The tool that is using only 111 Kilobytes unpacked on the local hard drive supports local and network directories. The first thing that needs to be done to configure the program is to set the directory that should be monitored and the one that should contain the files that are copied.

A click on Capture will record the current states of both directories. All new and changed files can then be copied by clicking on the Create Mirror or Create Mirror and Recapture buttons in the interface.It should also be noted that all files in the destination directory will be removed prior to copying the new and changed files.

This obviously limits the use of the program quite a bit. It could be used to copy the new and changed files of a web project into another directory to upload them to a server later on.

Options to change that default behavior to not delete the files in the destination directory or to perform the operation automatically are not available at this time but would definitely increase the usefulness of the application.

Directory Changes Watcher requires the Microsoft .net Framework 2.0 or higher

Directory Monitor is a simply application that can monitor folders for one or multiple of the following four events: File additions, file modifications, file deletions and file renames. The user basically selects at least one folder to monitor and the events that he wants monitored in that folder.

The software supports local folders, network folders and even hidden shares. Specific file patterns can be excluded from being monitored. Text files can be excluded for instance by adding the *.txt filter in the application options. The main issue with text filters is that excluded patterns are global, meaning they are active for all monitored folders.

The interval that is used to check directories for changes can be changed in the options as well. The default value is 180 seconds. One interesting feature is the import and export feature which makes it possible to export monitored folders to import them on the same or another computer at a later point in time (lets you configure rules for all systems once to save time).

Programs can be executed when an event occurs, which can be another interesting option for advanced users.

Update: Directory Monitor is no longer available at Codeplex. We have changed the download link which is now pointing directly to the developer website. There you find full and web installers, a portable version as well as video tutorials that demonstrate the program’s functionality. Please keep in mind that the software requires the Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1 to be installed on the system.

I used to move each file manually from the subdirectory into the main directory until I could not take it anymore and decided to search for a solution that would automatically move all files in all subdirectories of a selected folder into that folder. I did find Dir Utils, a software that can do that and much more.

Dir Utils adds six entries to the right-click menu, among them is the option called Unify which moves all files from all subdirectories (and their subdirectories..) into the main folder.

Here are the five other options that are available:

• Extensionize: Categorises files in a folder by their extensions. It is possible to move all video files into one subfolder, all audio files and so on. That’s the only option that comes with its own .ini file that can be configured to add file types to groups.
• Alphabetize: Moves files in a directory automatically into subdirectories beginning with the first char of their name. Chars beginning with a-z will be moved to the subdirectories a-z accordingly, all numbers will be moved to the subdirectory 0, all file s beginning with any other char will be moved to the ! subdirectory. Great for directories with many files in them.
• Arrange: Automatically creates subdirectories for multi-volume archives. I’m using Extract Now for that purpose.
• Unzip: Will find all zip files and unzip them into a directory with the same name. I’m using Extract Now for that purpose.
• New Dir: Reduces the number of clicks needed to create a new subdirectory from 3 to 2.

Update: The developer website is no longer available. You can download the latest release version from our servers by clicking on the following link: Dir Utils (46)

My two favorites are Go2Web2.0 and Listio. Bot sites are great for finding new companies, but I recommend subscribing to their feeds to get the latest news. Actually Go2Web2.0 is a very poorly designed site, and navigating is quite hard, RSS is way easier. It’s pretty, but it’s really slow and full of weird bugs. Listio is better designed, it is a good place to just browse around.

Another site I have used in the past is eConsultant‘s page on web 2.0 sites. It has over 1.200 sites, but is not really updated, at least of what I’ve seen. It is a huge directory, so you can browse through it and try any service whose name catches your fancy. I think this was the first directory I ever visited and I can thank it for my obsession.

Listable is a good resource as well, but it’s very hard to find what you’re looking for. It is a bit riddled with spam, but if you can get to a good entry here and there. I recommend searching for specific web 2.0 apps, but even then it’s hard to find relevant lists. I assure you that when you do though, you will have a good time.