Advanced Explorer, JavaScript Edition

Complete file manager in the browser for the desktop or a tablet, written in JavaScript.

Advanced JavaScript Explorer Edition is a file browser made in JavaScript, HTML 5 and CSS for the interface. It accesses the file system through a single local server based on Node.js.

From Java to JavaScript

This is actually a new version of the Advanced Explorer file management software I have written in Java in 1999 and updated in subsequent years. This version written entirely in JavaScript in 2012 keeps the essential features of the Java program and includes a more advanced text editor based on ACE for the backend, with a custom interface.

AEJE retains the same principles of operation that AE, with two panels and some innovative features already present in the Java edition. For example, when you want to delete a file, it is shown as strikethrough in the list. Another example, the copy/rename function to ease file management.
In addition, the use of HTML 5 will make it evolve more easily, because it is very easy to add functions with this interface. Moreover, the user himself can easily make his own functions if he wish as long as he knows HTML and JavaScript.

Display on two panels

Text editor linked to the file manager

Coming soon ...

New features will be added in future releases.

• A system of plugins to maintain the functions added by the user despite updates.
• FTP access: each panel will be able to open a remote site.
• Photo gallery. Replacing file list with images with labels.
• Drag/drop for copying files.
• Order by date.
• List of boxes. A box is a program by itself, but linked to the functions of the file manager.

Features of the Java edition that have not yet been implemented, but will be:

• Synchronizing two directories.
• Comparing two directories.
• Associating a software to an extension.
• List of tools to launch with the selected file.
• List of frequently open directories.
• Selecting files to display by extension.
• The command line window that opens onto a directory.

Java functions that are not implemented.

• The search function of files on disk is useless as provided by the operating system (this was not the case for Windows in 1999). But in a directory a tree search could be included.

Versions

• 1.0. First version available on January 8, 2012.

Download and Documentation

Download Advanced Explorer and Tiloid on Github. Download as a zip file and extract the archive at the root of a local drive.

Download and install Node.js. Put the files in the same directory that Tiloid that already holds Advanced Explorer..

You have then to install socket.io to complete it, go to Tiloid-Master and type this command:

npm install socket.io

You must also edit the node.ini file to specify the path of the browser.

chrome=C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
zip=pkzip  -add -dir -rec 

Replace "username" with your user name.

To launch the program type:

node aexplorer.js  

Documentation, see the manual.

Credit, FAQ and license

The list of tools that have helped create AEJE, is provided in the list of questions and answers.

AEJE is licensed under Creative Common with permission to create personal versions not to be released publicly without permission. The text is included in the archive.