yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android Apps and Games] GermainZ:
Hey [MENTION=2954544]tliebeck[/MENTION],

I see some users already talked about their impressions concerning the new UI. I'm attaching two screenshots to add mine:

I actually really like the fact that items were close to each other, and feel that the new spacing is wasting too much space, and if I'm being honest (and subjective), uglier.

I also highly prefer the old selection colors (yellow is ugly, at least with the dark theme I use; so is the light blue used for the selected items' borders). I understand it's hard to implement along with the new looks, but considering you're moving towards making the interface more themable, maybe consider that in the future.

The 2nd screenshot should be pretty obvious - the titles that got added are causing the buttons not to fit entirely on one screen.

I really like the new features tho, but to explain my rather lengthy rant: there isn't much to say except "I like them", and it's much easier to talk about what you don't like.

Thanks :)
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
This is likely 1.5.1:

http://android.nextapp.com/fx/r283/FX_r283.apk

The only change is the order in which SMB hosts are resolved. I've received several reports of trouble with 1.5.0 here. My best guess is bogus ISP DNS catch-alls are causing trouble, just like they're designed to.

0.57 - 1.4.1: NetBIOS broadcast only.

1.5.0: DNS Loookup first, NetBIOS broadcast second.

1.5.1: NetBIOS broadcast first, DNS Lookup second.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
I think I need to add some specific UI tweaks for MDPI (320x480) screens on phones. MDPI density is currently mostly used for 10" tablets, but with a resolution of 1280x720 or 1280x800. Sizing that looks good on MDPI tablets is just too darn big on MDPI phones. I'd want to reduce spacing in menus and between items. Additionally I need to add the option to use smaller icons in menus.

That "Show Hidden" button drives me crazy (taking up so much space, and I can't think of a good way to shorten it). I'm almost thinking of of removing it and adding an item to directory listings called "Hidden Files" that will expand to show all hidden files when it's tapped. If a directory had 17 hidden files, it'd either be labeled "17 Hidden Files" or perhaps have a rendered icon with the number 17 in it.
[Android Apps and Games] thedicemaster:
that fixed it for me.

it seems opendns(one of the dns servers used by crossbreeder) was redirecting me to their search.

now with your new test version fx connects to my pc with 0 delay using the device name.

edit: i don't like the idea of having hidden files visible that way.

some files may be hidden for a reason, and if i understand your idea correctly that's only going to draw attention towards them.

edit2: can't you shorten it to just 'hidden'?

as for saving space in that menu, perhaps you could move the select buttons?

those would seem more appropriate under the 'file' menu.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
A bit OT...this is why push advertising is evil:

This guy doesn't know what app is causing his problem, but probably just installed FX and is confused about correlation vs. causation. So happy that Google now offers the ability to reply to reviews.

And the principal company responsible for such advertising continues to spam the support address telling me how great their service is, despite four replies informing them to discontinue doing so and that their continued mailings are illegal per US spam laws.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
1.5.1 is now up on the Play Store, it's the same r283 APK linked above.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Thanks for testing, that APK seems to have fixed everyone's troubles and has been released to the store (though it will take a couple of hours to actually be listed).

I'm not sure shortening "Show Hidden" to "Hidden" is enough info. Many users probably don't understand "Hidden Files" to begin with.
[Android Apps and Games] iXNyNe:
Recommendations

Since the view menu is getting rather full (almost cluttered) I'd say move the "select" buttons to the file menu. They have nothing to do with the view menu really. But you are selecting files. Typically on a PC the select all item is under edit, not view. In this case there is no edit menu, so I feel file menu is more appropriate.

One more thing. For apps manager I see in the details for an app it shows enabled or disabled and mentions it can be run, but there's no way to run it from FX. Maybe add a run command somewhere?

---------- Post added at 07:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 PM ----------

More specifically under file there could be

Heading: create

Items: folder, file, archive

Heading: select

Items: none, all, multiple

Heading: manage

Items: open, rename, delete, cut, copy, send

That seems like good organization to me (by no means am I writing the Bible, but I hope the ideas help)

I also feel the details button belongs in with files (maybe under manage) but I could go either way on that.

