ByMartin Brinkmannon June 24, 2014 inSoftware - Last Update: June 27, 2014 29
I have used different file archiving programs over the years on
Windows including popular commercial programs such as WinRar or WinZip
as well as a number of free applications such as Extract Now or 7-Zip.
While I really like 7-Zip, I started to notice that the application
has its issues. The last stable version was released years ago and while
the developer produces alpha versions of the program regularly, it is
of no use to you if you do not want to run alpha software on your
system.
Besides that it has its issues. 7-Zip does not support the new RAR5 format that was introduced back in 2013 and cannot open folders automatically after extraction.
I decided to look for an alternative that would tick all the boxes
without sacrificing anything. Plus, the program had to be available
freely as well as I had no intention of spending money for an archiver. I reviewed Bandizip in 2011
for the first time and liked it a lot back then. The developing company
has improved the application over the years so that it is now
supporting all the features that I require from a file archiver. What
those are? Glad you asked.
Format compatibility - The program needs to support
all major archive formats including zip, 7z, rar (including rar5), gz,
ace, tar and others in terms of extraction, and major formats when it
comes to archive creation.
Convenience - Options to extract one or multiple archives from Windows Explorer and to open extracted folders after extraction.
Other features - Unicode support is a must, as are options to customize the context menu and other program features.
Bandizip
ticks all those boxes. The program supports 37 different file formats
at the time of writing including all major archive file formats but also
disc image formats such as ISO or IMG.
The application is available as a portable version or setup for
Windows as well as a (paid) version for Apple's Macintosh system. If you
install the program on Windows, the file association settings page is
opened right afterwards. Here you can associate archive file formats to
open with the application.
Doing so will replace the icon of associated archives with the
Bandizip icon. It also allows you to double-click the archive to run an
action configured in Bandizip on it.
One interesting feature of the application is the ability to change
what happens when you double-click archives. The default action is to
open Bandizip to display the contents of the archive.
You can change that however so that the archive gets extracted automatically for instance instead.
As far as customizations go, there are quite a few that make life easier for you. Here is a short list:
Configure what is displayed in the context menu and what is not.
Option to open the folder of an extracted archive after the operation completes.
Handling of long path names that exceed 260 characters.
Command line support.
When it comes to creating archives, Bandizip may not support a
massive amount of options but the important ones are there. It can
create eight different archive types including zip and 7z, split up
volumes, add password protection, self-extracting archives and change
compression levels.
Closing Words
I have used 7-Zip for a long time but lack of updates and support for
new file formats have forced me to find a replacement for the
application. Bandizip ticks all the right boxes at the time of writing
especially when it comes to extracting or browsing archives.
Meet Excel 2016: 9 of its best new features, from databases to handwriting tools
The new database features alone justify upgrading, but that's just the beginning.
Credit:
Image: Rob Schultz
Dec 9, 2015 3:00 AM
I’ve just started exploring Excel 2016. As one of the tentpole applications for the new Office 2016, it has a raft of new features for lucky upgraders. Take a closer look with me and see what you think.
1. Major database enhancements
The database enhancements alone—which include merging some of the
previous Add-On programs such as Power Pivot and Power Query—more than
justify the upgrade. You'll find options for Power Queries; Data Models;
Reports; Pivot Tables; One-Click Forecasting; and some new, one-button
workbook sharing through Power BI for creating and using interactive
reports and dashboards.
2. Quick analysis tools
Quick analysis tools are a real timesaver, nudging you in the right
direction with your data. After you've completed your spreadsheet or
table, select the entire range. Note the lightning worksheet icon at the
bottom right corner of the range: Click this icon, and a popup menu
appears that displays a half-dozen options for what to do with this
data.
Note that each icon is a button/link to a submenu that provides more options (the selected icon turns dark green and bold).
3. New charts
Excel has six new charts to show off to your clients and colleagues.
It’s still an easy process to create them, too: Just highlight the
database table, select Insert > Recommended Charts, then choose one from the pictured samples.
Or, if you’re not inclined to use one of the recommendations, click the All Charts tab, choose a category from the list, then select one of the designs from the pictured charts in that category.
We'll delve deeper into the new charts in an upcoming column, but here are two to whet your appetite: Pareto sorts the bars by highest first and shows
which bars have the biggest impact or highest return. Use this chart
data to decide where to assign your resources. Waterfall (aka ‘flying brick’ chart) provides a
visual method for viewing a series of positive and negative data, such
as monthly cash flows. Because the bars seem to hover between the start
and end columns, it looks sort of like a waterfall, hence the name.
4. New templates
Excel’s new templates come with sample data and charts, plus hands-on exercises that teach you how to use each template.
08 New template Cashflow—click the Let’s Get Started button.
For example, in the My Cashflow template, Excel encourages you to try the Excel Data Model to manage your cash flow. Click the Let’s Get Started button, and Excel displays the My Cashflow charts. Click the buttons 2013, 2014, or 2015 to see the chart data change by year.
09 New template CashFlow chart
If you click the Go button, you can add some new data to the
Sample Data spreadsheet, then watch the charts change based on your new
input. Once you get the hang of it, just replace Excel’s sample data
with some real data of your own and Excel does the rest. Other new
templates include Stock Analysis and My Calendar.
