© Copyright Clive E. Chapman 2008. All rights reserved. |
Many characteristics of FL, FLTREE, and FLVIEW can be changed by the user to suit their own particular needs. This process is called "customisation", the result of which is stored in a profile. There are three profiles in the FL toolset:
Name of tool | Name of profile | Edited using |
---|---|---|
FL | FL.PRO | FLCUST |
FLTREE | FLTREE.PRO | FLCUST |
FLVIEW | FLVIEW.PRO | Any plain-text editor |
The profiles for FL and FLTREE contain the user settings in an encoded form, which cannot be edited using a plain-text editor. Instead, FLCUST must be used, which is described in this document. The profile for FLVIEW can be edited using any plain-text editor, and is described in the FLVIEW User Guide.
FLCUST [[drive][path]name[.[ext]]] [/?]
where square brackets [ ] denote optional items. Parameters and options are as follows:
The filespec parameter determines what sort of profile is processed:
Options can be specifed using either "/" or "-" as the option prefix character, and can occur before or after the positional parameters. The following options are valid:
When the profile is saved, the old profile is not overwritten. Instead, it is renamed to have a file extension consisting of three numeric digits. The first old profile extension is "000", the next is "001", then "002", and so on. If you change your mind about the changes that you have just saved, simply exit from FLCUST, delete FL.PRO or FLTREE.PRO, and rename the profile with the numerically largest file extension so that it has an extension of "PRO".
If you make changes to the profile and forget to save them, you will receive a warning message when you press F3. You can then do one of the following:
This invokes FL using the profile with the changes made so far (the changed profile is written to a temporary file on disk for FL to use). When you exit from FL, you return to FLCUST and you can continue editing, or save the changes made so far, or discard the changes by pressing F3 (Quit) twice on the Customisation Menu. The F12 (Test) key is not available when customising an FLTREE profile.
What you want to do | What keys you press |
---|---|
Enter a particular customisation panel | UP/DOWN-ARROW keys to select panel, then RETURN key to enter panel |
Select field to modify | UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT-ARROW keys, or TAB-FORWARD/BACKWARD keys |
Modify contents of a text field | Usual typing keys |
Move cursor to start of text field | HOME key |
Move cursor to follow last non-blank character in text field | END key |
Insert characters in text field | INSERT key |
Delete characters in text field | DELETE key or BACKSPACE key |
Delete all characters in text field and move cursor to start of field | ESC key |
Scroll to next page | PAGE-DOWN key |
Scroll to previous page | PAGE-UP key |
Modify a field with a restricted set of values | CTRL-UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT ARROW keys |
Display FLCUST help | F1 key |
Display FL or FLTREE help | F2 key |
Exit help | F3 key |
Return to Customisation Menu | F3 key |
Save the changes made so far | F4 key |
Invoke FL to test the profile being edited | F12 key |
Occasionally a new release of FL requires a new version of the FL profile. FL accepts only the version of the profile that corresponds to that release of FL. However FLCUST accepts all prior versions of the FL profile, and converts them automatically to the current version.
To convert a back-level FL profile, simply start up FLCUST specifying the filespec of the profile to be converted; a message will be displayed on the screen confirming that the profile has been converted successfully, or that you need to take some further action. Make any other changes that you want, and then save the converted profile before exiting from FLCUST.
Key set | Number of keys | Available in FL? | Available in FLTREE? |
---|---|---|---|
Unshifted F1 to F12 | 12 | yes | yes |
SHIFT-F1 to SHIFT-F12 | 12 | yes | yes |
ALT-F1 to ALT-F12 | 12 | yes | yes |
CTRL-F1 to CTRL-F12 | 12 | yes | yes |
ALT-A to ALT-Z | 26 | yes | yes |
CTRL-A to CTRL-Z | 26 | yes | no |
Command joiner | Command following joiner executed? |
---|---|
#& | Always |
#&& | Only if preceding command succeeds |
#|| | Only if preceding command fails |
Note: for FLTREE, the F1 to F12 keys are always "immediate", and the ALT-A to ALT-Z keys are always "wait"; these settings cannot be changed in the current release.
As each command is processed, FL checks the first blank-delimited word in the command, and if it is a synonym, the synonym is replaced by the text defined for that synonym. Note that FL does not check the replacement text for a synonym, so one synonym cannot invoke another synonym.
Some example synonym definitions are shown in the table below; refer to the usage notes following the examples for information about these definitions.