I also didn't take the root options into account (permissions and symlink) I'd figure symlink under create and permissions under manage, and maybe make them in a row of 4 like the sort items under view are, rather than how they currently are the only two items in the row they show up in.
[Android Apps and Games] iXNyNe:
As for the new theme, I'd like to say I think it looks great!

The one thing I don't like is in this screen shot

When dragging to select the blue looks kinda bad with the yellow. Once its selected if you drag to deselect it darkens the yellow and looks fine. Just the blue looks less than top notch.

Everything else looks really nice. Lots of rounded corners. Very polished.
[Android Apps and Games] elban:
If only the users would correct the ratings afterwords... It's kinda frustrating when you help someone efficiently and they just "forget" to put a couple stars down there.

Sorry for the rant :D
[Android Apps and Games] WeSiDe:
I'm not a devolper but god dang that would infuriate me, like, wanna punch something mad. The ignorant knee jerk assumption that this app is causing that problem followed by laziness and carelessness to correct their error, I'm getting mad by proxy just thinking about it. OK sorry for my rant too. We'll get annoyed for you Tliebeck so you don't have to.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
I can't fault these users too much. The notification bar/push advertising systems are designed to disassociate ads from their source. This result (that users will complain about the wrong app) is by design. I'm not a lawyer, but I can't imagine such deliberate practices don't run afoul of the law, and I know for certain that they are specifically addressed in the current Google Play application developer contract terms.

I actually started a thread in the "Android General" section about this: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=40589006#post40589006 I'm hoping to fill a test phone with a few notification-bar-ad-spewing apps to see if they actually go so far as to deliberately target other apps.
[Android Apps and Games] thedicemaster:
google did find a solution for that kind of ads.

in 4.1 and higher you can track which app launched a notification(also mentioned in the thread you just started) and disable notifications for it.

unfortunately the people most likely to complain and accuse the wrong app tend to have cheap or outdated phones running 2.# versions of android.

still, if anyone with 4.1 or newer complains about notification ads you can tell them about this feature.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Good call on the highlight, will be changed in the next version.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Test release: 1.5.2.t2 / r285

A 1.5.2 test release is available, very minor changes here:

Slightly more compact file listing layout for MDPI phones with 480x320 resolution (also applies to LDPI phones with < 480x320). Tablets retain the more spaced layout.

Changed swipe-to-select color from blue to gray.

SMB Bugfixes: increased the way-too-short timeout duration. Fixed issues/performance with directories containing very large quantities of files.

WebDAV fixes: connecting to servers with "bad" (expired/self-signed) SSL certificates now allowed (with user confirmation).

As a minor change this will likely go live very soon, but I figured I'd post it as a test release first. It's not terribly critical to try it unless you require something in the above list.

http://android.nextapp.com/fx/r285/FX_r285.apk

Edit: I'll start marking test releases with a colorful/big title from now on for those interested.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
I potentially like the idea of adding headers to the File menu, and swapping open/and archive...not sure if would work well in all scenarios though.

The trouble is the file menu is pretty dynamic. For instance, the "Archive" option becomes "Extract" within archives and it becomes "Download" on remote servers. So in archives/remote servers, the Download/Extract option would have to be moved out of the "Create" section.

I don't want to add selection to the File menu..it'll make it more complex than the View menu is presently.

The custom/variably named/leftmost menu in FX is called the "action" menu (in the code at least). The idea is that items in that menu perform actions on the displayed directory or selection.

The "View" menu is a combination of the Edit/View menus of a desktop app. Selection is also here because the view menu controls the "mode" of the current view, and "multiple select" is a mode.

The "Tools" menu is ancillary features, general app features (About/Settings/Help are always present).
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Official release: 1.5.2 / r286

The 1.5.2 release has been uploaded to the Play Store, it may take an hour or so to go live.

Changes include:

Slightly more compact file listing layout for MDPI phones with 480x320 resolution (also applies to LDPI phones with < 480x320). Tablets retain the more spaced layout.

