Quick Xara, Quick View?

[amoore]

If I use the viewer pane in PowerDesk (integrated INSO viewers) or Quick View Plus standalone (v5.2), I get text. If I use the Quick View option on a rightclick context menu in Windows Explorer, I get a message saying there's no viewer capable of reading XaraX files.

I was trying to open X2 files, so according to what I read in the thread, I should be able to view them.

The FVXara.dll file is in System\Viewers as per Mike's post.

Allison

[Mark (theKeeper)]

Hiya folks,

I asked over a year ago about a viewer for Xara2, and was told (by Gary i think) that Xara Ltd only included one for versions previous to Xara2. Xara2 however did/does not come with a viewer.

Lord only know WHY that would be the case, but... i guess since they added the .WEB file plugin perhaps they saw less need/purpose for a direct file viewer for the .XAR files...? Who really know...

I also read (in another post here) about someone finding a "viewer" folder/file install on the XaraX CD. He/she said they installed it (or so they thought) but it didn't work. I don't think Mark Goodall or any of the other guys from Xara Ltd have had a chance to respond to that post as yet.

It sure would be great though to have a viewer that worked for both Xara2 AND XaraX! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] hint hint

[Ross Macintosh]

When you install Xara X from the cd, you are given the option of "custom" vs. "typical" etc. installs. Within the custom option you can select to have a viewer installed. That's what I did - but it doesn't seem to have done anything.

In my fairly new system running windowsME I find no quickviewer option when I right-click any files. When I'm exploring my folders I get the previews of many file types but certainly not .xar files.

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

[mike engles]

Hello

There is a Quick View installer on Xara 1.5.

Mike Engles

[amoore]

I installed from the CD last night and immediately tested the viewer, but no luck. I'm on Win98SE.

Allison

[jriemerm]

There's a good workaround for this connected with the extraordinary free windows file manager Servant Salamander, at www.altap.cz. Once you have it configured right, a single hotkey (F3) pops up the Xara file in its own window, and ESC closes the window.

This has several integrated file viewers. The html one uses the Internet Explorer engine. So, if you have the free WEB format plug-in working with IE, this viewer works likewise with XAR files, but faster and with far less resources than using the whole IE. Plus, you learn the pleasures of this super-fast, simple, stable, powerful file manager.

The IE-engine viewer works for HTML files by default; you can easily configure it to also view .xar and .web files by default.

Of course, the new XaraX files won't display new features (like drop shadows, bevels, etc.) until Xara upgrades its web plug-in--which I hope they're planning on doing.

[ivca]

Hi James,
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Once you have it configured right, <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the tip on Salamander. One question: When configuring a viewer for the .xar files, which executable did you specify? I ended up specifying the IE program itself. It works, but it brings up the "whole" browser window instead of a single "toolbar-less" window, like the one in your visual example. I checked around in the plugins directory and didn't find the "web" or "flare" exe to associate it with.

TIA - Wayne

[jriemerm]

Wayne,

There should already be a line in the Salamander viewer configuration for "Internet Explorer Viewer (plug-in)" with extensions you want to view using this plug-in. I edited this line as follows:

*.htm;*.html;*.doc;*.jpg;*.gif;*.xar;*.xls

I also view .doc and .xls files using this viewer because, unlike QuickView, it allows me to edit these files in the viewer, not just view them (I think it uses the IE window as an OLE container for Word/Excel--still much quicker than opening the files into Word/Excel proper).

Another suggestion is to use Salamander's main internal viewer as a "alternate viewer", which loads files when you press alt-F3. Salamander's built in text viewer is the fastest, most stable text viewer I've ever used--30-megabyte logfiles open up immediately, and search quickly. Anyway, this is a quick, easy way to view the HTML on a page, rather than the rendered web page.

[jriemerm]

I should also mention I'm using a beta version (1.6 beta 7) of Servant Salamander, which has a few significant features 1.52 doesn't have. The beta is downloadable on the website, too, but will expire March 1, by which time 1.7 is supposed to be released in a cheap ($15) and free adware version. 1.52 will remain free and ad-free.

[Mark (theKeeper)]

James,

Ok i've got the 1.52 version now.
I'm completely confused as to how to configure it for ANYTHING. Doh!
If i double-click an image file, it simply opens the image using my regular default viewer (IrfanView).

You said...
"There should already be a line in the Salamander viewer configuration for "Internet Explorer Viewer (plug-in)" with extensions you want to view using this plug-in."

Where the heck is that? I can't find any such enteries in any of the Config setting tabs...?

Help! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif[/img]