What is jsFolderView+ ?
jsFolderView+ is an "Explorer Bar" that adds a left-side panel in folder windows.
An example of an Explorer Bar is the "Folders" Bar that shows a folder tree when folders are opened by launching Windows Explorer. Other
examples are the Search, History and Favorites bars, but those are only relevant to Internet Explorer.
So Windows has the ability to display these specialized panels in folder windows, but Microsoft
never created any options, other than the Folders Bar.
In general, when no Explorer Bar is displayed, folder windows show a standard left-side panel,
known as "Common Tasks" on Windows XP, which displays selected file information and a thumbnail for images.
In Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/ME there is "Webview" as part of "Active Desktop". Folder windows are actually webpages
that can be extensively customized and new functionality can be added to the left-side panel (or
anywhere else in a folder window). But all that was removed in Windows XP, leaving no options to
improve or add to the limited functionality of the "Common Tasks" panel.
In Windows Vista/7 the "Common Tasks" panel has been replaced with the "Navigation pane",
which is really just a reworked version of what has always been known as "Explorer View". The difference is that
"Computer View" (with no left-side system treeview) used to be the default. Now Explorer View is the default.
jsFolderView+ was designed to bring flexible, customizable folder
functionality to all Windows versions, by providing a new, customizable
left-side panel. (In Windows XP jsFolderView+ actually sits on top of the "Common Tasks"
panel. In Vista/7 it replaces the Navigation Pane.) jsFolderView+ brings a custom WebView
plus several other features
to Windows folders for all versions of Windows.
What does jsFolderView+ do?
jsFolderView+ has four separate views, like tabs, in the one panel. In addition to providing numerous
useful functions, one of the views is a customizable Webview panel which derives from a webpage that can be edited, rewritten, or
replaced. In other words, the Custom View brings back the customizing options that were lost when Webview folders were
removed in Windows XP.
jsFolderView+ Features
•
Displays in all folder windows or only when desired.
•
Control the size of all folder windows.
(Note: This feature varies by Windows version. It works for pre-XP versions.
See
XP Folder Fix to control folder window size on XP.
On Vista/7 folder size can
finally be controlled through Windows controls.)
•
Auto-arrange feature prevents "folder icon sprawl".
(Windows ME, in particular, has a bug that results in folder
icons often not staying in rows.)
•
Add up to 10 custom links in all folders, to jump to any other folder.
•
Information displayed about currently selected file.
•
Sample displayed for currently selected file:
- Thumbnail for JPG, GIF, PNG and BMP files.
- Text sample for most plain text file types.
- Version and company info. for EXE files.
- Dependency and export function list for DLL files.
•
Specialized functions for JPG files:
- View camera info.
- View and edit JPG image file comments.
•
Functions for Alternate Data Stream (ADS) files:
- Displays ADS files in any open folder.
- Options to view, delete, or save a copy of any ADS file.
•
Custom View can be customized with any functionality.
(Note: Custom View is severely limited in Vista/7 due to
problematic functionality restrictions.)
Notes:
The
default Custom View that comes with jsFolderView+ includes buttons
to 1) show a calculator, 2) display a list of all files in the folder, and 3) display all images in the
folder as thumbnails. These are all generated through the use of webpage HTML and script. If
you know how to use webpage scripting, you can add any other function you like.
Alternate Data Streams (ADS) are hidden files that can exist on Windows NT
systems (2000/XP) when they are installed on an NTFS file system. A full explanation of ADS
files is not feasible here. In a nutshell, they are secret files that can be attached to any
other file or folder. Windows Explorer hides them from you. ADS files constitute an entire
secondary, hidden file system. Microsoft sometimes uses ADS files for benign reasons like
storing file Summary comments, but they can be used for anything and have been used by
computer "malware" in order to hide from anti-virus programs. ADS files, in other words, are a grave security risk that
most people are unaware of.