Note: for display on this page, long definitions have been split over two lines (indicated by the ellipsis "..."). However, on the "Synonyms" panel each definition must be contained entirely on one line.
Synonym | Replacement Text |
---|---|
c | copy |
ab | !"c:\program files\adobe\acrobat 6.0\...
...reader\acrord32.exe" |
wp | !"c:\program files\windows nt\...
...accessories\wordpad.exe" |
#r | #r /a:-hs |
cn | #name |
md | !#o md |
rd | !rd /s /q |
nop |
For example, if you normally want to omit files and directories that have the hidden (H) or system (S) attributes, specify "/A:-HS" as the attribute selection option in the replacement text (see example above). Then, on the rare occasions when you want to include files and directories that have the hidden or system attributes, simply specify the /A option without any value when you type the #A, #R. or #W command; this overrides the option contained in the replacement text.
For example, if you want to specify attribute selection options as described above, you can define a synonym called #R that invokes the FL command #R with the required attribute selection option.
For example, you could define CN ("Change Name") as a synonym for the #NAME command, CP ("Change Path") as a synonym for the #PATH command, and so on. You need to choose synonym names that will not conflict with the names of other commands on your system (operating-system commands, tools, or applications), as the FL synonym always takes precedence (but see below for a way to avoid this).
Note that you cannot define synonyms for the FL command joiners (#&, #&&, and #||), command modifiers (#O and #OQ), or substitution codes (#D, #E, #F, #N, #P, and #), as these can occur anywhere within a command, but synonyms are recognised only at the start of a command.
The definition for MD uses the #O (Omit) command, which means that you cannot construct the name of the new directory from parts of the filespec on the line where the command is entered – you must always type the name in full (including any path if the directory is not to be created in the current directory).
The definition for RD uses the /S and /Q options of the RD command, which cause all files and sub-directories in the specified directory to be deleted, without asking for confirmation. In this case, the filespec of the directory deleted is that of the line where the command is typed. If you want to be asked for confirmation before the directory is deleted, omit the /Q option.
However, not all combinations follow these guidelines, and some low-contrast combinations are nevertheless very readable (for example: blue on green, or light red on light cyan). There are also some combinations that give a blurred, out-of-focus effect (for example: light blue on green, or light red on green); these are best avoided.
When you have set the colors as desired, use the F12 (Test) key to see how they look on a full-size FL screen. (Note: the Test function is not available for FLTREE in the current release.)
A good choice for the command prefix character is an unshifted character that is near the front of the keyboard, and which is not common in filespecs. On the UK keyboard, the single apostrophe (') and the hash ("#") are good choices; the semicolon (";"), comma (","), and square brackets ("[" and "]") are also worth considering.
Note: for historical reasons FL versions 1 to 4 used "/" as the default command prefix character. However, "/" is not in fact a good choice for the command prefix character, as it is the same as the option prefix character on DOS, OS/2, and Windows, and the same as the directory-separator character on Linux. If you want to use "/" as the command prefix character, you must take special action in order to specify options on commands. This applies both to internal commands and to external commands. Do one of the following;
/R C:\*./E //T //D:2007-2008 //Z:10M XCOPY /\*.* D:/P\*.* //H //Y //K //S //E //R //V
/R C:\*./E /O /T /D:2007-2008 /Z:10M XCOPY /\*.* D:/P\*.* /O /H /Y /K /S /E /R /V
When you change the command prefix character, occurrences of the command prefix in F-key, A-key, and synonym definitions are changed automatically to use the new command prefix character – you do not need to modify the definitions manually. This makes it easy to experiment with different command prefix characters, to see which one you like the best. Occurrences of the command prefix character which represent ordinary data characters in F-key, A-key, and synonym definitions are not changed.
A good choice for the command suffix character is an unshifted character that is near the front of the keyboard. However, the choice is not as important as the command prefix character, as the suffix character is treated as the suffix character only if it is preceded by a valid sequence of characters that begins with the prefix character.
When you change the command suffix character, occurrences of the command suffix in F-key, A-key, and synonym definitions are changed automatically to use the new command suffix character – you do not need to modify the definitions manually. This makes it easy to experiment with different command suffix characters, to see which one you like the best. Occurrences of the command suffix character which represent ordinary data characters in F-key, A-key, and synonym definitions are not changed.