Changed swipe-to-select color from blue to gray.

SMB Bugfixes: increased the way-too-short timeout duration. Fixed issues/performance with directories containing very large quantities of files.

WebDAV fixes: connecting to servers with "bad" (expired/self-signed) SSL certificates now allowed (with user confirmation).

FX TextEdit: added option to file menu to run scripts. File name must end in .sh.

Improved/updated documentation (Tools->Help).
[Android Apps and Games] bruce7373:
[MENTION=2954544]tliebeck[/MENTION]: I'm having an issue with accessing LAN shares or Cloud accounts (Dropbox and Drive) -- when I try to connect (even opening the Network or Cloud UI), the system reboots.

This started after flashing a new ROM (mrRobinson's buttered AOKP), so clearly related. But I don't know if it's FX or the ROM, so I'm letting you know as well as mrR. I hope it's fixable as this is by far the best file explorer on the market. :thumbup:

Edit: FWIW, I'm not having any problems with Solid Explorer.
[Android Apps and Games] djsubtronic:
Thanks for this app. Just keeps getting better. I purchased the Plus addon today after discovering how awesome it is to be able to cut and paste files straight from my DropBox to my phone.
[Android Apps and Games] babylonbwoy:
Hi, I don't know if it was already discuted, when you have two windows opened in FX and you press back button twice to get out instead of closing FX it shows launcher choice like if you pressed the home button. Is it normal ? To be able to get out by pressing back twice you must close one of the windows...

Xperia Z/Stock JB 4.1.2.
[Android Apps and Games] GermainZ:
[MENTION=2954544]tliebeck[/MENTION], the View menu is still too big for my screen. Comparing with the previous screenshot I posted, it's the exact same thing. Should I be doing something on my side?
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Sorry for the trouble, but if an app causes the system to reboot, it's a ROM problem.

A "normal" app shouldn't even be able to do this, under essentially any circumstance. Obviously there are exceptions with root-oriented apps, but FX doesn't use root in any capacity for the network stuff.

The only "interesting things" that happen on the Network and Cloud screens are:

Bookmarked servers are pinged, if "Show Server Availability" is enabled in the Settings (under "Network"). This is enabled by default, you can try disabling it. This does actually do a Runtime.exec (as the FX app user, NOT as root) to run the Linux "ping" command. (The reason for this is that the Android API equivalent is inaccurate).

The network state of the device is queried. FX uses standard Android API classes to determine it, i.e., WifiManager, ConnectivityManager, and NetworkInterface.

Also you might crack open a terminal and do an "uptime" before and after a reboot. It might not be reset...it might just be the Android stack that is rebooting rather than the Linux kernel.

If you report this to the ROM developer, pass this info along.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
This is by design, but I think the Sony's custom UI may be responding to it inappropriately. The double-back-tap-exit doesn't fully shutdown the app if you have multiple windows open, it's supposed to just send you back to the home screen. It sounds like requesting the home screen to be displayed doesn't do the right thing here. I'll have to check FX and make sure the right action is being called as well.

You can tap the "Windows" menu and hold "Close All Windows" to completely shut down FX's user interface.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
My apologies, this didn't make its way into 1.5.2. It is still on the list and I'll try to get in place soon. The sizing adjustments in 1.5.2 only make the padding smaller in the file listings themselves.
[Android Apps and Games] bruce7373:
Well, you nailed it. Disabling the check for server availability solves the problem. :thumbup: So, I'm assuming if other file explorers (Solid, ES) don't do this, they don't take this step (or do it differently), correct?

I will pass your comments and the results along to the ROM dev. Thanks a lot!
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Try opening a terminal emulator and entering this:

ping -n -w 6 -c 5 [i]somecomputername[/i]

Replace somecomputername with the IP or name of a computer on your network. This should be the exact line that FX uses.

