What is Reddit's opinion of Directory Opus?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

I would give up on windows explorer, I have. I would look into the two applications everything and directory opus. They will both make windows easier to use. If anything I would get "everything" since it's free and will solve the problem with the search.

Deluxe Paint was revolutionary.

So was Digi View and Digi Paint.

ImageFX (Hi Kermit!) was incredibly powerful.

Directory Opus exists for Windows and I use it every day. Respect to Jon and Greg.

https://www.gpsoft.com.au/

The Video Toaster and Lightwave 3D changed the world. Mad respect to Allen (remember Videoscape) , Stuart (Modeler) , Brad Carvey and all the NewTek mad scientists.

Anybody ever use World Construction Set?

As a programmer I find Directory Opus essential, since I can have two vertical side-by-side Explorers which also support tabs.

Also Everything is amazing, it can instantly find any file on the disk and can do wildcard searches. Where did I put that test XML I got yesterday? Is it in the Skype for Business "Received Files" folder or somewhere on OneDrive? I'll just search by *.xml and sort by Date Modified.

Don't use Clover. It was good back in the day, but ownership of the software has changed and it's likely compromising to install now.

I've tried all of the file explorer alternatives out there extensively, and Directory Opus is the best IMO.

I use Directory Opus as a replacement to Windows Explorer. It has a lot of nice features and allows you to write scripts to perform some of the repetitive tasks (I know you can script it in PS or batch). Also, my favorite part about the software is the ability to have multiple tabs that are in different directories and even having side-by-side tabs open.

To me, it's a great tool and I love it. I have the light version that I got on sale a long time ago so it might not be worth the cost to you but it certainly was for me.

I use Directly Opus on Windows 10 and it'll bring up your last folder view after a reboot. (Just tested.) It also has a mode that replaces windows explorer and allows you to double-click your desktop to bring up the last view you closed.

I would check out Directory Opus. It does great file searching (I think it can search in PDF) and so much more. Probably the best file management app out there. Cheap too for what it does.

https://www.gpsoft.com.au

Take a look at Directory Opus. It's way, way more than just a dual-pane file manager. If your hobbies or job involve a ton of file management, it has tools to make it way easier and more convenient. Not just for basic file operations like moving or sorting, but also for looking at and operating on file metadata and operating on archives. Custom file metadata like star ratings, tags, and color coding (like Mac OS). It has built-in scripting support too. Basically, it combines the features of a bunch of normally-separate file management tools into one unified file manager.

https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/opus12/index.html#!Documents/File_Collections.htm

https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/opus11/index.html#!Documents/Labels1.htm

Directory Opus might be the one you're looking for.

That sucks. Looks amazing on all three screens I've used it on. I will admit I've seen graphical artifacts on it, so it's not perfect.

There are always alternative file managers. I've tried a couple but I always go back to the default one. My father got me started on third party file managers. He paid for Directory Opus on the Amiga. I don't know what he paid. It costs $90 now, though!

Directory Opus - Utility/file manager/Explorer replacement.

Cost is 49 Australian Dollars, so eh around 30 US Dollars I think.

Using it since it first came out on Amiga computers all them years ago, just can't do without it.

You don't say what OS you're using, so I'm going to assume the default is Windows :) I really like 'outliner' apps, such as this one:

http://www.tgslabs.com/en/winorganizer

And if you're a power user, check out AutoHotKey.... it's a hella powerful tool, and it's free:

http://ahkscript.org

Oh, and this is probably the best file manager ever created. Expensive, but worth every penny, IMO:

https://www.gpsoft.com.au

Interesting. I would seriously doubt that it's limited to laptops and excludes desktops, maybe they mean computer? Try contacting them to confirm https://www.gpsoft.com.au/footer/contact.html

If the program doesn't respect command line args, then it doesn't respect them. But it looks like it supports hotkeys, even when it isn't running so I'd look into what scripting power this program itself allows.

> I have thankfully kept my most of my photos across many devices and ecosystems but now I'm having trouble finding photos.

