Populate DESCRIBE dialog with existing description

[Joe Caverly]

If I have a file with an existing description, and then do;

describe myfile.zip /=

the existing description does not appear in the dialog.

Is this WAD?

Note well that;

describe myfile.zip /w

does populate the description in the Edit Descriptions dialog, but only after selecting myfile.zip from the listbox.

Is this also WAD?

Joe

_x64: 1
_admin: 1
_elevated: 1

TCC 25.00.20 x64 Windows 10 [Version 10.0.18362.356]
OS Name: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
OS Version: 10.0.18362 N/A Build 18362

 

[rconn]

If I have a file with an existing description, and then do;

describe myfile.zip /=

the existing description does not appear in the dialog.

Is this WAD?

WAD, because I don't see how that would be particularly useful. If you already know the file & the description, how does the command dialog help you? If you have a convincing use case, please post it in the Suggestions Forum.

Note well that;

describe myfile.zip /w

does populate the description in the Edit Descriptions dialog, but only after selecting myfile.zip from the listbox.

Is this also WAD?

WAD - DESCRIBE /W ignores any other arguments.

 

[vefatica]

I don't think I've used descriptions in 20+ years. I turned descriptions on and gave a file a description.

v:\> echo %@descript[timecheck.btm]
use /n for NIST servers

The help says "The descriptions are displayed by DIR in single-column mode". I don't see the description. How do I get DIR to show descriptions?

v:\> *dir /1 timec*

 Volume in drive V is DATA         Serial number is 6e8a:6d1f
 Directory of  V:\timec*

2019-07-11  12:37           1,267  timecheck.btm
               1,267 bytes in 1 file and 0 dirs    4,096 bytes allocated
     509,839,855,616 bytes free

 

[rconn]

The help says "The descriptions are displayed by DIR in single-column mode". I don't see the description. How do I get DIR to show descriptions?

Either use the DIR /Z option, or use PDIR.

 

[Charles Dye]

WAD, because I don't see how that would be particularly useful. If you already know the file & the description, how does the command dialog help you? If you have a convincing use case, please post it in the Suggestions Forum.

I often use DESCRIBE to edit an existing description, rather than replace it altogether. I don't do it via the command dialog, though.

 

[AnrDaemon]

@Joe Caverly Far manager works exactly the way you want with descriptions.

 

[Joe Caverly]

Yes, and V also allows editing of 4DOS descriptions.

From the V Help file;

Modifying the 4DOS description The 4DOS description can be edited by pressing Ctrl+Shift+R. You can also edit the description by clicking on it (as long as Disable mouse-click rename has not been enabled). However, you cannot click on the very start of the description - you need to click at least 3 characters in from the right. (This is a Windows "quirk" which is not worth fixing).

Joe

 

[w_krieger]

I use something like 4desc, or the descExp. 4desc is a nice proggy, but doesn't always understands ntfs. descExp gives you descriptions in explorer. You could do something with WINDESC, but i think it's win31 vintage.

V handles them too, as does fc/w. But a 4desc or 4desy2 like proggie would be the go.