Re: PATCH: use gnome-vfs for monitoring files

[Alex Larsson <alexl redhat com>]

On 21 May 2002, Alex Graveley wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> This patch uses the gnome-vfs monitoring API to watch files for changes,
> instead of that of libnautilus-private/nautilus-monitor.[ch].  This is
> needed so that I can implement monitors for the applications:// and
> start-here:// vfs methods, and have the nautilus view refresh nicely.
> 
> nautilus-monitor.[ch] is left around only for nautilus_monitor_active(),
> which is needed so nautilus can tell if it manually needs to refresh the
> newly changed-to directory, or let FAM deal with notifying it.  It works
> by creating a monitor for the user's desktop directory, and immediately
> removing it.  If this was successful, FAM is assumed to be operational.
> 
> This also adds an idle handler so as to avoid calling
> nautilus_file_changes_consume_changes() after every change event, so we
> aren't overrun with refresh operations.
> 
> Monitoring seems to work just as well as the current code for me, but
> this patch could probably use some extra eyes.

I have two issues with this patch.

a) The natuilus_monitor_active() implementation calls out to the fam 
daemon on every call. This is to slow. I'd prefer if there was a way to 
ask gnome-vfs if monitoring is active, but barring that I would like to 
cache the return value.

b) We lost the special-cased handling of read-only devices. That means you 
won't be able to unmount your cd, since fam will keep open file 
descriptors on it. This is a regression.

-- 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 Alexander Larsson                                            Red Hat, Inc 
                   alexl redhat com    alla lysator liu se 
He's a bookish umbrella-wielding househusband fleeing from a secret government 
programme. She's a disco-crazy Buddhist fairy princess from out of town. They 
fight crime!