I just upload all of my photos to Google Photos and then use Google's AI search to find the picture I'm looking for, check the date when it was taken and then I search for the original in my actual photo folders on my HDDs (which are sorted by date).

Google Photos search is so incredibly powerful without you having to actually do anything like tagging. If you want that one picture of a hawk you took years ago? Just type 'hawk' in the search bar and it shows up.

> Does anything like that exists? Or do you know of anything else that would help go through thousands of photos?

I just use Directory Opus, on one panel I have the folder of unsorted pics and on the other(s) I have the different folders they might be sorted under and then just drag and drop or use the key shortcuts.

If you're on Windows, allow me to offer a different perspective. I've been using Directory Opus to handle my photo file management at a pre-processing stage. It's not photographic software, it's an advanced file manager meant to replace windows explorer.

I use it to batch rename photo files using their metadata so i can add the date and time in the filenames based on EXIF info. You can even edit metadata. I also use it to find duplicate files using a MD5 checksum. It's much more secure than comparing file names and very fast on SSDs. If you need to check large HDDs for duplicates, you can just let it run in the background or overnight.

I'm not using that part but it offers FTP functions, so while it's not a product developed specifically for photographers, it answers many use cases. Be aware the duplicate file finder is only found in the pro version. I think it's good value for money but it's a difficult software to learn due to the extreme customization it allows. You should try the free evaluation period first.

Fact: The Windows File Explorer has not evolved since Win 95.

It saddens and disturbs me that Microsoft didn't send in a fully outfitted squad of seasoned mercs to kidnap the developer of Directory Opus 25 years ago. It further saddens me that in general people aren't even aware that Directory Opus even exists. It fixes everything. EVERYTHING. It is also customizable to the point of sheer lunacy. Check out the insane themes and casual power this thing has, it really is what the File Manager should have progressed to at this point. Use it for a day and you will reaalllllly wonder why it is okay for Microsoft to cripple functionality on this front for decades now.

https://www.gpsoft.com.au/

On an amusing and delicious side note, the developer is an Elder Nerd from the Amiga days and he is also the Final Boss when it comes to battling pirates on the high seas. If you can get a cracked version of Directory Opus running you are LEGIT. Like, for real. I only bring this up because it really is rather amazing just how devious and relentless this guy has been - and trust me YOU aren't going to crack it.

Ok... so GUI then. If you are asking that question GUI is what you want.

The best file manager I have found for Windows is a paid app, although not that expensive honestly. For the record, I am not affiliated with the company and don't get anything for recommending them. I say that because of how strongly I recommend it... which is to say that I would stop using Windows if I could not use this app. I had a client once who said they did not want me installing "third-party software" on the laptop they were going to loan me... I turned down the client for that reason alone.

It is called Directory Opus. And can be found here. It is $89 dollars so not horribly expensive but not cheap either.

It has tons of great features but the one I like best is the visual renamer. You can rename multiple files using a dialog that supports search and replace and will show you a preview of what the files will be after you make the change. Really great.

I've tried pretty much every free one I could find, I ended up buying Directory Opus. Moderately pricey, but totally worth it. Fast & responsive, highly customization, and stable.

Directory Opus, a file explorer with tabs among other utilities. Once you use it (or one of its alternatives) there's no going back. I have more than 10 open folders at any moment, can't imagine dealing with that on separate windows. Also, they get saved, so I don't need to reopen them every time.

I never even realized it existed until I read your question but Directory Opus from GPSoft (https://www.gpsoft.com.au/) does have logs for file operations. It's a little on the spendy side, but it's the best file manager I've ever used. I started using it back in the day on the Amiga and then decade or so later I realized they released Windows versions now and I bit the bullet and have never looked back. It's got a TON of functionality packed into it and is very extensible via scripting and a lot of customization options. It's got configurable logging though in that you can specify what type of operations get logged and how long the long file gets before it's trimmed, etc. It also supports various operations that allow you to check the "Unattended operation" during a long copy/move/whatever that will allow you to specify actions to take during that process (ie. overwrite if the file is existing, return an error, etc.) but at the end, it presents you with a log summary of what happened during that process. It's also smart enough to notice if you start a large copy process and then copy more files to that location, it'll add them to the queue instead of just starting a 2nd simultaneous copy. Really the features of DOpus are too numerous to list. They offer a free trial and a Lite version, but in my opinion if you're going to spend the money on the Lite version, you should just get the full version. I can't state enough how satisfied I've been with DOpus.

