Recent changes to feature-requests

Optimize Action Bar and Toolbar to be more usable on narrow screens

chaos7 — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 18:31:28 -0000

I'd like to suggest 3 improvements to make GC easier to use on phones:

Add an option to display the Toolbar in 2 rows in the vertical orientation so more buttons are visible with less side scrolling. Right now I'm seeing only 1/4 of the Toolbar buttons when I use the app in vertical orientation on my Pixel 4a.
Add an option to hide the Action Bar in horizontal orientation, but not in vertical.
Make all functions of the Action Bar also available in the Toolbar. This way when the Action Bar is hidden, I can still access all functions.

#52 Keep menu in prefs enabled regardless of "action bar"

GfE w3Hy — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 11:55:43 -0000

p. s.
- My OP is incorrect, the three dots menu is refered to in https://sites.google.com/site/ghostcommander1/info#h.p_ID_829 as "action menu" rather than "action bar". Regardless, it should be always visible.
- Alternatively, the Back up settings, Restore settings, Save log to file actions could also be provided as plain settings items, e. g. under Miscellaneous.

#53 Customizable default sorting mode

GfE w3Hy — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 23:18:27 -0000

This might be an issue with the app getting killed. On a few rare occations, I've found the panels reset to some earlier state after doing something in other apps, then switching back to GC. Just guessing.

#52 Keep menu in prefs enabled regardless of "action bar"

GfE w3Hy — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 22:43:43 -0000

That's been a deliberate choice for since the early days, because that top bar consumes screen estate for no use.(1) I do the vast majority of actions by keyboard or (toolbar, and use the context menu for the few remaining actions that, as of v1.642b2, are not accessible otherwise (like checksums).

In the screenshots you can see my regular view, as well as the same thing with the "action bar" activated. The latter makes no sense to me, regardless of landscape or portrait mode.

(1) Apparently, the exception to that is the three dots backup/restore menu that gets added to preferences only if the "action bar" is enabled (as I've had to learn the hard way again). Unless there's a strong reason to make the backup/restore menu hidable, I'd greatly appreciate if that obscure interdependence was removed, making sure that backup/restore is availabe with and without "action bar" alike.

#52 Keep menu in prefs enabled regardless of "action bar"

zc2 — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 19:28:05 -0000

Was there some particular reason the action bar was off on your device? It's an legacy option for old devices with a small screen and dedicated menu button. I think these days it should be always enabled, unconditionally.

#53 Customizable default sorting mode

zc2 — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 17:34:29 -0000

Cannot reproduce. The app remembers the last sorting mode correctly. Also, the settings have the sorting properties individually for each panel.

Customizable default sorting mode

ThePirate42 — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 17:15:55 -0000

The problem

Ghost commander always sorts by name as the default behavior, and you have to select other sorting modes every time. I find much more useful sorting by date, and I would like to have a way to set that as a default.

Possible solutions

Either remember the last sort mode used or add an explicit option in the settings.

#51 Keyboard Accessibility: `&` to toggle filter

zc2 — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 13:28:06 -0000

status: open --> closed

#51 Keyboard Accessibility: `&` to toggle filter

GfE w3Hy — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 23:53:23 -0000

Awesome, thank you! Works like a charm!

Side note: #52

Keep menu in prefs enabled regardless of "action bar"

GfE w3Hy — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 23:50:59 -0000

The Problem

Obviously, beta testing is essential to eventually prove a version fit for release. As I'm not a coder, testing, reporting and UI improvements are what I can give back best. However, as the beta signature is different from release, GC has to be uninstalled and reinstalled on each switch between the two, and I went little short of crazy spending 40 minutes just to find out how to export/import settings. (They're customized to a degree that'd be a nightmare to restore by hand.)
In short:
1. searched settings incl. submenues up and down --> no avail
2. searched files, discovered a rather old /storage/emulated/0/.GhostCommander/gc_prefs.zip
3. tested if GC automatically writes changed settings there --> nope
4. searched more files, found /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.ghostsq.commander/, are there any settings? --> nope, not even if I changed some and exited GC
5. started to write an issue here asking whether export/import of settings had been abandoned
6. just to be sure before sending (not wanting to waste your time in addition to mine), looked up online help with little hope (as there wasn't any backup/restore anywhere, so what should help tell about it?) --> cookie banner, search for "export", uh wait, the term does occur once ...
7. found the paragraph on "backup/restore" close by (ah, that's what it's called), tried to follow it --> wait, that guide doesn't make sense with the actual settings page presented! is the guide outdated?
9. giving up! hope the dev is OK if I don't test the beta
10. but there's this old gc_prefs.zip on my disk ... hang on
11. read the "backup/restore" guide a second time: there is an item labeled "Enable Action Bar" in the settings, even with no way to tap "backup" or "restore" --> oookay, maybe I have to actually enable the "action bar" (what's that again? never really used nor missed it)
12. restarted GC, press 9 to open prefs again, in order to then look for an additional UI element? --> nope, no new bar anywhere
13. hm, what else could be meant? checking everything again ... oh, there are those unobtrusive three dots in the upper right corner, supposedly a menu, not sure if it there before, let's try and open it --> YAY, there you are!

Given the simplicity of the task, even if steps 2. to 5. were skipped, the path to understanding how to test a beta without losing release settings (or how to generally backup/restore them) turns out absurdly convoluted if you're not familiar with GC's terminology, especially regarding the "action bar", in the first place.

Additional remarks

Please forgive the ranty protocol above, the needless odyssee was frustrating. I vaguely remember (by now) I'd experienced the same frustration with a GhostCommander beta test before, and didn't want to make it again but became oblivious. Hope this issue helps to address it once and for all, so beta testers don't have to solve a riddle to get started.

Recent changes to feature-requests

Optimize Action Bar and Toolbar to be more usable on narrow screens

#52 Keep menu in prefs enabled regardless of "action bar"

#53 Customizable default sorting mode

#52 Keep menu in prefs enabled regardless of "action bar"

#52 Keep menu in prefs enabled regardless of "action bar"

#53 Customizable default sorting mode

Customizable default sorting mode

The problem

Possible solutions

#51 Keyboard Accessibility: `&` to toggle filter

#51 Keyboard Accessibility: `&` to toggle filter

Keep menu in prefs enabled regardless of "action bar"

The Problem

Suggested solution

Additional remarks