After launching Macintosh Explorer you will be presented with the Explorer Window. The Explorer window is the main window of the application and is where most interaction will take place.
At the top of the Explorer window you will see the set of navigation buttons. By default the following navigation buttons are used;
Go Back
Goes back through past visited folders
Go Up
Goes up one directory until the Desktop Folder is reached
Go Forward
Goes to the next visited folder after using the Go Back button
Home
Brings you back to the root of your computer
Reload
Reloads the current directory
Cut
Removes the selected files and folders and prepares them for a move
Copy
Gets the selected files and folders and prepares them for a copy
Paste
Copies or moves the selected files or folders depending on what was previously selected
Delete
Deletes the selected files and folders
Get Info
Shows file and folder information for the selected items
Preferences
Brings up the preferences window
Path Field
Below the navigation buttons you will see the Path Field. This field displays the full path of the current folder being browsed. You may drag and drop a folder from the Finder and press enter to display that folder in the lists below. You may also specify a URL to have your default browser open to that location.
File Links
Under the Path Field is the links bar. Drag and drop files or folders from the Finder or from within Macintosh Explorer to create links. Control-click on a link to display a contextual menu which allows you to perform various tasks on the selected link. You can change a link by dropping a file or folder on an already created link. To remove a link Control-click the link and select 'Remove' from the contextual menu. Single click a link to launch a file or display a folder's contents in the file lists. Links are also stored in the favorites menu located in the menu bar.
Navigation
Folder List
To browse your hard drives, Macintosh Explorer provides a hierarchical folder list beneath the links bar. This list only displays folders and will never show files. The folder list displays all mounted volumes at the top including network volumes, all folders on the desktop and the Trash folder at the bottom. To open a folder, click on it or single click the small arrow to the left of the folder. For convenience the Folder List will display aliases of folders.
File List
To the right of the Folder List is the File List. This list displays both the files and folders in the current directory being browsed. Double click a file to launch the file or double click a folder to display its contents. Unlike the Folder List, the File List is not hierarchical and can only show one folder at a time. The File List not only displays the file or folder's name but provides additional information as well. By default the File List will show the Date Created, Date Modified, Size and Kind of the appropriate item. The column views are fully customizable in the preferences. The descending sorting widget in the upper right corner is disabled if no column is currently sorted.
Both the Folder List and File List provide contextual menus for your convenience. Control-click on any item within the list to display the contextual menu. You may also drag and drop files or folders between lists or to and from the Finder. By clicking and holding the mouse between the lists you can resize the widths to your likings. The font and font size used is also customizable via the preferences.
File Management Tools
Previewing Files
Macintosh Explorer provides the ability to preview files as pictures, movies or text. Just select the files you wish to preview and Go to Tools->Preview File As. and select the appropriate preview mode.
Preview As Picture
The picture viewer in Macintosh Explorer allows you to see pictures at any size. By default the picture is shown no larger
then 300 by 300 pixels. Once the picture is opened you can use the contextual menu commands provided to view the picture
at its actual size. You can also copy the picture at its current dimensions to the clipboard.
Preview As Movie
The movie player in Macintosh Explorer uses QuickTime to display the movie and therefore supports all file types that
QuickTime does. The movie player is opened at the dimensions of the movie but can be resized as much as possible.
Preview As Text
Macintosh Explorer's text viewer will allow you to open any text file and view its contents. You may also view the data fork of
any application
Deleting Files
Macintosh Explorer provides the ability to permanently delete files and folders. Select the files and folders you wish to delete and press the delete button in the navigation bar. If only one file or folder is selected a single warning will appear. Otherwise, a new window will open with a list of the selected files and folders. You may add items to the list by dragging and dropping them from within Macintosh Explorer or from the Finder. You can remove items by selecting the items you want to remove and pressing the Delete button on your keyboard.
Finding Unused Files
Macintosh Explorer allows you to search the current folder for unused files or folders based on the criteria you specify. Go to Tools->Find Unused Files... to access this feature. Once selected a new window will open asking for the options you would like Macintosh Explorer to use. Choose you preference and press the OK button to have the unused files and folders based on the criteria you specify listed in a new window ready for you to delete.
Batch Info Changer
Macintosh Explorer provides the ability to change batch file and folder information at once. You may change the name of multiple items, the creation and modification date, the comment and the extended Finder flags. You may choose to change all files, all folders, both files and folders, or just the selected items.
Backing Up Files
While browsing your computer in Macintosh Explorer, you have the ability to back up any important documents. Macintosh Explorer 3.0 now allows you to select the compression application to use when backing up. The back up feature will now be able to keep track of files if they are moved or renamed within the same volume when you save and open file lists. Just select the files and folders you want to back up and go to Tools->Back Up Files.... A new window will open listing the selected files and folders. You can add items by dragging and dropping them from the Finder or within Macintosh Explorer. You can remove items from the list by selecting the items you want to remove and pressing the Delete button on your keyboard.
Getting & Setting File Information
Macintosh Explorer allows you to get and set extended Finder information for volumes, directories and files. Select the files and folders you want to get info for and either go to File->Get Info, press COMMAND-I, or press the info button in the navigation bar. A new window will appear providing detailed information about the selected item.
Preferences
Macintosh Explorer provides a variety of customization options that can be applied to Macintosh Explorer. This includes interface customization as well as behavior modification. The following is a description of the available options provided by Macintosh Explorer;
Options
This tab allows you to specify how you want Macintosh Explorer to behave in certain situations.
Use Generic Icons: This option will use a set of pre made icons for the files and folders shown by in the Explorer Window.
Show Invisible Files: This option will show invisible files and folders while browsing.
Select Expanded Folder: This option will select the folder that is expanded in the Folder List.
Launch Files Using Finder: This option will ask the Finder to launch a file rather than using Macintosh Explorer's own code.
Copy/Move Files Using Finder: This option will ask the Finder to copy/move files.
Bring Finder To Front When Copying: This option will bring the Finder to the front so that the progress can be shown.
Play Sounds: This option will play theme compliant sounds throughout Macintosh Explorer where appropriate.
Appearance
This tab allows you to modify the appearance of Macintosh Explorer. You can modify the background color, the navigation buttons as well as use large navigation buttons.
Tool Tips
This tab allows you to change the appearance of the tool tips.
List Views
This tab allows you to modify the appearance of the list views in the Explorer window. You can specify which columns should be shown and the font and font size that should be used.
Macintosh Explorer information and updates can be found at http://www.ragesw.com/explorer.php.