The command suffix character is needed only when the interpretation of a command is ambiguous, and the default FL interpretation is not the one that you want. Some examples will make this clear. Suppose that the FL substitution codes have the following values:
Subst code | Value |
---|---|
# | E:\DOC\BUGS.TXT |
#D | E: |
#P | \DOC\ |
#F | BUGS.TXT |
#N | BUGS |
#E | TXT |
This is what you get when you type various commands on the FL command line:
Example 1
What you type | COPY # *.NEW |
What you expect | COPY E:\DOC\BUGS.TXT *.NEW |
What you get | COPY E:\DOC\BUGS.TXT *.NEW |
Explanation | This example gives you the result that you expect. |
Example 2
What you type | COPY # #NEW |
What you expect | COPY E:\DOC\BUGS.TXT E:\DOC\BUGS.TXTNEW |
What you get | COPY E:\DOC\BUGS.TXT BUGSEW |
Explanation | This example does not give you what you expect because although you typed "#", it happens to be followed by "N", and so FL sees this as the #N (Name) substitution code, and substitutes accordingly. |
Using the command suffix allows you to avoid the ambiguity, and force FL to interpret the command in the way that you want. The example above should be coded as follows (where ":" is the command suffix character):
COPY # #:NEW
The command repeat character is also the character used in the multiple repeat command (default: "#=").
When you change the repeat character, occurrences of the repeat command or multiple repeat command in F-key, A-key, and synonym definitions are changed automatically to use the new repeat character – you do not need to modify the definitions manually. This makes it easy to experiment with different repeat characters, to see which one you like the best. Occurrences of the repeat character which represent ordinary data characters in F-key, A-key, and synonym definitions are not changed.
It is valid for the primary execute key to be the same as the secondary execute key. The RETURN key is a good choice for the primary execute key.
It is valid for the secondary execute key to be the same as the primary execute key. On a desktop keyboard, the ENTER key (in the numeric key pad) is a good choice for the secondary execute key. On a laptop keyboard, the CTRL-RETURN key is a common choice.
The TAB-FORWARD key is a good choice for the newline key.
Panel layout | Information displayed |
---|---|
0 | Some file data, with a command field for each line |
1 | All file data, with a single command field for the panel |
2 | File names and extensions in multicolumn format, with a single command field for the panel |
The panel layout at start-up can be overridden by using the /MPn option on the invocation of FL (n=0-2). The panel layout when FL is running can be changed by using the #M (Mode) command with the P parameter (#MPn). When a new list is created, the list inherits the current panel layout, which can be overridden by using the /MPn option on the #A, #R, or #W commands.
To set this option:
In the attribute column, the five standard attributes are indicated by using the initial letters of their names, in lower case ("adhrs"). However, if you never back-up your files, you may find that a sea of "a" characters in the attribute column is intrusive. "Archive attribute char" allows you to use a less conspicuous character (for example, the tilde "~", used in releases prior to 5.00), or a blank if you don't want to see the archive attribute at all.
Note that the character defined here is used solely for display in the attribute column – it does not affect the value that must be specified for the archive attribute on the #ATTR command, or the /A option of the #A, #R, and #W commands.
Sort code | Meaning |
---|---|
D | Sort by date/time |
E | Sort by extension |
N | Sort by name |
P | Sort by path |
S | Sort by size |
+ | Sort ascending |
– | Sort descending |
The leftmost sort code is the major sort that is performed first. If two entries in the list compare equal using the major sort, the first minor sort (the sort code to the right of the major sort) is used to resolve the tie. If the two entries still compare equal, the next minor sort code to the right is used to resolve the tie, and so on. Since a directory cannot contain two files with the same name and extension, sorting by path, name, and extension (in any sequence) is always sufficient to resolve a tie.
To set this option:
The sort order at start-up can be overridden by using the /Sx option on the invocation of FL (x=one or more sort codes). The sort order when FL is running can be changed by using the #S (Sort) command with one or more sort codes (#Sx). When a new list is created, the list inherits the current sort order, which can be overridden by using the /Sx option on the #A, #R, or #W commands.
For the #S command and the /S option, the sort direction is optional; if not specified, it defaults to:
Note: an additional sort code W can be specified on the #S command and /S option. This sort code causes the list to be sorted using the whole filespec, and gives a result different from specifying /SPNE. The W sort code is of most use when redirecting FL's output to a file. Example:
FL C:\ /T /S:W >C-DRIVE.LST
List order ignoring case | List order respecting case |
---|---|
3.bat | 3.bat |
_.bat | B.bat |
a.bat | _.bat |
B.bat | a.bat |
Since the DOS, OS/2, and Windows file systems retain case but do not distinguish case, ignoring case when sorting is usually more useful on those operating systems.