UPDATE: Here's the online help for logging: https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/Opus10/index.html#!Documents/Prefs/Logging.htm

Directory Opus! I honestly can't understand how anyone can use the default file explorer. Feels like riding a donkey when you could also use a Tesla. Opus has tons of features seamlessly integrated in their explorer (FTP, media viewer, renaming, image conversion, folder synching,...). I think I use it since 15 years, and it's still constantly updated and improved.
In general I think much of this program should be a template for all others: The way it offers preferences for everything for example. You can quick-search through the settings. And if you're fancy about it, you can script pretty much everything that program does.

I also use Vim as text editor. I love it, but could not possibly recommend it to anyone since the learning curve is crazy :)

Just wanted to comment that I was looking for something similar for Windows. I absolutely loved how Mac OS X did it, so I was hoping that Windows had something similar.

Unfortunately, the solutions I've seen haven't been very good. Some apps seem to modify the name of the file, which isn't a good idea since Windows limits the file-path to 256 characters. Meaning, you can't apply as many tags as you want, you're limited by how much would fit in the file-name. Plus, adding it to the file-name makes it all wonky and disorganized looking.

The frustrating thing is that NTFS (the file-system of Windows) has a thing called ADS (Alternate Data Stream). You can put arbitrary data in there, including stuff like meta-data about the file.

But there's no support or use of ADS, as far as I can tell, by Microsoft.

The only program I've seen use it is https://www.gpsoft.com.au/. It's an expensive program (80$ for the light version), but it allows you to add "tags" to files using ADS.

I'm trying it out, but the state of file tags on Windows is currently discouraging.

Are you trying to sort shortcuts to folders alphabetically? I don't know if software suggestions are allowed here, but Directory Opus can do what you are asking for very easily. Directory Opus is kind of expensive, so you may be able to find freeware file managers that can provide the features you are looking for. Personally, the only time I use Windows Explorer is to install Directory Opus. Once that's done, I never use it again.

BTW, if suggesting third-party software is not allowed here, please let me know and I will delete this comment.

• Directory Opus: Mit Abstand der mächtigste Dateimanager.
  
• EmEditor: Extrem schneller Text-Editor mit bis zu 250 GB Unterstützung (wirklich ein Text-Editor, keine VS Code pseudo-IDE)
  
• MediaMonkey 4: Musik-Verwaltungssoftware (Version 5 sieht schöner aus, ist aber lahm und Electron-basiert)

Alle 3 Windows, Bezahlsoftware (EmEditor hat sowohl Abo als auch Lebenszeit, der Rest hat altmodischen Versions-Kauf), und eingeschränkte kostenlose Version verfügbar

I've been using the pro version of Directory Opus for over a year now and it loads all sorts of media very fast, including my arw-files. I believe the free version also supports this, so maybe you should give it a try.

Link: https://www.gpsoft.com.au

Directory Opus has tabs (though placed below the file window), and much else besides. It's not free, but I've been using for years, and wouldn't think of going back now. (I am in no way affiliated to them, btw.)

A few additions via the discussion on organizing shortcuts:

True Launch Bar mentioned by /u/x33storm and Directory Opus which came to my mind after looking at the former :)

I did the reverse - when I had to use MS Win7 at work, I paid for Directory Opus because nothing else on MS Windows came close to what I could do with Konqueror or Dolphin (or SpaceFM, Krusader, Dired, etc.)

If you have to use MS Windows and don't mind paying for software, take a look at Directory Opus (https://www.gpsoft.com.au/).

Luckily, the IT guys at work allowed me to install Linux on my work computer a few years ago.

