[Usability] Dissolving Folders

[Christian Gentle <ikanashadows gmail com>]

A few months ago, I joined the gnome-devel-mail maillist, and posted my 
concept of 'Dissolving Folders', but I didn't get any solid feedback or 
opinions (helpful ones at least).


Here's the summary:

I had a idea about directory browsing in Nautilus recently, where you
could right click on a folder and choose the option "Dissolve" where the
contents of that would dissolve or be transferred into the parent
directory, but only for in a graphical sense (ie: not actually 
transferred).

After the "Dissolve" has occurred, in the parent directory where the
dissolved directory is found, right clicking on the background of window
gives the options of "Resolve" (returning dissolved folders to their
original state) or "Make Dissolve permnament" (where the files are
actually transferred to the parent directory).

I just thought it might be a good idea or at least a nice feature.
- Posted 7th July 05



Here's the lengthy description:

Unfortunately, I didn't detail originally the full implications of my 
idea and why I thought of it (as in "What purpose do Dissolving Folders 
Serve?").

The idea behind "Dissolving Folders" is to allow the user to 
concurrently acknowledge (or at least be aware of) the contents of a 
folder and the contents of its sub-directories, without the need for 
using a Search Command (therefore, avoiding File Indexing, which on some 
older computers can take forever) and also allowing for the attributes 
of those files to be changed as a group, this should majorly improve 
productivity.

When a folder becomes "Dissolved" its contents is displayed (ie: 
pointers aren't changed) in the parent folder.

The files of the "Dissolved" folder could have something graphically 
distinguishable about them (Black and White, Yellow outline, Theme 
specified or my favourite: Purple strobe; the epileptic seizure inducing 
kind). If there are two files that have the same name, their name will 
be modified to contain the name of the folder they are found in (this 
name-change will only occur graphically).

As I mentioned before, a Dissolving Folder can made permnament (only 
applies to next generation, as in only the level below, unless otherwise 
choosen in a dialog) , if there are any name clashes, a dialog should 
appear asking the user whether he/she would like to:

--Overwrite child folder file over parent folder file

--Overwrite  parent folder file over child folder file

--Keep Newer/Older Larger/Smaller file

--Change names of both filenameparentname.doc and filenamechildname.doc 
(Unless the Child and Parent folder names are the same, in which case 
some other distinguishment should     be used; A and B, etc.)

--Cancel Permnament dissolution

When a new file is introduced into a parent folder containing dissolved 
folders a dialog will appear to specify where in  the directory the file 
is to be stored, the parent directory is the default option.

The appearance of dissolved folders in the GTK/Gnome filechooser, is the 
same as Nautilus, however there should be a right click option at the 
top where the navigated folder are listed to "Show Dissolved Folders".

Undoing a Dissolution, is done by right clicking in the background 
window of Nautilus, going to the menu entry of Resolve, thenthe name of 
desired folder or all  to be "Resolved".
If there are any other "Dissolved" folders in a dissolved folder, a 
dialog will appear to ask how many generations  (levels)  are  to be 
"Resolved".

Notes: In a Terminal, the folder hiearchy is still the same where 
folders have be Dissolved/Resolved unless they are permnament. Typing 
the address of a dissolved folder in Nautilus Browser-mode should 
display a special Nautilus background reading: THIS FOLDER IS DISSOLVED.

I hope this clears up any confusion, and I think that this concept could 
be implemented quite well into Nautilus and GNOME Desktop to allow 
productivity and ease-of-use.

- Posted 9th July 05

Unfortunately, I'm not a Software/Computer Engineer, Programmer or 
Anyone who has an idea how to hack GNOME. Just a person with an idea.

Thanks in advance? (Should you have had read this far)
Christian Gentle