Directory Opus is a file manager built around a window called a Lister. A Lister can show one folder or place two file displays beside each other, with tabs for additional locations. The user can copy or move files between the displays, preview selected content, edit metadata, filter a long folder, and open tools without leaving the same window. Directory Opus handles local disks as well as archives, network shares, portable devices, and supported remote locations. It changes real files, so its extra visibility does not make deletion or replacement less permanent.
Work in a Lister
Each file display has its own path and can act as the source or destination for an operation. Dual display keeps both ends visible, while folder tabs prevent every location from becoming a separate window. One shared folder tree can follow the active display, or each side can use its own tree. The active side matters because toolbar commands and keyboard actions often use it as their source.
The viewer pane reads many images and media files without launching their usual programs. The metadata pane can expose editable fields for supported photos, music, and documents. A filter bar hides names that do not match the current pattern; it does not delete them. This is useful in crowded folders, but a hidden file can still take part in an operation if the command does not use the same filter.
Preview a sync
The Synchronize tool compares two locations before it copies or deletes anything. It can work left to right or in both directions and can compare names, dates, sizes, and selected subfolders. The comparison marks proposed actions in checkbox mode, so the user can inspect an individual file and change its action before starting the second stage.
Several options deserve care. Deleting files from the destination when they do not exist in the source turns a copy job into a mirror and can remove legitimate destination-only material. Two-way mode can also ignore files that exist on only one side, depending on the selected rule. A completed comparison therefore is not the completed synchronization. The user must read the action summary and start the actual operation.
Judge duplicate results
Duplicate Finder can search whole drives or look for copies of selected files. Directory Opus groups each set of candidates in a File Collection, which gives one place to inspect paths and choose what to keep. The collection contains references to the original files rather than separate copies.
The comparison method determines what the word duplicate means. Filename-only comparison finds matching names, not matching content. Size-only comparison can group unrelated files that happen to contain the same number of bytes. Content comparison takes longer because Directory Opus must read the files, but it gives a stronger basis for deletion. Even then, two identical files may belong in different folders for separate backups or projects.
Control folder formats
Folder Formats remember view mode, visible columns, sort order, grouping, and filters. A Downloads folder can sort by date, while a photo folder can open as thumbnails. Content Type Formats can change the view when enough files belong to a configured group.
The format system follows a priority order. A saved path format can override an automatic format; a content-type format can override a folder-type default; the user default fills the remaining cases. A manually edited display or Format Lock can keep the current arrangement when the user expects a saved format to appear. The status-bar format indicator explains which rule produced the current view.
This depth makes Directory Opus adaptable, but it also means that a strange column or sort order may come from a rule created months earlier. Resetting the current display without checking the source can fix one tab while leaving the responsible format active. Identifying the active format first keeps the correction attached to the intended folder.