Screenshots
Basic File View
|
JPG Comments View
|
Camera Info.
This image shows a typical display when camera information
is available for a JPG image. It's available via the "Camera Info." button in
the JPG Comments View (left).
|
ADS Files View
|
Custom View
|
|
Requirements and Compatibility
Cost: jsFolderView+ is free software.
Compatibility: 32-bit Windows 95/NT4/98/2000/ME/XP/2003/Vista/7. There are no special requirements.
However, jsFolderView+ is 32-bit software. Since it is linked to Windows Explorer, it can only work on XP 64-bit if the 32-bit version
of Explorer.exe is used. It will not work at all on Vista/7 64-bit.
jsFolderView+ installs and uninstalls like a normal software program. By default it shows
in all folder windows, but you can also use it "passively", so that it only shows if you go to the
View ->
Explorer Bar menu and select
jsFolderView Plus.
jsFolderView+ is currently only tested on Windows XP with Internet Explorer 6, and to some
extent on Windows 7. It should work without notable problems on all systems, but each version of Windows
has had at least minor changes to folder windows, so there are minor variations in the way that jsFolderView+ functions across versions.
Notes applying to specific Windows versions:
Windows 95/NT4: must have the Active Desktop package installed.
Internet Explorer 7 is not specifically supported. If you have installed IE7 you may find limitations in the
functionality of the Custom View.
For all people using any Windows version earlier than XP: Windows 95/NT4/98/2000/ME
with "Active Desktop" uses a special configuration file (the hidden file Windows\Web\folder.htt) which determines
folder window appearance. When you install
jsFolderView+ you will want to enter the Settings and select the option to "
Use custom folder.htt".
Otherwise the normal Webview folder decorations will get in the way of jsFolderView+. The original
Webview configuration is replaced when jsFolderView+ is uninstalled.
For anyone using Internet Explorer 7 or greater: Each version of
Internet Explorer has become more restrictive and nag-infested than the last. If you use IE6 or earlier, in
Windows XP or earlier, you should have little trouble using any kind of functionality you like in the Custom View
panel. It may require adjusting security settings, but it will work. With later versions of IE and later versions of Windows,
IE functionality has been increasingly curtailed. In those cases, the stock Custom View functions probably
will not work.
Windows Vista/7: Vista/7 is supported in the current version of
jsFolderView+. However, there are some things to be aware of:
1) Windows Vista/7 is severely hobbled by extreme "security" restrictions that limit your access to files,
limit what you can do in Internet Explorer, etc. Even if you adjust IE security settings (assuming that you can
manage to do that) the Custom View panel is likely to be of little use. That is a Windows bug that we have no control over.
2) In Windows XP Microsoft added the "common tasks" panel to the left side of folder windows.
jsFolderView+ sits on top of that panel. In Vista/7, the common tasks panel has been removed
and folder windows now default to Explorer View, with a file system treeview on the left side. The treeview
is now called the "Navigation Pane". If you install jsFolderView+ on Vista/7 with Explorer View showing,
the Navigation Pane will get pushed to the right. For best functionality the Navigation Pane should be hidden
(Computer View). The setting for that is obscure. In earlier Windows versions one would go to
View ->
Explorer Bar ->
Folders to show
or hide the Navigation Pane. But in Windows 7, Microsoft's obsession with "webbifying" the look of Windows
has resulted in the Menu Bar being hidden by default! To hide the Navigation Pane you must find the word
Organize ,
floating below the Address Bar. Then click
Organize ->
Layout ->
Navigation Pane .
3) While Vista/7 is now supported, we do not offer support for problems due to the extreme restrictions
in Vista/7. Please do not write asking for help with those issues. That is a Windows problem. It is Microsoft's responsibility.
A Word About Security, Privacy and BHOs
jsFolderView+ is not adware or spyware. It has no ability to make online contact.