Setting | Key | Current line moved to |
---|---|---|
Symmetric | CTRL-HOME | First line on first page |
Symmetric | CTRL-END | Last line on last page |
Asymmetric | CTRL-HOME | First line on first page |
Asymmetric | CTRL-END | First line on last page |
See "Symmetric page scroll" for a related setting.
Setting | Key | Current line moved to |
---|---|---|
Symmetric | PAGE-UP | Last line on page |
Symmetric | PAGE-DOWN | First line on page |
Asymmetric | PAGE-UP | First line on page |
Asymmetric | PAGE-DOWN | First line on page |
Note: the ALT-PAGE-UP and ALT-PAGE-DOWN keys provide a line scroll capability – the list is scrolled up or down by one line, moving the current line in synchronism with the list. Symmetric page scroll behaves in the same way as line scroll, but with the scroll amount equal to one page instead of one line.
See "Symmetric max scroll" for a related setting.
If all of these conditions are true, FL blanks the existing contents of the command field, moves the cursor to the start of the field, and then places the characters in the field as you type them.
Setting this profile option to YES means that you do not have to use the ESC key to clear the field before typing the next command in that field. On the other hand, if you want to execute the command again (which will be present in the command field prefixed with an asterisk), you can simply use the space bar to blank the asterisk and then press your primary or secondary execute key.
Normally, after a command is executed FL places the command in the command field, prefixed with an asterisk "*". The asterisk turns the line into a comment, which is ignored by FL in subsequent processing.
For a repeated command, FL does the same if this profile option is set to YES. However, if this option is set to NO, FL places only an asterisk in the command field of a repeated command – the command itself is omitted.
The key set to use at start-up can be overridden by using the /Kc option on the invocation of FL (c=S or U). The key set to use when FL is running can be changed by using the CTRL-BACKSPACE key. Note that only the unshifted F1 to F12 keys are affected; the SHIFT, CTRL, and ALT function keys, and the CTRL and ALT alphabetic keys, are not affected – they retain their user-defined meanings.
Any value between zero and four can be selected. If you specify less than four, the particular function-key lines dislayed can be controlled by the "F-key lines display order" option.
Notes:
The number of function-key lines at start-up can be overridden by using the /MKn option on the invocation of FL (n=0-4) The number of function-key lines when FL is running can be changed by using the #M (Mode) command with the K parameter (#MKn). When a new list is created, the list inherits the current number of function-key lines, which can be overridden by using the /MKn option on the #A, #R, or #W commands.
Code | Meaning |
---|---|
N | no shift key pressed |
S | SHIFT key pressed |
C | CTRL key pressed |
A | ALT or ALT-GR key pressed |
The order of the codes from left to right defines the order of the function-key lines from top to bottom in the set of four. If fewer than four function-key lines are on display, the bottommost line is replaced temporarily by the line for the shift key pressed, for any function-key line not already on display.
For example, if you choose to display two function-key lines, and specify a function-key display order of "NCAS", the FL panel when no shift keys are pressed will display the function-key lines for no shift and CTRL shift. When the ALT (or ALT-GR) key is pressed, the CTRL function-key line is replaced by the ALT function-key line for the duration of that key press. The line reverts to the CTRL function-key line when the ALT key is released. Similarly for the SHIFT key.
To set this option:
Using a dynamic function-key line means that you do not have to remember the key definitions for 48 functions keys (12 keys on each of 4 shifts) – you only have to remember which shift contains the function required. However, some people find it distracting for the function-key line to change when a shift key is pressed.
Setting this option to NO will prevent the function-key line changing. If you do this, and have difficulty remembering all 48 function-key definitions, you might like to set the "Number of F-key lines" option to 4, so that all function-key lines are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Also, go to the "Colors" panel, and change the color of active function keys to be the same as inactive function keys.
If the drive label or file system name is too long to fit in the space provided, the last character is replaced by the "+" character (as is done with abbreviated paths and file names). The labels that are most likely to be abbreviated are those for CD and DVD disks, as these can be considerably longer than the maximum allowed for hard disks.
