Re: File manager tree.

[Michael Rogers <m rogers cs ucl ac uk>]

Kuba Winnicki wrote:
> 
> Miguel de Icaza wrote:
> 
> > So, I would like your input on how we can improve the file manager to
> > make it better.
> 
> There is a thing which bugs me all the time I use gmc. It's mess with
> mouse button bindings in GMC.
> 
> Middle button is the biggest mess. Once it is supposed to open
> directory/file in new window with single click, once it is
> drag-pop_up_context_menu-do_action and once window manager's root menu.
> For me there are two alternatives how to bind middle button:
> 
>   * Single click, like in KDE;
> 
>   * "Paint mode" -- similar to what button3 does in terminal version of
> mc. So you could select multiply files/directories using only mouse, no
> Shift/Ctrl combos would be needed any more :)

How about selecting things by drawing a line around them freehand (like
the GIMP selection tool)? This would allow odd-shaped groups of files to
be selected. If you could select several groups before choosing an
action, without unselecting the existing groups, you would have much
more flexibility than a rectangular selection box. For example:

Draw a shape with LMB to select a group of icons. Click on an empty area
to clear the selection. Drawing another selection box adds to the
existing selection. Dragging any part of the selection moves/copies the
whole group. Right-clicking in any part of the selection brings up a
context menu which affects the whole group.

> Left mouse button is most explicit from all three. The minor problem
> with it is that action for drag into other folder/desktop is move. In
> windows world move is performed if drag happens in the same
> disk/partition, copy otherwise. As in Un*x logically disks/partitions
> doesn't exist for system, I think the best would be to make move action
> only default inside the user's home directory.

This behaviour annoys me in Windows. Mount points are supposed to be
transparent, and I would prefer the action to be consistent everywhere.


Michael Rogers