5. 3D / Power Maps
These mapping tools were an add-in program in previous versions, but
they're now included in 2016. You can compare data such as temperatures,
or rainfall, or populations of a given area over a specified time,
rendered in three-dimensional images.
You can map data (plot millions of rows of information visually on
Bing maps), discover how data changes over time and space, and create
and share stories (called Video Tours) about the information you’ve
collected. Stay tuned for a complete review on this excellent new
feature in Excel 2016.
6. Easier collaboration and sharing
Real-time collaboration is finally here. Share ideas, data, queries,
reports; and co-author worksheets, charts, graphs, Pivot Tables,
databases, and more.
Click the Share button in the top right corner. When the Share panel opens, click the Save to Cloud
button. The Backstage menu opens and displays the Save As screen.
Choose the option that fits your situation—OneDrive, SharePoint, or
another online location. Select the appropriate folder and click the
Save button.
Once saved, the document reappears with the Share panel open. In the
Invite People field, click the open book icon and select colleagues from
your address book in Outlook. Set permissions and notifications, then
click the Share button to send the document links to your designated colleagues.
7. Smart Lookup
This feature (available in most of the Office 2016 programs) is like
having the Internet on speed dial. Also called “Insights” from Bing, the
information hails from various resources such as Wikipedia, the Oxford
dictionary, Bing image search, and Bing Snapshot.
Just place your cursor on any word or highlight any phrase on your spreadsheet and right-click. Select Smart Lookup
from the dropdown list. The “Insights” panel opens on the right and
displays information and images about the subject you highlighted.
8. Tell Me
Located on the right side of the Ribbon menu after the last tab, this
feature provides a search box with a light bulb that says “Tell me what
you want to do.” It’s like your personal valet: Ask it a question,
command it to do something, or select one of the Recently Used queries,
and it obeys.
Just click the Tell Me box and type your question. A list
box drops down with your current request on top; followed by alternate
choices (if there are any); followed by the most Recently Used queries;
followed by an option to select and use the official Help menus;
followed by the Smart Lookup feature, which adds the knowledge of the
Internet to help you find the right answer.
9. Ink Equations
This new feature converts your handwritten equations (or mathematical
problems) to text, so you can insert them into your documents. You can
use whatever tool works best for you—the mouse, a digital or light pen,
or even your fingers—to write the math equations/problems.
Just select Insert > Symbols > Equation, then click Ink Equation from the drop-down menu. A Preview chalkboard box appears with writing tools displayed along the bottom.
That’s all for the big stuff, and Excel has a lot more surprises for
its fans. Stay tuned for deeper dives into more of the great features in
Excel 2016.
JD Sartain is a technology journalist from Boston. She writes a
monthly "Case Studies" column for CIO, a weekly "Max Productivity"
column for PCWorld, and she's been a regular freelance writer at Network
World for nine years. More by JD Sartain
You
may want to set a reminder in Outlook 2013 to help you stay on top of
your task assignments. Reminders pop up at the time you specify to let
you know it’s time to pay attention to a task. You can also enter your
own custom reminder text.
Set your reminder to occur before the task’s actual due
date to give yourself some time to work on it. For example, set a
budget’s reminder for two weeks prior to the date.
In the Tasks area of Outlook, double-click a task you have created.
It opens in its own window.
Select the Reminder check box under the due date.
Today’s date may already appear in the Date box. If it doesn’t, open the Date drop-down list and select today’s date.
Open the Time drop-down list and select a
time that is 3 minutes from now. If the exact time isn’t one of the
choices, close the drop-down list, click in the Time box, and manually
type the time.
See the figure.
A default-assigned sound plays when the reminder
occurs. To change the sound, you can click the Sound button (it looks
like a speaker) and browse for a different sound file.
Click the Save & Close button.
Wait 3 minutes for the reminder box to pop up.
See the figure.
Click the Dismiss button.
The reminder is dismissed.
You could have clicked Snooze instead to make it disappear temporarily but pop up again later.
You
may want to set a reminder in Outlook 2013 to help you stay on top of
your task assignments. Reminders pop up at the time you specify to let
you know it’s time to pay attention to a task. You can also enter your
own custom reminder text.
Set your reminder to occur before the task’s actual due
date to give yourself some time to work on it. For example, set a
budget’s reminder for two weeks prior to the date.
In the Tasks area of Outlook, double-click a task you have created.
It opens in its own window.
Select the Reminder check box under the due date.
Today’s date may already appear in the Date box. If it doesn’t, open the Date drop-down list and select today’s date.
Open the Time drop-down list and select a
time that is 3 minutes from now. If the exact time isn’t one of the
choices, close the drop-down list, click in the Time box, and manually
type the time.
See the figure.
A default-assigned sound plays when the reminder
occurs. To change the sound, you can click the Sound button (it looks
like a speaker) and browse for a different sound file.
Click the Save & Close button.
Wait 3 minutes for the reminder box to pop up.
See the figure.
Click the Dismiss button.
The reminder is dismissed.
You could have clicked Snooze instead to make it disappear temporarily but pop up again later.