There are some combinations of circumstances where FL is unable to determine one or more of the drive label, file system name, or sizes. In these cases, the names are shown as "???", and the sizes as zero. This can occur, for example, when running the DOS version on Windows XP, or the 16-bit OS/2 version on Windows 2000. However, be aware that there are some cases where the operating system returns incorrect sizes which FL cannot identify as incorrect (for example, listing a CD or DVD disk when using the 16-bit OS/2 version on Windows 2000).
The drive info mode at start-up can be overridden by using the /MDn option on the invocation of FL (n=0-1). The drive info mode when FL is running can be changed by using the #M (Mode) command with the D parameter (#MDn). When a new list is created, the list inherits the current drive info mode, which can be overridden by using the /MDn option on the #A, #R, or #W commands.
The long file names and long paths supported by OS/2 and Windows are often too long to show in their entirety in the list. When this happens, FL truncates them, replacing omitted characters with the plus symbol ("+"). The various components of the filespec (other than the drive) are truncated separately, as necessary to make them fit in the space available. This can make it difficult to identify a file, or identify its location in the directory tree. The fullspec lines show the full filespec for the file or directory on the current line. There are four choices for this setting:
Fullspec setting | Mode value | Appearance |
---|---|---|
no spec | 0 | No fullspec lines are shown |
no box | 1 | Fullspec lines are shown without a box |
half box | 2 | Fullspec lines are shown in half a box |
full box | 3 | Fullspec lines are shown in a full box |
FL adjusts the number of fullspec lines visible to accommodate the longest full filespec of any file in the list. The maximum number of lines needed is four for the full filespec, plus one for a half box, or two for a full box.
The fullspec mode at start-up can be overridden by using the /MFn option on the invocation of FL (n=0-3). The fullspec mode when FL is running can be changed by using the #M (Mode) command with the F parameter (#MFn). When a new list is created, the list inherits the current fullspec mode, which can be overridden by using the /MFn option on the #A, #R, or #W commands.
What you type | What FL generates |
---|---|
COPY # MYFILE.OLD | COPY "#" MYFILE.OLD |
COPY # #N.OLD | COPY "#" "#N.OLD" |
COPY # "# OLD" | COPY "#" "# OLD" |
Occasionally, you may encounter an application that does not accept quoted filespecs. You can suppress auto quoting for a single command by using the #OQ (Omit Quoting) command modifier. #OQ disables auto quoting for filespecs that follow it, but not for filespecs that precede it. If there are multiple commands on the command line (connected by FL command joiners), the #OQ modifier affects only the specific command in which it is found – it does not affect the commands which precede or follow that command. Examples:
What you type | What FL generates |
---|---|
TYPE #N.BAT #N.CMD | TYPE "#N.BAT" "#N.CMD" |
TYPE #N.BAT #OQ #N.CMD | TYPE "#N.BAT" #N.CMD |
#OQ TYPE #N.BAT #N.CMD | TYPE #N.BAT #N.CMD |
Using auto quoting makes it more likely that you can use the same FL profile for DOS as you do for OS/2 or Windows, as you do not need to use quotes in the commands assigned to function keys in the FL profile.
For DOS, this setting is ignored – auto quoting is always disabled.
Aligned extensions
| Unaligned extensions
|
Some people find the list easier to read if the file extensions are aligned. On the other hand, when file extensions are aligned the file column usually needs to be a bit wider in order to show the file names and extensions without truncation (the width of the file column is determined by the longest name in the list combined with the longest extension in the list).
If there are files or directories in the list whose names and extensions are too long to accommodate in their entirety, the names and extensions are truncated to fit. Note that the names and extensions are truncated separately, to ensure that some part of the file extension is always visible. The plus symbol ("+") is used to denote characters that have been omitted due to truncation.
The minimum value is 5, and the maximum value is 99. However, reducing the value of this setting can cause corresponding reductions to the values of two other settings: "Min width of file column" and "Extension truncation limit".
If there are files or directories in the list whose names and extensions are too long to accommodate in their entirety, the names and extensions are truncated to fit. Note that the names and extensions are truncated separately, to ensure that some part of the file extension is always visible. The plus symbol ("+") is used to denote characters that have been omitted due to truncation.
The minimum value is 1, and the maximum value is 99. However, increasing the value of this setting can cause a corresponding increase in the value of the "Max width of file column" setting.
The minimum value is 1, and the maximum value is 95. However, increasing the value of this setting can cause a corresponding increase in the value of the "Max width of file column" setting.
