DropStack

[dull karma]

[Patch v0.2.1 live now with new toolbar for simple mode and bug fixes!]

Hello there,

I have released DropStack, my first app I am actually finishing, into public beta today.
Essentially, what the app does is that it gives you a list of files in your downloads folder (or any folder you specify), ordered by date modified, complete with file name, type, size and modified date. You can then drag these files out, open them or copy them with a simple right-click. The app is designed to achieve the simplicity of MacOS' Dock Stacks feature, which basically does the same.
In addition, DropStack also offers an area where you can pin any file for quick access and a more compact view, which always stays on top.
The app is built with with the UWP framework and is open-sourced on GitHub.

Please feel free to check out the GitHub page, give it a try and let me know if there is something you would like to see changed, so I can continue working on the app and making it better. 😊

https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack

DropStack

[gentle thicket]

Cool background

Wallpaper

[dull karma]

thanks 👍

it's the one from MacOS Ventura

[gentle thicket]

Its sad that uwp is so closed to C# and XAML

It would have allowed for sandboxing and security features for all applications

[dull karma]

and that they are deprecating it :(

[gentle thicket]

And for some reason WinUI looks weird

WinUI3 I mean

UWP looks more native

The rendering I mean

[lone palm]

why uwp instead of winui 3?

[dull karma]

It's also boggling me because there are a lot of unpolished things in there like that there are some scrolling bugs related to overscroll (even on the Windows search flyout), ListView not being able to animate the entrance of multiple things at once, the downgrade of NavigationView, etc. Honestly, WinUI isn't really "good" in the common sense - as in both UWP and WinUI 3.

[dull karma]

I mean, I like UWP, it's kinda comfy to work with. I would use WinUI 3 if I did anything that actually requires it - like for example if I were to make an app that mimics the MacOS dock trash can, where it would make sense.

Or if I were to add a feature to DropStack that doesn't work with UWP, which I am afraid will happen quite soon.

[lone palm]

valid

[dull karma]

FireCube approves

[dull karma]

New DropStack patch is live, adding a toolbar to simple mode and mitigating a windowing bug some people had: https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.2.1-public-beta

[rugged geode]

yeh same
I have the same experience w/ Mica Alt background

[dull karma]

Reportedly, the issue persists until the app is either reinstalled or the setup is being executed again. Working on a fix rn.

The fix will be part of the next major update. To everyone suffering from this issue, I recommend either compiling the newest source code version, reinstalling the app or manually removing both folder cookies through settings, forcing the app to go through the out of box experience again.

[dull karma]

New release introduces search and active chromium and firefox downloads to DropStack! https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.2.2-public-beta

If anyone here had the windowing issue, this patch fixes it, I recommend installing it.

[lone palm]

You released more updates than I have a year

[dull karma]

Patch v0.3 is out making major changes to the app's layout and interaction 8also updated readme file):
https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack
https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.3.0-public-beta

[balmy seal]

Very useful and productive!

[dull karma]

💪

[native turret]

Very nice stuff!

I would love to use this, but I also use a download manager that sorts downloads into subfolders depending on parameters, so nothing lands in the root folder, and so aren't shown by DropStack.

Would it be possible to add a option to show recursive files in the portal? 🤔

Cheers!

[dull karma]

Hmmm... I'll try remembering to come back to you

[dull karma]

It's working in the latest build (but disabled by default), you just need to wait for v0.4, where it will ship.

Also works in simple mode

[dull karma]

Hey, @native turret ,please tell me, how does the folder structure look like? Because I need to find a balance for going enough layers deep and crashing because of a lack of memory.

[native turret]

Oh wow, that was fast!

Most of the sorted files are only one layer deep, e.g “executables”, “zips”, “videos”, “audio” with only a few execeptions.

For my use case, a layerdepth of 1 is perfect, as I also wouldn’t want the contents of unzipped files to clutter up in DropStack either.

But perhaps the layerdepth should be user configurable?

[dull karma]

I mean, yeah, the problem is that my downloads folder has 68 files. If you include subdirectories, it's nearly 3000. It's getting messy real fast.

And the problem is the more subdirectories, the longer the app takes to start indexing files, since it has to order them first, so it can list them, for which it needs all of them.

I think I would do 1. I could make it customizable but that could become a problem really quickly.

[native turret]

Fair, in that case I think 1 sublayer is perfect 💪

[dull karma]

if I can manage to limit them, I am currently doing this by getting the files by their path, but the Windows App SDK security system prevents it.

[native turret]

I have no knowledge that would assist with this.

I wish you luck o7

[dull karma]

Yeah thanks.

[dull karma]

Okay, there is a problem. Either I load in all the files that are in all subdirectories and then sort out the ones that aren't. This is a problem because it takes long and loads up the memory, since it also loads an icon for each file, if it didn't loading it afterwards would still take kinda long. Or I load the base folder and then get the new files, which is a problem, since I need a folder token to access files, which can only be obtained though the Folder Picker only.

So I am not sure how I would do this. However, depending on how static your folder structure is, I might still be able to make something. Can you describe your folder structure, @native turret ?

