file extensions - vfs, file types (methods, context menu, icons, properties)

["Oskar Liljeblad" <osk hem passagen se>]

I read the gnome architecture and systems: file manager document at
gnome.org, and I'm curious to know the status of the following projects:

VFS: Can gnome apps use VFS' transparently or "fairly" transparently?
File Methods: Can gnome apps call/set/enumerate actions for a file type,
create/enum file types?
Context Menus: Can gnome apps add/enum actions in the context "Right Mouse"
menu for a file type?
Icons: Is there a way gnome apps can set/get the default icon for a file
type, or extract icon from a file?
Property sheet: Is there a uniform interface for file object properties? The
first page should contain "properties" that are common to all objects (such
as file name, permission, last access dates, etc). (It would be a waste if
every file type would have to design and create this page.)

I spent a few hours yesterday working on a file property dialog API. The
idea is that apps or "file type libraries" use functions like these:

GnomeFileProperties *gnome_file_properties_new(filename/fd, titlebar, ...)
gnome_file_properties_append_page(fp, child, label)
gnome_file_properties_set_hook(fp, hook)
gnome_file_properties_show(fp, modal?)

The function gnome_file_properties_new() creates a window with the first
page initialized. More pages are added to the notebook with
gnome_file_properties_append_page(), and the dialog box is finally shown
with gnome_file_properties_show(). It should be possible to make the dialog
modal or non-modal, and the GnomeFileProperties object should, if possible,
be reusable. The GnomeFileProperties widget could be a subclass of the
GnomePropertyBox.

I haven't done more than the design and some initial programming, because I
thought it would be a waste of time if someone was already working on this,
or if interface and design were already finished. I'd be glad to continue
programming, but not until I get the green lights.

Oskar Liljeblad (osk@hem.passagen.se)

PS. Is there any relation between CORBA, and file types & methods?
Unfortunately I'm not very familiar with CORBA or ORBs in general. DS.