Take charge of your Files
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems I spend a lot of time moving files around on my Pocket PC. For this reason, one of the most used applications on my Pocket PC is my File Management system.
Every Pocket PC comes with a mobile version of File Explorer already installed. I have found this application to be barely adequate and extremely limited. Early on in my forays into everything Pocket PC, I discovered a superior File Management application that also happens to be free: Total Commander
File Explorer versus Total Commander
Total Commander does most everything that File Explorer does and provides many more features. Some important differences can be discovered just by reviewing screen shots of the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder taken from my hx2415 (running Windows Mobile 2003se):
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File Explorer |
Total Commander |
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Reviewing the screenshots above, you can see that:
- Total Commander shows file names and extensions; File Explorer shows only file names
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File Explorer features With File Explorer, you can drill down to specific files within folders by tapping any of the folders you see within the screen. Tapping the down arrow next to Programs on the upper left-hand side of the screen allows you to view a folder’s ‘parents’ and to move back to ‘parent’ folders. |
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If you tap the down arrow next to “Name” on the upper right-hand side of the screen, you can short by Name, Date, Size, or Type. Pressing and holding your stylus on a specific file or file folder brings up a context-specific menu consisting of several different options: |
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You’ll also notice some menu items and some icons running along the bottom of the File Explorer screen:
- The Edit menu items
- Tapping the Open menu item
- Tapping the up arrow returns a list of previously opened applications that you can choose to reopen
- Tapping the PDA icon takes you to Main Memory on the Pocket PC
- Tapping the next icon takes you to the Storage Card installed in the Pocket PC
- Tapping the last icon, which looks like a hand holding a canister, is equivalent to tapping the Open menu item.
Total Commander
Using Total Commander, you can drill down to specific files within folders by tapping any of the folders you see within the screen.
- Tapping the down arrow to the right of the path dialogue allows you to select from a list of recently selected path locations
- Tapping the hash mark to the right of the path dialogue returns you to the root subdirectory.
- Tapping the two dots to the right of the path dialogue moves back through the various parent folders.
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You can sort by File Name, Size or Date by respective column headings. If you press and hold your stylus on a specific file or file folder, a context-specific menu appears that provides several options. |
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You will also notice several icons running along the bottom of the Total Commander screen. Tapping File or Show, brings up several options:
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File |
Show |
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Tapping the icons brings up even more options:
- The notebook icon brings up a full featured notepad
- The blue arrow icon is used to copy or move selected files
- The red X icon is used to delete selected files
- The yellow 3D box icon is used to zip and unzip selected files
- The AB icon toggles another row of icons (see screenshot below):
- A scroll icon: Used to open selected files. Pressing and holding your stylus on this icon brings up a submenu which allows you to View files, Define other, and Set to default.
- A folder icon: Used to create directories or folders
- Two curved green arrows icon: Used to refresh the screen
- A hand pointing to paper icon: Used to display the properties of selected files.
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Tapping the two hash marks found at the top of the file listing on the Root directory page takes you to three additional features:
I think you’ll agree that Total Commander is quite a find which is far superior to File Explorer…..and you just can’t beat the price! |
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Julie,
Thanks a whole lot for the suggestion on Total Commander. I spent last evening looking for a File Explorer enhancement, and was about to purchase Resco Explorer. Then this morning I "stumbled" on to your website, and have now installed Total Commander. I like what I see!
Thanks also for your contributions on Mobility Site and the HP forum,
Derek
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Thanks Derek! I think Total Commander is a great product! And I recommend it frequently on the forums, but I thought it deserved special recognition here. I've heard good things about Resco Explorer too, but have never used it. Don't have to with Total Commander installed.
Thanks for stopping by!
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Hi Prof. Julie,
I installed Total Commander based on your recommendation on the HP forum. Awesome and free! I cannot find how to select multiple files in a folder. I'm trying to copy the phone dialpad colors from templar on Mobility Today, and want to move a whole color's files at once. Did that work for you? -asdrew
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Hey Andrew!
You can select multiple files in Total Commander as follows:
Tap Show > Select/unselect files > in the dialogue key in "cing*.gif" (to select the .gif) files and "cing*.prn" to find the two .prn files you'll be changing. Then tap the "Select" button.
Then you can copy them all at once.
This will change the color of the dial pad, but the speed dial does not change (I don't think templar addressed these files in his attachments), not does it change the call status icons shown in the history page. I haven't figured out where these icons are on the pocket pc.
Julie
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