Folder Glance 2.0.1 — A CM Folder Drill-Down Tool with Launch features
reviewed by Harry {doc} Babad
Developer: Daniel Stødle Yellow Lemon Software http://home.online.no/~stoedle/YLS/YLS-products/FolderGlance.html Released: May 2, 2006 Donationware: $5 USD Download Size: 1.8 MB Documentation: A well illustrated and written, almost idiot-proof manual. Requirements:Mac OS X 10.3 or later PowerPC or Intel-based Mac. Audience: All user levels. Strength — An easy to use, well documented application that enhances finder navigation and can serve as a file launch tool. Weakness — None worthy of mention. The software was tested on a 1 GHz dual processor PowerPC G4 Macintosh with 2 GB DDR SDRAM running under OS X 10.4.8. Product and company names and logos in this review may be registered trademarks of their respective companies. |
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Publisher’s Summary
FolderGlance is a small Contextual Menu Plugin for the Finder. When it is installed, it allows you to control-click or right-click on folders to see and open their contents, as well as examine the contents of sub-folders down an unlimited number of levels.
Introduction
Every so once in a while, I stumble across a utility that makes me wonder, "How did I get along without this one before?" EasyFind, shadow Google, and DEVONnote are such utilities; FolderGlance is my latest entry in the must have and use category.
- Are you getting tired of drilling down to the deepest level of a nested folder set to find a document you think is there?
- Do you hate repeatedly clicking in column-view to look deeper into a hierarchy of folders?
- Does flipping triangles in list view and playing the scroll-down game grow old?
- Are you sufficiently uncertain of what you named the file that doing an EasyFind, or if you must, Spotlight search that seems fated to fail.
Then download and try FolderGlance, not tomorrow, get it today!
Working With
Download the product and open the .dmg file; a few clicks later you’ll have invisibly installed FolderGlance and can start using it to simplify finder navigation. To use the product in its primary function mode, you right-click on a folder (or volume) and then browse its contents directly from the context menu without actually opening the folder.
It doesn’t take much practice to allow you to:
- Grab files and folders from the contextual menu
- Move, copy or make aliases of files and folders
- Move files and folders to the trash
- Preview files right where FolderGlance’s navigation takes you
- Open files or a selection of files with a user specified application that differs from the one, which created it.
One nice undocumented feature of the product is that it will drill-down on the alias of a folder as well the folder itself. So if you’re like me, and scatter working folders aliases all over your desktop, this product is a “mouse-click” saver. |
To customize FolderGlance, access it within your “Systems Preferences” panel [Applications > System Preferences.app] or from your dock. The preference panel allows you to control things like “opening a target folder to enable move/copy/alias operation and much more.
A second operating mode allows you to right-click anywhere within a finder window or from the Desktop to navigate within folders that you have designated to be added to the context menu when using that mode. Which folders are affected is determined from the preference folder. [I’ve not selected any.]
As noted in Fred Showker’s UGN InfoManager review,
http://www.ugnn.com/2006/04/mac_folders_improved.html
“FolderGlance is a powerful utility for browsing files and folders directly from the Finder's contextual menus. Not only that, but FolderGlance also lets you preview files directly from the contextual menus, as well as to move, copy and make aliases of selected files at locations they browse to. Using FolderGlance, digging into packages becomes a simple matter of holding down a modifier key.
“At last, someone had some creative inspiration. Of course it really wasn't creative genius -- all they had to do is ask, "What really sucks about Tiger's Folder Actions?" and they probably got ten thousand answers.
“The main new feature of this latest version is support for control-free popups in the Finder. [Great for users of a one-button mouse.] Now you can now simply click-and-hold on files and folders in the Finder, and after a brief delay, the contextual menu appears.” http://www.ugnn.com/2006/04/mac_folders_improved.html
As many of you are aware, after I write a review, I always check to see what the rest of the world thinks about the product. I was pleased to note that, as Rob Griffiths (whose opinions I respect) in MacOS X Hint Columns on December 5, 2005, also rated this product highly. http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20051205071736666
Package Features:
Although the remaining features of FolderGlance are interesting and likely useful to many users, I have and use both alternative launcher, and menubar based trash tools. I also seldom need to open a document with an alterative application. Don’ t get me wring, these and the others listed below are great tools, its just that I have no interest in using them.
- Adding your own custom folders to the contextual menu, enabling FolderGlance to act as a very versatile launcher
- Control-free popups: Open the contextual menu without holding down the control-key or using a two-button mouse
- Opening files with an application different than the default by using an "Open with..." menu you can tailor to suit your own taste
- Changing the font size used in contextual menus – I like this feature
- Disable the menu fade effect, for a more speedy menu experience
- Browsing into package and installation bundle contents
- Optional display of custom file and folder icons
- Customizable sorting and customizable display of hidden files and folders
Kudos:
A first class tips listing is available from the preferences pane, tips that help, almost, to avoid using the fine manual to get the most out of FolderGlance.
Discomforts
The Software was easy to use — My only problem with the product was that it was so intuitive that I had no reason to write the developer asking for help.
Conclusions
This is a simple, low overhead utility to help you manage and access files nested at various depths in you folders. It integrates seamlessly with your day-to-day search habits that that you which Apple has made this a part of the Tiger Macintosh OS.
As a contextual menu item plugin for the Finder, it is instantly available on a two-button mouse to allow hierarchical browsing of the contents in a selected folder. FolderGlance comes with a preference panel allowing customization of folder depth and hidden file display and activating and focusing its other features.
The price is right and the product is well worth a $5 USDdonationware contribution to its developer Daniel Stødle and Lemon Yellow Software. I rate this product 4.5 macCs.
