Files's common actions with one clic of mouse

[anthony-124]

Hello nautilus-list,

/**********************/
/***1. Action column***/
/**********************/

I have an idea to improve the efficiency of nautilus concerning some
common actions on files and folders.

The aim is to be able to execute those actions with only one click of
mouse.

The modification would be for the list-view in nautilus. It consists in
adding an 'Actions' column containing for each file or folder a list of
action represented by small buttons.

Here is a small mock up :
http://moissant.anthony.perso.neuf.fr/nautilus-action_colunm-00.png

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
• folders with music and/or videos : play, add to playlist,
• folders : burn on CD or DVD, make an archive ?
• .iso : burn, mount
• all extensions : copy, cut, move to trash ? (i don't move my file so
often and i use keyboard shortcut so i wait the opinion of other
persons, but i think it could be a source of mistakes...)
•  other ideas are welcome :)

I think the best number of actions in this column is maximum 3.

This is a first idea, i want us to discuss about this and think about
other common actions that should be accessible with one click and for
what kind of files.


/******************/
/***2. Selection***/
/******************/

Then we could use this Action column to add an action concerning every
files and folders :

• all extensions and folders : select with check box

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.

The check boxes could be in the actions column or into a separate one.
There could be for example first the selection column, after the name
column, the actions column and the other.

|check | name          | actions                          | size        

   x      foo.txt        edit  print                         3 Ko
          bar.txt        edit  print                         3 Ko
   x      song1.ogg      play   add_playlist                 3 Mo
   x      song2.ogg      play   add_playlist                 3 Mo
          song3.ogg      play   add_playlist                 3 Ko
          my_folder      play   add_playlist                 3 Ko


Have you never tried to select many files of a folder maintaining 'Crtl'
and clicking on each file you want with the mouse but at the last one
your selection is unselected and only the last is selected (cause you
released the 'Ctrl' button at the wrong time) ?
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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[Зоран Рилак]

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.

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

> /******************/
> /***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
>
>
> --
> nautilus-list mailing list
> nautilus-list@...
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/nautilus-list

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[Зоран Рилак]

On Wed, 2009-10-21 at 03:33 +0200, Anthony wrote:

> /******************/
> /***2. Selection***/
> /******************/
>
> Then we could use this Action column to add an action concerning every
> files and folders :
> • all extensions and folders : select with check box
[...]
> 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.  

This I like -- kind of what Vista has, right?  It's not a bad idea per
se to offer visual means of selecting files instead of, to paraphrase,
"hidden" keyboard shortcuts.  But consider that the new column with
actions and/or selection checkboxes would probably also begin its life
cycle as a hidden column, too.  How many people would go searching for
it?  I suppose only true Nautilus devs can tackle this :)

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[anthony-124]

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
> >
> >
> > --
> > nautilus-list mailing list
> > nautilus-list@...
> > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/nautilus-list
>
>

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[anthony-124]

Le mardi 20 octobre 2009 à 22:58 -0400, Зоран Рилак a écrit :

> On Wed, 2009-10-21 at 03:33 +0200, Anthony wrote:
>
> > /******************/
> > /***2. Selection***/
> > /******************/
> >
> > Then we could use this Action column to add an action concerning every
> > files and folders :
> > • all extensions and folders : select with check box
> [...]
> > 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.  
>
> This I like -- kind of what Vista has, right?

Yes! after research, it appears that yes :) but i think it could be a
good idea.

>  It's not a bad idea per
> se to offer visual means of selecting files instead of, to paraphrase,
> "hidden" keyboard shortcuts.  But consider that the new column with
> actions and/or selection checkboxes would probably also begin its life
> cycle as a hidden column, too.
If it happen it won't be useful for beginners. But if advanced users
what to disable it they will find rapidly.

>  How many people would go searching for
> it?  I suppose only true Nautilus devs can tackle this :)
>


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