> PureText: Allows pasting as plain text using Ctrl+Shift+V

If you're using AutoHotKey anyway, you don't need a separate app for this :)

Also, if you're not opposed to spending money for good software, I'd highly recommend Directory Opus. It's about $70 US, but worth it for power users, IMO.

Directory Opus Pro a dual pane, complete replacement for the default file explorer in Windows.

The thing is. This thing is so much more than a file manager. It's able to replace so many utilities that it's mind boggling. It's ridiculously customizable and on top of that it's scripting capabilities allow for pretty much anything you can dream of.

So if you want to customize file management and/or Explorer in Windows, boy I know the product for you...

It's a bit over the top, but nothing like it - check out Directory Opus

I use Directory Opus. It's probably the most powerful and customizable file explorer in the market. There is a free version available, but I got my license through a Humble Bundle sale.

To take advantage of this sale, use the coupon code NEWYEAR2020 before January 27th, 2019.

*Directory Opus Light is 40% off *Directory Opus Pro is 40% off *Upgrades from Opus 11 or earlier to Opus 12 are 40% off *Extra licenses are 40% off *Optional features like Advanced FTP and USB export are 40% off

To upgrade or buy new copies of Opus 12, visit the Directory Opus online purchase page

If you use that often and just want it on dragndrop (instead of using bat scripts): Third-party file explorer Directory Opus have a command argument to do that called "copy /RENAMEWHENSAME". Set it up as a ctrl+drag action or something.

Read about it: https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/opus12/index.html#!Documents/Copy.htm

Heres my current Windows Desktop app collection:

• Directory Opus - My default File Explorer now. It can zip and unzip. It can edit metadata on images and mp3s. You can create buttons that runs scripts. These scripts can do anything the regular program can do (so you can create scripts that create archives or edit metadata or launches apps or anything really). You can script your own metadata columns that you can group by or sort by. Its also a good alternative for desktop icons or custom start menu because you can make the toolbars float or dock to desktop. But it can't replace a taskbar yet, unless one does some very smart scripting. It of course have tabs. And side-by-side split. FTP support.
• Rainmeter - Just for datetime and weather on my second desktop.
• Powertoys - Windows can snap windows to 2 or 4 areas on the screen. This tool makes it possible to create custom snap areas.
• Everything - Fastest file search.
• EarTrumpet - Easier access to legacy sound panel. And faster access to a volume mixer interface.
• ConEmu - The most reliable powershell terminal.

Try here then clicking on the items on the left. Seems the site doesn't let you link directly. I'm getting javascript not enabled error as well as 404 for partial paths.

Directory Opus (a file explorer replacement) can do that. In "File Types", find ".exe" and double-click on it. Go to "Events". Find the "Left double-click" (probably best to use one of the other click events while you are experimenting). Function should be a "Standard Function (Opus or external). And the code should be:

@async: "%1" %* Close

What this does is run the the application like normal. Then because I set the "@async", it continues the script without waiting for the application to close. Next line closes the current "lister" (What Directory Opus calls its file lists). If you want to limit this action to only desktop dirs, you will need a bit more logic in the script. And might be edge-cases. Might consider asking on their scripts forums for more advanced stuff, I just started using this application.

Warning: DON'T modify the ones in the "Actions" tab. Those changes your regular Windows commands.

Directory Opus can do everything you're asking for, and far more. You can create your own columns (I think you have to write scripts for this, but you can find tutorials on their website.

You can configure Directory Opus to always show sizes very easily. I have Directory Opus set to always show exact sizes (bytes), but you can choose to show sizes in KB, MB, etc.

​

You can download a 60 day trial as well.

I use Directory Opus as a replacement for Windows Explorer, and I quite like it. I'm not 100% sure if it does everything you're asking for, but there's a decent chance of it since it has a huge number of features (many of which I admittedly don't really know about). It does cost money, but there's a 60-day free trial so you can at least evaluate it and see if it works for your needs if no one else has a better suggestion.