Setting | How filespec component is displayed | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ASIS | Component is displayed in whatever mixture of upper and lower case is stored by the file system. | ||||||||||
UPPER | Component is displayed in upper case. | ||||||||||
LOWER | Component is displayed in lower case. | ||||||||||
FIRST | The first letter of the component is displayed in upper case, with the remainder of the component displayed in lower case. | ||||||||||
WORD | The first letter of each word in the component is displayed
in upper case, with the remainder of each word displayed in lower case.
The characters that act as word delimiters are:
| ||||||||||
MIXED | If the component contains at least one lower case letter, this setting is the same as ASIS; otherwise it is the same as WORD. |
Note: these settings affect only how filespecs are displayed in the list – they do not affect the filespecs on disk.
The mixture of upper and lower case used for filespecs is known as the text mode. The text mode can be overridden at start-up by using the /MTc option on the invocation of FL (c=A|U|L|F|W|M|P). The text mode when FL is running can be changed by using the #M (Mode) command with the T parameter (#MTc). When a new list is created, the list inherits the current text mode, which can be overridden by using the /MTc option on the #A, #R, or #W commands.
The text mode specified via the #MTc command or /MTc option applies the same text mode to all components of the filespec; only the profile settings allow you to use a different text mode for each component of the filespec. The #MTc command and /MTc option also allow you to specify one additional text mode, namely "P" (PROFILE), which causes FL to use the text modes defined in the profile.
If you use the #MTc command or /MTc option to change the text mode while FL is running, and the new text mode is "A" (ASIS) or "M" (MIXED), you must use the #R command with the /I (Inherit) option to refresh the list in order to see the filespecs displayed with the correct mixture of upper and lower case. This also applies if the new text mode is "P" (PROFILE), and one of the text modes defined in the profile is ASIS or MIXED.
The character used for the numeric separator is derived from the national language settings defined by the operating system.
The activity bar is updated zero or once for each directory processed. As a result, directories containing many files can cause the activity bar to advance irregularly.
When you use the #W command to open a second or subsequent FL window, you create a new FL session which can have its own set of working directories, different from those of the first FL window. Alternatively, the second FL window can share the working directories of the first FL window. The "Working directory scope" setting allows you to control this. The following choices are available:
Whichever option is chosen, when a new FL window is created it inherits the working directories from the current FL window.
Note: if you use the #EP (Edit Profile) command to edit the current profile while FL is running, and you change the value of this setting, the new value does not take effect until FL is restarted.
The need to mix use of the keyboard with use of the mouse to scroll the window results in poor usability, so this choice is not recommended for general use (although there may be particular situations where its use is warranted). This is the only choice that was available in releases prior to FL version 5.00.
Notes:
In some circumstances there will be only one cell size possible, and the FL panel will fit the window exactly (provided that the window is at least as big as the minimum FL panel size). In other circumstances there may be two or more cell sizes possible, with no indication as to which is the correct one. In this situation FL chooses the largest cell size possible, basing the selection on cell height first, and then cell width. This results in the following behaviour:
To correct this, exit FL, alter the window size by one row or column (as appropriate), and then restart FL.
Note: if you use the #EP (Edit Profile) command to edit the current profile while FL is running, and you change the value of this setting, the new value does not take effect until FL is restarted.
If not selected, the screen content is lost when FL starts.
Note: if you use the #EP (Edit Profile) command to edit the current profile while FL is running, and you change the value of this setting, the new value does not take effect until FL is restarted.
The string is used precisely as typed, so you should type the string at the right-hand end of the input field. The "Size" column in the list is required to be at least wide enough to accommodate the directory string with leading blanks omitted. This means that a long directory string will result in a wide "Size" column, and hence less room for the "File" column and command input field.
A single character such as a dot, asterisk, or blank is a good choice, although some may prefer a more prominent string such as "<DIR>".
The string is used precisely as typed, so you should type the string at the right-hand end of the input field. The "Size" column in the list is required to be at least wide enough to allow the "Size", "Date", and "Time" columns combined to accommodate the gone string with leading blanks omitted. This means that a long gone string will result in a wide "Size" column, and hence less room for the "File" column and command input field. There is no effect on the width of the "Size" column if the gone string is 21 characters or less. The maximum length of the gone string is 33 characters.
A completely blank gone string is a good choice, as it avoids cluttering the FL panel, but some may prefer a more specific gone string such as "deleted, moved, or renamed".
Note: the help text is usually revised with each release, and you will need to update this setting when you install a new release.
Page last changed: 2008-07-25 |