[native turret]

Aight, not at my computer right now, but it looks something like this:

Downloads
\Executeables
- [Lots of installer files]
\Compressed
- [Lots of .zips]
- [Lots of folders from said .zips]
\Images
- [Lots of jpgs and pngs]
\Documents
- [fair amount of PDF's and stuff]
\Assets (3D Assets from different suppliers, this folder is very active with seperate batchprocesses, but if that's an issue I could fairly easily move this process outside of my downloads)
\Poliigon
-Lots and lots of files in movement
\Dimensiva
-Lots and lots of files in movement
\another asset-supplier...
- I think you get the idea...

Most of the structure is only one layer deep, with the expection of the asset folder, but that doesn't have to be in the downloads

[dull karma]

Okay, so adding Executabled, Compressed, Images, Documents, Assents instead of just Downloads would be fine for you? So the system doesn't create new folders all the time?

Because then there would be a reason for me to finally start working on multi folder support

[native turret]

I mean yeah, and multifolder support would be even cooler lmao

[dull karma]

It's working properly. It will be included in the nexg release... whenever that is.

[native turret]

Yo good job, i’m gonna be looking forward to it 🫶

[dull karma]

New update just dropped with WinUI 3, a new simple mode, proposed by @heavy kestrel, multi folder support (@native turret), themes, a new app icon by @lofty ginkgo and some bug fixes! Check it out here:

https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.4.0-public-beta

Oh also, @lone palm, WinUI3!!!

[lone palm]

Yass

[native turret]

Siiiiiick 🫶

[dull karma]

Yeah, I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

[lone palm]

Slay

[queen wing]

can it be a bit smaller? it gets out of my 1366 x 768 monitor

[dull karma]

oh my god

[dull karma]

@queen wing
I have fixed it. As a proof, here is DropStack running at 1920x1080 and at 800x600. Essentially, if the screen height minus the taskbar height falls below 900, DropStack will automatically assume the height of 90% of the screen and keep a consistent distance between taskbar and app window, as windows shell elements do.
It will be released with the next patch, which will focus on maintenance, adding a couple other bug fixes.

[dull karma]

Alright, I got the update out:
https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.4.1-public-beta

It also addresses a bug that removed copied contents from the clipboard after the app was closed, a bug that would prevent copying files while other files were being loaded, among other things.

Obligatory mention, since this is a maintenance update I'd recommend to anyone: @native turret, @lone palm (no idea if he uses app), @queen wing

[queen wing]

thanks!

[dull karma]

Some users were reporting scaling issues, where the app would not align to its intended position, if scaling was set to anything but 100%. This should now be fixed in patch v0.4.2 and scaling now also impacts DropStack's decision on whether to reduce its height, further eliminating the problem of it clipping out of screen space.

Furthermore, patch v0.4.2 also addresses a slight misalignment of the pills in simple mode, so text now properly appears centered in them.

Here you go: https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.4.2-public-beta

[dull karma]

New update adds support for dragging and copying multiple files in normal mode, custom settings regarding how many items and thumbnails are being loaded as well as thumbnail resolution, fixes functional bugs, improves performance and finally fixed the visual bugs where the ListView could become too wide for the window and thus got cut off.🙏

https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.4.3-public-beta

[dull karma]

Another update, and that's a large one so it's called v0.5.0 because DropStack is getting file caching. Additionally, a lot of changes were made to make it faster, more intuitive and more powerful, including:

• a toolbar for simple mode
• unpinning files (finally)
• selection mode
• fixed light mode (💀)
• search and filtering being ready from the get-go rather than having to wait for file indexing as they update live
  ... and of course a lot more

So, please feel free to check it out:
https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.5.0-public-beta

[lone palm]

Who tf made this i@age

[dull karma]

me, i made this

[lone palm]

How

[dull karma]

Well, I took screenshot, removed background and then aligned in a grid.

[dull karma]

Ladies and gentlemen,
I give you... new update v0.5.1.

It includes these:

• return of the legacy simple mode as mini mode with new DropStack features
• optional free windowing in simple mode
• contrast fix for themes
• minor adjustments

Check it out here: https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.5.1-public-beta

[dull karma]

Hey guys, new update!
This one adds macOS-like QuickLook for some file types, as well as a lot of performance improvements, better search and an experimental Details Sheet I need feedback for. Please help me gather ideas!

Screenshot
https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.6.0-public-beta

[dull karma]

Boyz, there is a hotfix for this release: https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.6.1-public-beta

[lone palm]

real

[dull karma]

You know this hotfix? Well, I not managed to actually fix the bug. 💀
I also did some other stuff:

• improved caching reliability
• improved search accuracy
• soft reload should no longer impact search and filtering
• fixed a bug that would see soft reload ordering new files in a reverse order, which was already assumed to be fixed in the last update
• added an attribution to WinUIEx
• added several file types to known file types: .heic, .HEIC and .DNG

Please download 👉👈
https://github.com/Blindside-Studios/DropStack/releases/tag/v0.6.2-public-beta