To be honest I've had DO uninstalled for a couple of months because of some other troubleshooting reason and I haven't gotten around to reinstalling it, but to answer your question:

> does directory opus allow the mixing of files folders

Yes, you can have a directory displayed as mixed which shows all the contents in a directory, recursively, without showing folders itself. See <https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/opus12/index.html#!documents/Flat_View.htm>. It's very useful :)

> thumbnails cache

Doing a search for "thumbnail" on <https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/opus12/index.html#!Documents/Prefs/Advanced.htm> shows that DO could be managing its own thumbnail cache and the settings can be modified, eg max_thumbnail_mem_size set to 0 would give it no limit. Take a look at the Category: Limits section on that page :)

If you're really interested in the app, I know every Christmas season the license goes on sale for a discount. You can trial it for 60 days, maybe even longer if you use throwaway emails?

Try googling "windows/linux/macos synchronize folders"

I use a software that come with this feature, if you're interested it's called Directory Opus. It's probably overkill for what you need done.

I replaced File Explorer with Directory Opus years ago (going back to the Amiga days) and it's been able to handle RAW formats for quite a while now.

Always wondered why MS never introduced it earlier.

I don't really remember, because I last tried xyplorer about eight years ago. I had some problems with it, but I wouldn't be surprised if they've been fixed since.

To actually answer your question as honestly as I can, the advantage is that it has so many features that you won't have to try multiple programs to find what you want. You can take a look at the manual for an idea. https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/opus12/index.html

Directory Opus, the most powerful and customizable Windows Explorer (File Explorer) alternative out there. I've basically used it on a daily basis for eight years. Thanks to the ability to search for keywords in the lengthy but highly organized preferences dialog, it's easy to change the appearance and functionality to exactly what you want. While being feature-rich is great, being able to quickly enable and disable the features you want or don't want is just as important.

For an analogy, Directory Opus is foobar2000 except it comes with every component you could possibly want, and none of them are deprecated.

On a more meta level, I also recommend Directory Opus because it will directly save you time. A lot of modern apps either consume time, or at best consume time with the hope that you'll save time elsewhere. Directory Opus's promise is simple: you already spend time file browsing, and it could be a lot quicker.

I am a web developer and I need to open MANY file folders on my second monitor.

I need to stack 4 different folders like this.

Anyone ever see an app that can do that? This one can do 2 but I need more. https://www.gpsoft.com.au/program/screenshots.html

Nope unfortunately. I resorted to buying Directory Opus and using a dark theme. It's worth the money for all the extra features if you're down for spending to keep it dark.

Directory Opus: https://www.gpsoft.com.au/

Dark Theme: https://resource.dopus.com/t/simple-dark-theme/26536

Sample: https://i.imgur.com/2NNsdun.png

What really sealed the deal for my purchase is the fact that I submitted a feature request (for an inverted colored text viewer) and not only did they add the feature, it went in the next version.

I've been using Directory Opus for about 5-6 years now. It's not free, but it's by far the best file explorer I've found for Windows, and I've tried a lot. It's stable, super-super customizable (you can basically make it look however you want), and is regularly updated. Well worth it, particularly since my work place pays the license :)

Try out an aftermarket file manager like Directory Opus: https://www.gpsoft.com.au/

Seriously. It's extensible, so it can display just about ANYTHING, and the functionality of it is fantastic. I can't work on a computer with just Explorer anymore, it's so liberating.

Damn, I could talk for days about Opus, but don't really know where to begin :) Pretty much every single element in the interface is customizable. If you hold the alt key while pressing on a toolbar or menu button, for example, you can program it to do whatever you want, and have it customizable per mouse button:

https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/opus12/index.html#!Documents/Scripting.htm

Hell, even the status bar can be customized in whatever layout you want. It even has it's own command-line interface.

Just look at the what's new video for v12 to get an idea of how powerful it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ircl1OVEdaM

If I had to pick one feature as my fav, it would be the flat file layout. Say you've got a clusterfuck of sub directories with all kinds of files and you just want to get the .mp3 files out (or whatever), you can lay them all out flat so it looks like it's a single dorectory, then just highlight the .mp3 files and copy them out (or whatever). It also has a metric assload of smaller features, such as the ability to automatically clear the read bit when you're copying files off optical media. Just tons and tons of little things like that.

