Now that “The Magic Folder” has been live and online…

Posted on by David E. Craig
I am starting to see a few issues that people are having with my Gadget. I hope to update these – as time permits. Let me list them out and tell you what you need to do:
 
  1. The graphics are a bit fuzzy, the gadget does not have the same smooth feel as the more refined default gadgets that come with Vista. I will try to address this when I have time in an update. I was focussing more on getting the idea completed and the logic working than making it "perdy."
  2. Some folks are finding it hard to modify the settings so they do not know that:
    • You CAN change the default locations for the folders.
    • YOU CAN add your own folder locations.
    • See how to do BOTH of these things at the end of this blog post.
  3. The File Extensions are not working. Meaning if you drag a Word Document (.docx) to the gadget it asks you to register the file instead of recognizing the extension docx and dropping it in the Document Files folder. This is caused because the Gadget API function that I am using to identify the FILE TYPE by EXTENSION does not recognize an extension if they are turned off in the O/S. By default, file extensions for known types are turned off. To make this feature work, you need to turn on file extensions. Here is how:
    • Open Computer or Explore to ANY folder on the system.
    • Press the ALT key on the keyboard. The Menu should appear at the top of the window.
    • Click Tools, then click Folder Options.
    • Click the View Tab.
    • UNCHECK the option: Hide extensions for known types.
    • Click Ok. And your done. The Magic Folder should now behave.
 
TO ADD YOUR OWN FOLDER
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  1. Click on the settings icon, and then click the Add icon (looks like a plus sign).
  2. You can then supply the name for the folder you want and then click the Browse icon (looks like a Folder icon) to select the path you want.
  3. Then click the Save button (looks like a disk icon).

TO MODIFY THE PROVIDED FOLDERS
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  1. Click the Settings button (the wrench on the gadget). 
  2. Make sure you are on the folders tab. 
  3. Select the folder you want to change from the list (or click Add [looks like a plus sign] to add a new one).
  4. Click the Browse icon (looks like a folder). 
  5. Select the folder you want, click Ok. 
  6. Click the Save icon (looks like a disk).

 

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