There is an embedded browser window used for the Custom View, but that will not cause any
online contact unless you yourself write web links into the Custom View webpage. However, the Windows
functionality that makes jsFolderView+ possible is important to understand if you ever use
Internet Explorer online.
jsFolderView+ installs a Browser Helper Object (BHO). Isn't that a security risk?
BHOs, in general, are a possible security risk if you use Internet Explorer online. Actually, Internet Explorer
(when used online) is one big security risk, and BHOs are just part
of that. BHOs are one type of plugin for Internet Explorer (IE). Custom browser toolbars from online
companies like Google or Yahoo, custom IE menu buttons, and even Explorer Bars, are all examples of
browser plugins. Plugins can also be installed without your knowledge when you install software. In
Internet Explorer,
BHOs and similar plugins are,
indeed, a security and privacy risk. Plugins piggyback on IE and have the ability to
access webpages displayed in the browser.
Plugins such as custom toolbars, therefore, have the
ability to track your actions online and even change the webpages that you see. (
Did you think there
was another reason for giving away those useless toolbar add-ons?)
So why does jsFolderView+ use a BHO? In Windows, Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer
are closely linked. One is a browser for webpages. The other displays folder windows. But Microsoft treats them as
the same program and links their operation. BHOs and other Internet Explorer plugins work in both. (That is a big
part of the reason that IE is such a security problem.)
The BHO part of jsFolderView+ is necessary to make
Windows Explorer load jsFolderView+ when a folder window opens. It enables jsFolderView+ to
display in all folder windows. When the window opening is Internet Explorer
rather than a folder window, jsFolderView+ does nothing.
jsFolderView+ does not monitor your Internet activity and it does not conduct
any kind of online communication. But
you should be aware that if you use IE online, any installed BHO
or Browser Extension can track you, monitor your activity, and even edit webpages before you see them. Internet Explorer is not safe to use online. Period.
A brief explanation of Windows history may help to
understand the situation...
Remember the "browser war" with Netscape? And remember how
the Microsoft leadership supposedly realized, in the late 90s, that the Internet was the next big thing? Active
Desktop/WebView and the linking of Explorer with IE came from that. Bill Gates and Co. wanted to show that
Microsoft was "hip to the Web". They also wanted to avoid being forced, via court decree, to separate IE
from Windows. With IE entangled into folder windows,
Microsoft could claim that IE was integral to the operating system and therefore could not be removed. At the
same time, showing "web content" in folder windows and on the Desktop showed that Windows was hip, cool,
cutting edge, etc. ...even if Microsoft's idea of "Web content" was really just advertising
links for the likes of Disney, displayed in a billboard that was stuck to the Desktop.
So, with Active Desktop/WebView, folder windows became more flexible
and customizable than they had been, but Internet Explorer was ruined as a browser.
Linked directly into the Windows operating system, IE became an irreparable security nightmare.
Any Internet Explorer browser
plugin has the ability to compromise your privacy, whether it is an add-on toolbar that you installed
willingly, or a hidden plugin installed without your permission. While the access that plugins provide to both
IE and Windows Explorer provides a wonderfully flexible way to add new, custom functionality like jsFolderView+,
and Internet Explorer is a useful tool for extending Windows usability, by the same token,
IE should not be used online if you care about privacy and security, and browser toolbar add-ons
should not be used online unless you are content to have Google, Yahoo, etc. tracking all of your online
activities and having the power to decide what you see on a webpage.
Download
Download jsFolderView+ installer (fv2setup.exe - 339 KB)
Looking for Folder Tweaks Galore?
"Folder Tweaks Galore" is a package of scripts that was designed for helping
people to customize Webview folders in Windows versions prior to XP. jsFolderView+ is
meant to improve upon and replace Folder Tweaks Galore. The Custom View in jsFolderView+
provides a way to add custom web scripted functions to folder windows. For anyone who would still
like to use Folder Tweaks Galore, it can be downloaded
here.
