I can only comment on FileZ. I find it to be an excellent file manager program, and gather that others do as well based on past comments. Much better than the Clie program. One advantage of Zlauncher is that it will still work in the event you have problems with Zlauncher and have to revert to the default launcher. It's also freeware so you can't beat the price.

Worth a try at no expense.

[poisonberry]

FileZ will also enable you to fiddle with things like backup bits (to affect whether the file is backed up at Hot Sync) and turn off copy protection (to delete or move some recalcitrant files). It also gives you the opportunity to mess things up far more effectively, if you're not careful ;-)

[wnm]

Yeah I forgot about messing things up. That is a plus.;)

[n2ifp]

I agree, Filez is one of those must have apps!!!

[sebring]

About the only thing I've found that Filez can do that ZLauncher File Manager can't is hex editing. ZL File Manager does allow you to change all the attributes Filez can change, including the backup bit.

My pet peeve with Filez was that it wasn't very user friendly. It required you to write out the destination directory on MS to move a file. ZLauncher and McFile and othes display a directory tree and allow you to just tap the destination directory.

[mochant]

Originally posted by sebring
About the only thing I've found that Filez can do that ZLauncher File Manager can't is hex editing. ZL File Manager does allow you to change all the attributes Filez can change, including the backup bit.

My pet peeve with Filez was that it wasn't very user friendly. It required you to write out the destination directory on MS to move a file. ZLauncher and McFile and othes display a directory tree and allow you to just tap the destination directory.

I'm in 100% agreement. I keep both on my NR70 'cause there's no real overhead issue but moving apps is much easier with ZL File Manager.

[DanT]

Originally posted by sebring
My pet peeve with Filez was that it wasn't very user friendly. It required you to write out the destination directory on MS to move a file. ZLauncher and McFile and othes display a directory tree and allow you to just tap the destination directory.

I built a directory tree in MemoPad, so if I need to get to the right directory, I just launch daMemoPad which pop-up a MemoPad window on top of FileZ, highlight the directory, then do the "/"-copy-paste thing onto the FileZ.

[wnm]

Great idea Dan.

[tanker_bob]

I have all three. McFile was my primary before ZL 2.3 added the file manager. I now use ZL's file manager as my primary.

McFile will launch databases with their associated apps if you set it up right. This includes image and text file viewing using plugins. ZL will do the same thing for text files from the launcher, but not from the file manager. ZL has image viewing built in.

I've never used Filez's hex editor, so that doesn't add any value for me. I don't use Filez much at all because of the lack of a target directory tree. Keeping a tree list in a memo shows real dedication, but McFile and ZL makes it so easy, why bother?

The one remaining advantage of McFile or Filez is that I have them set to disable PiDirect upon execution and then restart it upon completion. Thus I can manipulate files under PiDirect. Since ZL's file manager isn't a separate external app, I can't delete or move stuff under PiDirect. If I move stuff to PiD, then I have to stop and restart PiD for PiD to find the database. Inconvenient, but not a show stopper. Of course, PiD has its own built-in file manager for RAM and its directory.

If I were starting from scratch, I wouldn't bother with either Filez or McFile, but stick with ZL 2.3.

[Easy-123]

Originally posted by sebring
My pet peeve with Filez was that it wasn't very user friendly. It required you to write out the destination directory on MS to move a file. ZLauncher and McFile and othes display a directory tree and allow you to just tap the destination directory.

the way around this is to go first to the subdirectory on your external storage card, then back to RAM. Hi-lite the file you want to move and "/M" and the subdirectory will be listed below.

stan ;)

[kstuart]

One big advantage of FileZ over the ZL File Manager is that in FileZ, I can sort by date and then change the second column to size.

This is helpful when I suddenly have much less free RAM :) and want to see which new files are taking up all that extra space.

When you try this in ZL File Manager, changing the second column to size automatically resorts it, and it is no longer in order of date. :(

[DanT]

Originally posted by tanker_bob
Keeping a tree list in a memo shows real dedication, but McFile and ZL makes it so easy, why bother?

That was before I found out the old freeware version of McFile (v.1.13) is still available.  I don't have ZL either (still using the old ML3.2.2).

I still keep FileZ in MS Palm/Launcher for displaying and copying ROM files.  I use it for hiding apps too. 

[DanT]

Originally posted by Easy-123


the way around this is to go first to the subdirectory on your external storage card, then back to RAM. Hi-lite the file you want to move and "/M" and the subdirectory will be listed below.

stan ;)

I don't think this works if you want to copy or move files from one MS directory to another MS directory.

[sebring]

Originally posted by Easy-123


the way around this is to go first to the subdirectory on your external storage card, then back to RAM. Hi-lite the file you want to move and "/M" and the subdirectory will be listed below.

stan ;)

Only works if you are moving from RAM to MS. Not when moving from one MS directory to another.

Sure there are work arounds, but the point of my post is that Filez is not very user friendly, compared to other file managers.

[sebring]

Originally posted by tanker_bob

The one remaining advantage of McFile or Filez is that I have them set to disable PiDirect upon execution and then restart it upon completion. Thus I can manipulate files under PiDirect. Since ZL's file manager isn't a separate external app, I can't delete or move stuff under PiDirect. If I move stuff to PiD, then I have to stop and restart PiD for PiD to find the database. Inconvenient, but not a show stopper. Of course, PiD has its own built-in file manager for RAM and its directory.

If I were starting from scratch, I wouldn't bother with either Filez or McFile, but stick with ZL 2.3.

