Re: [Nautilus-list] tree view

[Mudiaga Obada <obada cs uni-frankfurt de>]

Maciej Stachowiak wrote:
> 
> John Sullivan <sullivan eazel com> writes:
> 
> > However, it is not on our schedule for the first release,
> > simply because there isn't enough time to do all the things 
> > we'd like to do before Nautilus first ships in late summer.
> 
> I'd like to add that just because we don't plan to do it ourselves for
> the first release doesn't mean it won't happen. We'd be glad to have
> someone contribute a well thought out version of this feature.
> 

On hearing "a well thought out version of this feature", I get the
notion
someone might end up "inventing" another technology (and another lame
acronym for it) just to cut 'n paste files. 

I might be seeing something wrong here but, what's the big deal about
cutting 'n pasting files?  The actual work is already implemented in 
drag n' drop.  Here the equivalent process:

Step # - Drag n' Drop  <=> Cut n' Paste
1 - Select your files <=> Select your files
 (wow! do we have something in common!)
2 - Start Dragging <=> Chose action Cut or Copy (store which one)
 (for cut n' paste flag which is being done at time of copy or past) 

3 - Drag to destination <=> cd to destination

4 - Let Go <=> Paste
  (this is where drag n' drop knows if move or copy - paste already
knows)
  
So most of the actual work is actually already done.  The difference is
just keeping track of what's being "dragged" in the clipboard by storing
some URI (with some metadata too), as supposed to capturing the mouse,
setting the mouse pointer and related dirty work of drag and drop.

All issues of what might happen between cut n' paste is the same as
what might happen during drag.

Personally, when using MS Windows I find myself doing Ctrl-C/Ctrl-X and
Ctrl-V (to cut and paste files) much more often than dragging that silly
mouse around and messing with Ctrl-Shift combinations to get my
Copy/Paste/Move right.  And I really miss (keyboard) cut n' paste under
gmc!

If I'm not seeing something wrong, implementing cut n' paste
functionality equivalent to drag n' drop's is trivial.


Already said, but I feel urged to say, "... drag and drop should work
and so should cut and paste both should be functional" (but this isn't
saying it should be in the first release).


Mudiaga Obada