And does browsing as root work? The reason I ask is that the other notable thing going on here is that FX is executing Linux commands, which the root module is also doing. In the case of pinging though, FX is of course not using a root shell.
[Android Apps and Games] bruce7373:
Yep, the ping causes a reboot. I don't seem to have any problem browsing as root. I can open folders, mount read/write, look at permissions.
[Android Apps and Games] babylonbwoy:
Yes, that's what I do when it happends. Let me know if you need logs or something to get it working correctly on Sony's ROM.
[Android Apps and Games] Pons:
Slight aesthetic improvement/request: In Resources > Filesystems, please detect if Other Filesystems (i.e. some devices have /data/data or datadata) are an extension of one of the other filesystems (in this case /data) and display the child under the parent (sorry, been working on Java, and can't get the terminology out of my head, but you get what I mean), but slightly offset, like a tab or bullet.

Also, my /cache is listed twice, one as ext4; /dev/block/mmcblk0p2, and one as yaffs2; /dev/block/mtdblock5, both with exact same everything else. Would it be possible/UI friendly-ish to somehow condense these two into the same location, info block? Maybe with Primary mount point, mounted on or something similar?

Sorry, tired and can't think how to rephrase this coherently. If no one gets my point, I'll try again in the morning.
[Android Apps and Games] GermainZ:
A few bugs I've found with the application manager:

The sum of apps' size is negative (probably because I'm using Link2SD).

Most system apps are shown taking 0B of space, but the APK size is shown correctly when I view its details.

And with the filesystem manager:

Selecting a partition (e.g. /mnt/sdcard), then pressing "Allow Remount" (in "Root Tools") followed by "Cancel" marks the "Allow Remount" button as enabled, even tho it's not.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Thanks for reporting.. the second item (system apps taking 0B of space) may be correct, if you're in the "usage view" mode. This statistic is showing usage of /data, so if the app is just an APK in /system/app, it will use 0 bytes here.
[Android Apps and Games] neim81094:
Would premium users be able to "be the ftp server"? Like the android device is the ftp server. That would be awesome. That's a request if you ever have extra time on your hands :thumbup::thumbup:
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Thanks, definitely want to provide some sharing capabilities. Initial option may be a WebDAV server, as I have one (from WebSharing). And though it certainly wouldn't be proprietary, I'd want very-easy FX-to-FX sharing.
[Android Apps and Games] GermainZ:
I just noticed you added an option to the Text Editor to directly run scripts. Thanks for that. ;)
[Android Apps and Games] neim81094:
That would be great WebDAV I could utilize LAN speeds which isn't that bad, better then uploading to Dropbox and redownloading it from another server
[Android Apps and Games] everlethal:
Hi tliebeck

Any news about SystemPanel?

And one more question, what about integration of Web sharing?

For me it's much easier way than others.
[Android Apps and Games] #illidan:
I've got a bug with archives which I can't easily put into words. On hitting the back button after exploring archives & navigating through sub folders in them I'm thrown to the main menu instead of the location where the archive is stored.

Let me try with pictures, see what happens to the current location path bar when I enter the folder in the archive.

Sent from my GT-I9100
[Android Apps and Games] Namoi:
Same problem here, and not only using FX.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
At the moment FX is still taking up the lion's share of my work...currently working on a next version which I'll have details on in a bit, want to get it a bit farther along before posting screenshots and such though.

I do want to get sharing functionality into FX in fairly soon, initial implementation will likely be WebDAV (I have server code), but perhaps FTP as well (or even first/instead of...I'd prefer FTP to WebDAV as it has broader support).
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Thanks for reporting, that's definitely annoying and wrong.
[Android Apps and Games] #illidan:
Thanks.

I've got another bug which I think affects only me because I haven't read any reports of it. All videos don't display their thumbnails at all.

Also could you please consider adding an MD5 sum compare feature because currently that's the only function that makes me open Solid Explorer.

& an invert selection option as well.

Sent from my GT-I9100
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Thanks!

Are the videos in the media database? FX is relying on Android's own media database to get thumbnails. That said it needs to be improved in the "no thumbnail" case.