I use MSMount and have it set to disable for ZLauncher and have no problems. Apparently there are specific apps that won't work this way, but I don't know which ones they are. I keep my Pocket TV Browser DB and Noah Lite DB in the MSMount Directory, along with my most frequently used Mapopolis maps. All work flawlessly. I keep the apps for those DBs on MS, in the launcher directory, using ZLauncher. As soon as I launch one of these apps, ZLauncher closes,which re-enables MSMount so the app can see it's DB. The reverse occurs when I close the app and ZLauncher re-starts.

This way, none of the DBs in the MSMount directory show up in ZLauncher File Manager as being in RAM. And I can readily move files in and out of the MSMount directory. Occasionally deleting a file from MSMount causes an error tone, but not even a soft reset.

[wnm]

Originally posted by DanT


I don't think this works if you want to copy or move files from one MS directory to another MS directory.

Yeah I think you're right. In general, a directory tree like windows explorer would be helpful for the copy operation.

[tanker_bob]

Originally posted by sebring


I use MSMount and have it set to disable for ZLauncher and have no problems. Apparently there are specific apps that won't work this way, but I don't know which ones they are. I keep my Pocket TV Browser DB and Noah Lite DB in the MSMount Directory, along with my most frequently used Mapopolis maps. All work flawlessly. I keep the apps for those DBs on MS, in the launcher directory, using ZLauncher. As soon as I launch one of these apps, ZLauncher closes,which re-enables MSMount so the app can see it's DB. The reverse occurs when I close the app and ZLauncher re-starts.

This way, none of the DBs in the MSMount directory show up in ZLauncher File Manager as being in RAM. And I can readily move files in and out of the MSMount directory. Occasionally deleting a file from MSMount causes an error tone, but not even a soft reset.
If all I had under PiDirect were data files, that would be true. I also have quite a number of apps there as well. A good example is the Star Pilot Advances suite. None are VFS-aware. Although they run fine from the MS, they can't see each other unless they are all in RAM. PiD solves that problem nicely. I also use it for apps with large databases built into the executable. PiD loads them quickly because it doesn't copy the entire app to RAM first, only the parts it needs.

[DanT]

Tanker Bob, do you need to manually disable PD before HotSync?

[tanker_bob]

Originally posted by DanT
Tanker Bob, do you need to manually disable PD before HotSync?
No, PiDirect is set to disable during Hotsync.

[DanT]

I did that and HotSync still does not like it. There must be something overruling that preference. I haven't been able to identify the culprit. So far it's just a minor irritation.

[DanT]

Originally posted by wnm


Yeah I think you're right. In general, a directory tree like windows explorer would be helpful for the copy operation.

Hopefully the developer will add this feature in the next version.

The View Preferences button is a nice addition to v.5.22.  However, it displays the Saved and Unsaved preferences of only those apps in RAM, otherwise I would not keep SysTool and LeftOvers. 

[tanker_bob]

Check under the individual app preferences to be sure the preset icon appears next to Hotsync. If so, what version are you using? I had trouble with 2.2 and reverted to 2.0.

[DanT]

Originally posted by tanker_bob
Check under the individual app preferences to be sure the preset icon appears next to Hotsync. If so, what version are you using? I had trouble with 2.2 and reverted to 2.0.

Would you please elaborate the first sentence.  I'm using 2.2 but have tried 2.0 with the result.

Thanks for your replies Tanker Bob. 

[tanker_bob]

You're welcome. With PiD disabled, tap the Setting button on the lower right. Scroll down to HotSync and ensure that it has a grey Preset icon in front of it.

My problem with 2.2 was interference with SwitchDash 0.44. PiTech never solved the problem, eventually losing interest in it. I reverted to 2.0 and it solved the hi res issues.

[DanT]

The message went through my thick head this time. :D ...and yap, Preset padlock is there, next to HotSync, and it is locked in (I mean I can't change it). The only changes I made on the PD Setting (Pref List) are:
1. Backup (BBVFS) and MSBackup are set to Pause and Resume.
2. McFile is set to Disable and Resume.
:confused:

[tanker_bob]

Similar here. Are you using MSMount as well? That sometimes causes problems. Other than that or some hack, nothing else comes to mind at the moment.

[DanT]

No MSMount, but lots of Hacks (9): A5WeekHack, ClockPop, Crash, DALauncher 4.1b1, EasyLaunch, McPhling, Mi: D v.2.1, MSDict Hack, NoLinesHack. I have this PD problem before having A5WeekHack, McPhling, and NoLinesHack, so one of those remaining 6 hacks could be the culprit, but I don't feel like removing any of them.

I only use PD for launching StreetFinder maps. It tremendously reduces the map opening wait time from 2.5 minutes to 10 seconds for a map as big as 1.5MB. To avoid crashing the system during HotSync, I just disable PD most of the time and only enable it whenever I want to use the StreetFinder. So that limitation is not a big deal at this moment. As I use more and more PD for other things like you do, I may have to remember to manually disable it before HotSync. :(

[valodya]

I'm with kstuart above. The ability to change the displayed atribute without changing the sort order is quite useful. For instance, you can sort by size, and the change the view to creator, to figure out which app created the huge file.

Also, does ZLauncher have a find or filter function? I can't find it. The filter feature in FileZ is also very useful. Hence, I haven't deleted it yet. I'd like to though. :)

[kstuart]

I mentioned the problem that I (and valodya) have to the ZLauncher people and hours later they issued a new Beta version that doesn't automatically change the sort order when the displayed attribute (column) is changed.