Of course, not everybody needs or wants this insane level of customization. For these people, Opus is complete overkill. It can also be very overwhelming when you fire it up for the first time. But hey, this ain't your grandma's file manager :)

> I actually tried Directory Opus and it looks really bad so there's no way I am using that.

What's that supposed to mean? Directory Opus looks just like you want it to look.

Simple: http://www.djbase.de/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/dopuslister.png

More advanced: https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/opus11/Media/Opus%2011%20Lister%20-%20Small.png

There's basically nothing you can't change.

> there are audio players with auto playlists and file operations (I use Clementine) but I never saw one with query syntax or multi grouping in a playlist.

Clementine is way too basic - no proper title formatting, no custom tags, no advanced replay gain support, no proper gapless playback, ... Also its file operations are really limited, because of the lack of a proper title formatting. E.g. you can't do anything like that in Clementine: /mnt/media/$if($strcmp(%genre%,Classical),%composer%,%album artist%)/[(%date%) ]%album%/[%disc%.][%tracknumber%.]%title%

> I couldn't quite understand what you mean by database.

A database to index all the songs for fast querying and access, which gets updated automatically when the songs change in the filesystem or new ones get added, which runs smoothly with 100.000 tracks and more, which supports custom tags, a powerful query syntax to find its contents, ...

> You ever heard of the locate command ?

Yes, sure. But for my taste it's too slow (no search-as-you-type, only single thread search), you have to constantly update the database (no real time updating) and it doesn't index time stamps (mtime, ctime, atime, ...), file/folder size, etc. so you can't search or sort by them quickly.

> I think the file managers and music players available in Linux are better.

I haven't found a single file manager that comes even close to the power and quality of Directory Opus or Total Commander. E.g. most of the Linux file manager support basic tab management, whereas Directory Opus offers immensely useful features like linked, locked or slave tabs.

https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/opus11/index.html#!Documents/Tabs.htm

Regarding audio players: Do you know of anything that comes close to foobar2000? The best you can get is probably DeaDBeeF but it lacks a decent query syntax, database, auto playlists, file operations (move, copy, delete, link), multi-grouping in playlist, ...

MremoteNG - an open-source tabbed remote connection utility. It handles rdp and ssh sessions, as well as vnc and some others.

http://www.mremoteng.org/

Directory Opus - an insanely powerful Windows explorer replacement, FTP client, image browser/converter, etc.. I find it difficult to work without it. The only downsides to it are the learning curve and the price tag. After using the free trial, however, you can see that the money is well worth it. A Pro license is $89 AUD, which currently equates to about $67 USD.

https://www.gpsoft.com.au/

The frustrating thing is that NTFS (the file-system of Windows) has a thing called ADS (Alternate Data Stream). You can put arbitrary data in there, including stuff like meta-data about the file. But there's no support or use of ADS, as far as I can tell, by Microsoft.

The only program I've seen use it is https://www.gpsoft.com.au/[1] . It's an expensive program (80$ for the light version), but it allows you to add "tags" to files using ADS.

I'm trying it out, but the state of file tags on Windows is currently discouraging.

I don't know if it supports the Mac colours but Directory Opus does allow tagging by folder colour on Windows. I guess there's a decent chance that it can read and display folders labelled on a Mac but I can't find anything in the help to confirm. You can download a free trial of the software from here.

Edit: Looks like it uses its own implementation and doesn't read the ds_store file. Perhaps you could use DOpus and configure the colours to be the same as what your colleagues see.

There are 3rd party color label apps for windows, but they only color the folders and not the files - http://superuser.com/questions/245925/is-it-possible-to-color-tag-files-in-windows-7-like-in-finder-on-a-mac

For files, one option is the windows explorer replacement Directory Opus, - https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/opus11/index.html#!Documents/Prefs/Labels.htm