"Open with" won't handle multiple files anymore

[Kelly]

I have been regularly using the "Open with" feature to open multiple files for editing at once. I don't recall specifically if I used it in the last couple builds, but it is not working in build 458.

I have SciTe set up for text editing and I am attempting to open several batch files in one of my folders to make the same change in all of them.

Has this been removed? or is this broken?

Thanks,
Kelly

[markf_2748]

In Options > Open With check the boxes Accepts files and Multiple Instances to open each file in a seperate instance of your application.

Regarding opening several files in a single instance of your application, see comment by Lutz.

[Kelly]

I saw that option, but I want to open all files in a single instance.

What isn't clear to me is that this was working in earlier beta builds. I don't use this on a daily basis or even every week, so I don't know when it stopped working.

[Zoë]

"Open With" has never supported sending multiple files to a single instance. I've never figured out a good syntax to use for it; if someone suggests one it shouldn't be too hard to stick in.

[Michael Bulgrien]

What isn't clear to me is that this was working in earlier beta builds. I don't use this on a daily basis or even every week, so I don't know when it stopped working.

I have never used SciTe, but my guess is that if you already have SciTe open, it might recieve all "open with requests" into the current session and, if SciTe is not already open, BC3 will trigger multiple instances.

[Lutz]

Hello Craig!

... if someone suggests one it shouldn't be too hard to stick in.

I suggested one possible syntax:

...
Regarding opening several files in a single instance of your application, see comment by Lutz.

Greetings Lutz

[markf_2748]

Proposal for Options > Open With > Advanced > Multiple instances checkbox:

Case 1: Unchecked - All Open With selected files are sent to the same single instance of the associated application. BC3 determines if there is already an instance running. If yes, it directs files there, otherwise it opens an instance (= Lutz's first suggestion, I think).

Case 2: Checked - All Open With selected files are sent to separate instances of the application (= current behavior).

Is anything wrong with this logic?

Note: current behavior for Case 1 is to drop (hide) the associated application from the Open With list whenever multiple files are simultaneously selected. This behavior prohibits opening multiple instances from the immediate selection(s), but does not prevent multiple instances from building up from a series of single selections over time (at least that is what appears to happen when the application is Adobe Acrobat 8).

[Lutz]

Hello Mark!

I think BC doesn't send files to an application but calls an application with any selected file. It depends on the application if one instance is used (i. e. AcroRead or UltraEdit 'Allow multiple instances' unchecked) or multiple (i. e. UltraEdit 'Allow multiple instances' checked).
To force using one instance from BC it is necessary to call the application only once with all selected files.

@Scooter: This works in BC2/252 with Context menu/Version control/History (unfortunately lost in BC3 ) for ClearCase history browser even with a mix of many files and many folders selected.

Greetings Lutz

[Zoë]

Case 1: Unchecked - All Open With selected files are sent to the same single instance of the associated application. BC3 determines if there is already an instance running. If yes, it directs files there, otherwise it opens an instance (= Lutz's first suggestion, I think).

Mark, doing what you're suggesting is impossible.

What Lutz is suggesting is that the "Open With" command be launched with all of the files as a single command line. If the launched application has single-instance behavior it can handle it then.

I suggested one possible syntax

Thanks, I must have missed that post. I think the one thing that's missing is how to separate multiple filenames. Assuming spaces might work; maybe if the %s is followed by a character it would use that as the separator? The other problem is that the command line is limited to 32KB, and given BC's interface it could be quite easy to exceed that with a large selection.

This works in BC2/252 with Context menu/Version control/History (unfortunately lost in BC3 ) for ClearCase history browser even with a mix of many files and many folders selected.

The directory compare "Version Control" menu will be in the final release. I just haven't had time to finish it up yet.

[markf_2748]

The other problem is that the command line is limited to 32KB, and given BC's interface it could be quite easy to exceed that with a large selection.

How about BC3 throws a warning to the user when the limit is reached? IMHO, it would be unfortunate if this command line limit is a show stopper for the basic functionality.

Thanks for the clarifications.

BTW, I am still in favor of an option which would allow Double Clicking (or some variation such as <alt>+DC, <ctrl>+DC ) on a selection to open the selection with its associated application directly, i.e. mimic the behavior that occurs in Windows Explorer without using the Open With or RMB context menu at all

[JohnFLand]

In the BC3 "Open With" dialog under Options, create an item with this Command Line: cmd /c @start "" "%f"

Then assign to a keyboard shortcut.

This causes a black command window to momentarily popup, but it will cause the associated app to open your selection.

[markf_2748]

This causes a black command window to momentarily popup

Hello John,
Thanks for the work around (which you also gave previously).
Now how about Scooter giving us a solution that suppresses the annoying cmd window flash?

[Michael Bulgrien]

FYI - use /q instead of @ and the command window will be a little bit quicker:

cmd /c /q start "" "%f"

/q is for "quite" execution (Echo is turned off for the entire command, not just the start)

[markf_2748]

FYI - use /q instead of @ and the command window will be a little bit quicker:

/q must be a little too quick for my machine -- the cmd window flashes briefly but the file never opens.

[Michael Bulgrien]

Sorry, put the /q before the /c, not after it.