The MD5/SHA1 compare feature is present in current versions: go to file (or directory) #1, view its details, tap "Calculate" next to Hash/Checksum. Then tap "Copy to Clipboard". Then go to file/directory #2, view its details, and tap "Calculate" again. Below the calculated checksums you'll see an indicator showing whether or the currently displayed checksum is equivalent to the one on the clipboard.
[Android Apps and Games] peterbonge:
I've just checked it:

In the media section video thumbnails are shown, but much too small and with a poor quality.

In the files section (Main Storage) the same videos are not having thumbnails.
[Android Apps and Games] Thirumalai.K:
Suggestions :

Why do we still need root add-on?. Since it became free add-on, why don't you provide an option to enable the root browser in the application itself rather than the separate add-on?

Please add text selection and copy feature in text viewer mode...!!

Application Backup functionality.

Minor Bug:

menu is not perfectly fitting to the entire screen mainly in the lower resolution mobiles.
[Android Apps and Games] kurtfhouse:
Since the update before last on the play store I have had an issue connecting to my windows PC over WiFi. It takes an age to connect. It used to be almost instant. I've tried clearing data, uninstalling and reinstalling but its just not happening. I've been forced to use another file browser for file transfers to and from my PC. Any chance you could take a look?

Thanks, Kurt
[Android Apps and Games] #illidan:
Yes they are. They don't show up in the media management section or in the file explorer section.

About MD5 sum, I downloaded kernels & ROM's on my phone via WiFi & it would be helpful if there was a simple method of copying the hash value to the clipboard from the website & then pasting it in FX to compare it with the files value. Right now there is no way of comparing MD5 sums taken from external sources.

Sent from my GT-I9100
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Thanks for the suggestions!

Requiring the root add-on is certainly debatable. At the moment it only unlocks root access, but my expectation is that it will soon actually contain code to execute tasks as root. This will be important as it appears various superuser apps will require a special app permission to perform work as root, and I'd very much prefer to have this permission implemented by the add-on rather than FX itself. I personally disagree with the logic of having a special "superuser permission" altogether (it scares everyday non-root users, gives carriers an easy target, most people don't read permissions, and the current "app X wants to root, cancel/allow" system is orders of magnitude more secure), but it's not my choice to make.

I think the best solution for the view menu overflowing is for FX to start using the smaller icons on MDPI (320x480) and lower resolution phones. There's also too much space around the "section headers" in the "View" menu on these devices.
[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
Thanks for reporting, just had a couple of questions...

Do you enter a fully qualified domain name or just a host name to connect to your computer? And I take it this is happening every time you attempt to connect.

With FX 1.5.1 and later, hostnames are resolved using a local network broadcast first, followed by a conventional DNS query. 1.5.0 had the same behavior, but used DNS first. 1.4.1 and prior versions only used the network broadcast method.

In theory what the current version of FX is doing should work better than anything before it, I'm not sure what's causing the trouble.
[Android Apps and Games] kurtfhouse:
Blimey, I was with you all the way to "I have a few questions" Lol

I use the computers network IP address and its happening every time. FX never finds my PC if I scan for it within the app so I've always just connected that way.

Estrongs and Solid both connect fine, as did FX until recent updates. As good as the competition is though, I love my FX and am looking forward to being a one file manager man again. Don't have the energy for all this cheating ;)
[Android Apps and Games] madakto:
Very nice :good:
[Android Apps and Games] Pons:
I like the overall idea, since I can tell what to expect from apps (never liked those apps who randomly asked for root despite not needing it). And it shouldn't scare everyday non-root users since they don't see it. It's only visible if you're rooted with an application that defines that permission (either Koush's Superuser or SuperSU). More accurately, it's only visible if you have an app that defines that permission, which to my knowledge, is only Superuser or SuperSU. That's not to say that a malicious app couldn't jump in first and define it first. And the current "app X wants to root, cancel/allow" system won't go away. Koush's current plan in motion is app X will only be allowed to ask for root if it has that declared Superuser permission.
[Android Apps and Games] iXNyNe:
Today is another day that I've run into the need for 7z support...

Please please please pretty please!

I hate installing other file managers just to extract 7z and then uninstall.