RE: links

[Paul Hepworth <phepworth s-vision com>]

Ah, yes.  That's why extended attribute support belongs in the
filesystem (as in OS/2, VMS, and sortof Mac).  We'd have to use EA-aware
versions of mv, cp, ln, etc.  (making sure they are ahead of the
standard ones in the search path).  (Likewise, all gnome apps that move
or copy files would need to use the EA-aware calls.)


Paul

> From: 	Mark Eaton[SMTP:hettar@uq.net.au]
> This sounds like exactly what I would like to see. :)
> 
> But if you had this file in every directory you would need
> to have someway in which if a file was moved that the .EA
> files were updated.
> 
> HeTTaR
> Mark Eaton
> hettar@uq.net.au
> ICQ 1779385
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Hepworth <phepworth@s-vision.com>
> To: 'gnome-list@gnome.org' <gnome-list@gnome.org>
> Date: Thursday, 12 February 1998 10:31 am
> Subject: RE: links
> 
> 
> >> From: Mark Eaton[SMTP:hettar@uq.net.au]
> >> I disagree. I use ln -s blah blah blah all the time and
> it is exellent
> >> yes. I wish I could use it under Windoze. But it doesn't
> do what say
> >> kdelnk does. It doesn't store gui info such as icon or
> tooltips. It
> >> doesn't let you setup up parameters to be passed when
> run. There are
> >> lots of things that say a glnk could do that linking
> can't. I think
> >> that having both would be the best solution.
> >>
> >I'd say let the user attach icon/tooltips/parameters and
> other extended
> >information to ANY file, not just to a link.  If I want
> tooltips
> >(comments) and specific icons for certain folders, my
> executables, and
> >specific data files (in addition to sym links to programs),
> I should be
> >able to do this.  It would be simple to add extended
> attributes without
> >filesystem support (since we don't have fs support) using
> either DFM's
> >one-file-database-in-home-dir or (my preference) in a .EAs
> file in each
> >directory that contains files with extended attributes.
> >The .EAs file could be text editable looking something like
> this:
> >---------
> >"A filename that has EAs associated with it" {
> >  icon=hideous.xpm
> >}
> >
> >anotherFile.dat {
> >  mimetype="some mimetype to override the extension-assumed
> type"
> >  tooltip="A piece of text to quickly describe the
> program/folder/file"
> >  icon=cool.xpm
> >  doc="man:manpage"
> >  #doc="info:foo.info"
> >  run="$x -d4 $f"
> >  # $x is system-wide program associated with this mimetype
> >  # $f is filename (of this file)
> >  # $p is full pathname of file
> >  # $1, $2, $* etc. represent dropped files
> >  # $1p, $2p, etc. represent full path names of dropped
> files
> >  # $c is current working directory
> >  # $? would suggest that the shell prompt the user for
> input
> >parameter(s)
> >  # default for non-executable files is run="$x $f"
> >  # default for executable files is "$f $*"
> >  paramsDefault="untitled.text"
> >  # default paramsDefault is "$f" for non-executable, "$*"
> for
> >executable
> >  paramsPrompt="Enter filename(s):"
> >  # default prompt is "Enter parameters for $x:" for
> nonexecutable
> >  # default prompt is "Enter parameters for $f:" for
> executable
> >}
> >
> >"aJavaProg.class" {
> >  icon=neato.xpm
> >  doc="some prog.html"
> >  run="java thePackage.theSubPackage.aJavaProg"
> >  # needed because an association isn't sufficient to run
> >  #   a java class that's in a package
> >  #   (alternatively, the standard program launcher could
> parse
> >  #     the class file for package name as well as for the
> existence
> >  #     of main() or "extends Applet")
> >}
> >
> >"some text file" {
> >  tooltip="third letter to my mother requesting that raise
> to my
> >allowance :-)"
> >  run="preferedEditor $f":"altEditor -lineNumbers
> $f":"yaEditor -f $f"
> >  # will run preferedEditor by default (double click),
> >  #   but context menu, for example, would contain the
> other options
> >  print=preferedEditor:"text2ps $f | lpr"
> >}
> >-----------
> >
> >Any program (not limited to desktop or file managers) could
> use the
> >GetEA() API via C/C++/Guile/CORBA.
> >Because these attributes could be attached to any file,
> this has a big
> >advantage over .lnk files.  Using this facility in
> conjunction with
> >symbolic links accomplishes what the .lnk ppl want, but in
> a more
> >flexible way.  This also permits adding attributes to
> folders, files,
> >etc.
> >I'm not sure what the best way to internationalize these
> settings would
> >be.
> >
> >
> >Paul
> >
> >
> >--
> >         To unsubscribe: mail gnome-list-request@gnome.org
> with
> >                       "unsubscribe" as the Subject.
> >
> >
> 
> 
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