Re: Files's common actions with one clic of mouse

[Anthony <dreadyman16 gmail com>]

Le mardi 20 octobre 2009 à 22:42 -0400, Зоран Рилак a écrit :
> On Wed, 2009-10-21 at 03:33 +0200, Anthony wrote:
> > Hello nautilus-list,
> > 
> > /**********************/
> > /***1. Action column***/
> > /**********************/
> > [...]
> > Here is a list of common actions to perform in one click for some kind
> > of files :  
> > • music files : play, add to playlist
> > • video files : play, add to playlist
> > • archives : extract here
> > • text documents : see the document, print 
> > • images : see, modify 
> > [...]
> > I think the best number of actions in this column is maximum 3.
> 
> Double-click ergonomically beats moving the mouse to a small icon +
> clicking it.  Middle-click also does the same as double-left-click.
> Therefore strip one action from the proposed 3, since it is already
> provided by performing either of the two gestures.
> 

Take the example of an audio file : 
Double-click on it makes the file played immediately.
So, i understand having another button to begin playing this song
doesn't look as a great idea.

So i develop my vision of the things. I think that concerning files, the
3 same actions are performed in 90% of time but only one action is
accessible very rapidly. I would like to be able to perform all the
common actions on files with just one click.

Take the example of an image file. The actions i make on a image file
are the following : see , modify, send by mail.
To see my image i double-click.
-> 1 operation
To modify it, i do right-click then 'open with, then left-click on Gimp.
-> 3 operations
To send it, i do right-click then 'send to'
-> 2 two operations

If we have an action column all those action are available with one
click. So i think we win some productivity.

Another problem i want to resolve : 
The default behavior when i double-click on a file is not the action i
use the most.

* Archives files : the action i do the most often is 'extract here' -> 2
operations, the second is 'open'  accessible with the double-click

* Images files : 50% time i what to see it (1 operation), 50% of time i
want to modify it (3 operations)

* music files : 50% time 'play now' (1 operation), 50% time 'add to
playlist' (here the number of operations become a real problem, i
haven't count but it's too much even using drag n drop).

* Video files : the same as music files.

For folders, imagine that you can have different actions available
depending of the content of the folder.
* Music folders : play now, add to playlist
* Images folder : send by mail, print, burn on CD...
* Documents folder : make an archive an send it to a remote site for
backup, ... 

Then the double-clic would be for open the folder but you could make
some actions directly without open it.

With this action column, people would use right-click very less often
ans do all their actions on files with one click. And like sometimes you
don't know what double-click will do on this file, with small icons you
will see better what will happen.

> Now the real question is: how common are the remaining two actions and
> do they warrant a separate column in the view?  For most of those you
> named, drag-and-drop suffices once you have the appropriate application
> open.  

When i receive people  at home and they have to add a song into the play
list it become a catastrophe, they don't know the existence of drag n
drop. My idea is Deezer based (for music files) so perhaps it could help
people who don't know nautilus.

> But granted, that's probably what you're trying to avoid here. 
Exactly.
>  I
> am just not completely convinced that it is a common use case to perform
> any of those operations on a single file, 

I think that it's people to decide what they would like to do with one
click, it would be interesting to make a survey to know what are the 3
actions people do on file and folders.

> thus warranting such a
> single-click shortcut that would otherwise keep taking up screen real
> estate.
> 
> There are some other issues to consider here, for example, having an
> active control in there could potentially break the paradigm "click to
> select".
Could you develop it please, i don't see what you mean with 'active
control' and what problem it could throw :)

Thanks for your response.

Anthony

> 
> > /******************/
> > /***2. Selection***/
> > /******************/
> > If there is a check box in the actions column to select/unselect any
> > file or folder, it becomes more easy to select many files. 
> > With Ctrl+ mouse_left, Ctrl+a, even Ctrl-s+regexpr, Shit+mouse shortcut
> > you can select many file in a few time but how many users know those
> > shortcut ? I think many people use the keyboard only to write email,
> > chat and tip some text, but not for selection.  
> > 
> > That why i think nautilus need a more easy to use way to select
> > files/folders.
> > 
> > 
> > Thank for your attention.
> > 
> > 
> > Anthony
> > 
> > 
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>