2 suggestions for seriously improving usability

from static to dynamic organisation

from Stardock Forums

In the beginning I was over the moon with fences, computer had crashed and I needed to reorganise a lot of data. Here fences was superb. But now I need to produce stuff from within applications, but I haven't found any way to save to a specific fence since none of them appear in the save as dialogue boxes.

For me this means fences is a great tool for statically organising data periodically but not when dynamically producing stuff.  I would like to be able to determine when I am in an application which fence, and which folder in a fence could receive the new document.

 

The only way I have found is to set up a rule where all new content goes to a specific fence, and from there ris manually eassigned to its correct fence.

How do other users handle this? Maybe I have missed something. I find it very frustrtaing. Is there any smart utility that could be invoked to make fence names and lables visible in the save as dialogue.

Stardock - this IMHO is the most important missing link to Fences.  Please consider this as a key feature to make Fences even more awesome. Becasue if you don't someone else will!

 

The second suggestion is being able to bring a partially visible fence to the top, and then send it back. By clicking or some hot key.

 

Brian

fences
6,529 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top

When you're done working on a document, you save it. Windows automatically opens a window and if from an existing folder, you save it there, by default in a Fence. If new, you navigate to where you want to save it. Sorry, I don't understand what the problem is.

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Sorry if not clear. And thanks for responding.

Normally, I don't open an application in the folder where I wish to save my new document. It's usually from the start menu, and if I click save it goes to the deesktop and into the fence I have designated as the fence where all new documents should go ( this was my work around) because I can't save to a specific fence as they do not appear as possible target destinations when in the save as dialogue. I don't know why this is the case.

 

Perhaps you could try opening an application and see if you can save your document to a specific fence or sub-folder therein. Whe I do this none of the fence names are visible so I can't save to the specific fence I want in accordance with the organisation structure I have set up.

 

This for me is the fundamental weakness of fences. It is brilliant for clearing up setting a structure for types of data, but therafter you cannot save to your preferred target destination fence.

I am hoping somebody can share their solution if they have one!

 

Brian

 

 

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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

No. You can't save to a specific fence.

But you can save to any folder that has a 'Folder portal' on the desktop.

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

Don't you think Fences (already very good) would be very substantially improved if a Fence could be designated as the target?

I have also tried to see if source data on an external USB , but visible on my desktop (Fence portal) could be designated as a target. But sad to say it does not show up when navigating through the save as dialogue box.
Of course I could save direct to the USB disk directly, which is the souurce for a Web Portal located on my desktop. That is a possibility. But not very satisfactory.

Do you happen to know how one could view the different fences from the save as dialogue box? Are they hiddne files. Stardock could surely develop a utility that would allow this.

It would be interesting if they carried out a survey to see what users think.

 

The second suggestion was the ability to click on a partially visible fence to bring it to the front.

 

If those two things happen Stardock could be leading a revolution in data management IMHO.

Stardock moderators, technical developers, could we have some response to this?

 

Brian

Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Again...why? 

Documents are in folders. Folders in a fence or folder portal.

When the document is saved, it's saved by the processing app to a folder. That folder is in a specific Fence...or can be put in one.

Hence the question, "Why is this feature needed?". It seems to me to be redundant.

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Disagree completely. I think you're missing the point. I am referring to SAVING in a target FENCE

<Documents are in folders. Folders in a fence or folder portal.>

From an application you cannot save directly to a web portal visible on the desktop. Because they are not visible.

Instead you have to save to where you have the orignal data that is the source of the web portal.

It definitely is not IMHO redundant. It saves time, and if you are an efficiency exzpert like me, you might appreciate it.

 

My question still stands, how can the names of fenxces be made visible when navigating the save as dialogue box?

 

Are you a user or part of the Stardock team. I see you have many posts and I am just the new kid on the block!! There should be room for both our views. My point is this is not a redundant feature, but time saving in the extreme.

Best

Brian

Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I'm a member of the community whose volunteer job it is to make those posts...I'm not an employee of Stardock, and not an app dev for SD nor anyone else. 

You save to a folder...the folder is in a Portal Fence or in a Fence with other folders. 

 

I really must be missing what you're suggesting, because there's this way of doing what you wish...

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

OK the mystery is solved, I believe.

You are assuming setting up a rule whereby all documents of type x go to a specific fence.

However, consider if Fences are used to orgnise data for projects so that some excel sheets should in accordance with your fence structure should go to Fence1, and others to Fence2, and similarly for Word documents, you could not achieve this with type rules, nor can you define subfolders.

Other users have also stated quite categorically, one being "Fumador" "No. You can't save to a specific fence. But you can save to any folder that has a 'Folder portal' on the desktop". I believe the second sentence is not true as menrtioned in one of my earlier posts, you have to save to where the data for the web portal is stored.

I would also reiterate my suggestion that when you have a desktop with lots of fences, it would enhance productivity if it could be brought to the foreground by some selection process or other. You have not commented on that. Why not? Is the reason because it is not currently possible. What I am requesting is an effort to make it possible and thus improve the usability of Fences for the benefit of all.

Best

Brian

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top

Information for DR JBHL

Well, I guess you may have finally understood. Please confirm:

I repeat my suggestion for substantial improvement.

1) If you have a number of different fences and you wish to create documents in e.g. excel or word, it is not possible to select the destination target and navigate to the fence folders through the save as dialogue process.

You can have all docs from a given application going to ONE specific fence through using a rule based system. This is a major limitation and inflexible when you have fences for different projects, in such cases you might want some e.g. word docs to go to Fence1, others to Fence2.

 

This not possible and Fences would become substantially better if the developers try to chnage this.

 

2) Would also be good if partially visible fences could be selected and brought forward.

 

Brian

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

brt2, Fences costs $9.99, and for that amount Fences offers enough features for the folks who use it. I'm sure that by now the dev has probably seen this thread. 

I've pretty much read every thread having to do with Fences...never saw anyone ask for the feature you're suggesting, and that should tell you how important a feature it is for folks.

 

Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top

The two facts you cite have little to do with their merit. Price and the fact that no one else has raised this.

But you accept I trust that your "alternative" was no solution, and to blind ourselves because of the above is an obstacle to improvement.

What would be good as you are a cvommunity helper is to raise it with the developer to find out why it may not be possible to make Stardock what it deserves to be.

I rest my case.

Brian

Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

The alternative works for most. Why not design your own app to do what you want, or pay someone to design it for you and market it...see how popular it becomes...

I have no intention of raising it with Stardock since I'm not seeing any support whatsoever for what you want, and I don't need that feature.