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List:       kde-i18n
Subject:    konqueror/DESIGN
From:       Sven Radej <sven () lisa ! exp ! univie ! ac ! at>
Date:       1999-02-19 8:25:07
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From DESIGN:
>"
>There is of course a thin line between viewing and modifying.
>With the file browser you want to be able to move/rename/delete
>files. So if we allow this functionality for file-browsing, we
>should also allow it for mail-browsing or news-browsing.
>(e.g. move/delete message cq. postings).
>"
Konquerror will replace kfm, therefore it must be able to "modify" file system.
If we click on mailbox (how is Konquerror going to tell mbox mailbox from
unknown file, btw?), kmail (or koutlook) is "embedded" into konquerror and
shows us mesages. If we want to reply to some message - eh now, does composer
pop up as different window or shows up in konquerror? I think it is up to user
to decide. Some will want everything in konquerror, others different windows.

Another thing: user rmb-clicks at mailbox, a menu pops up. Mail application
should insert some special menu items there, like "Compact", "Empty".

How to do that? Should konqueror start kmail and ask it to provide some menu
entries and methods to handle them? Other way:
- konquerror determines that clikced file is type "application/mailbox", which
  is handled by application kmail. It reads from kmail's *.kdelnk (or partlnk?)
  what menu entries to add.
- If user clicks to, let's say, "Compact" konquerror starts kmail with
  command like "Dear kmail, please compact mailbox /home/sven/Mail/inbox. Yours,
  konqueror"

Other way seems faster to me. Other way specialized apps would be started each
time use presses RMB. That would be slower; user perhaps only wants to do
"Move to trash" which is common entry to all files.

The other way also apllies. KMail shows attachment of type "application/x-zip".
User clicks RMB, and popup provided by konquerror, not kmail, pops up.
Konquerror knows that zip belongs to Archiver, so it shows speciffic menu
entries for handling zip files (for example "Extract to..."; if user clicks on
it konquerror starts archiver and tells it to ask user where to extraxt files
to)

>"
>Creating does not really belong in a browser (apart from
>directories) because you will almost always need an application
>for this anyway. I seldom go to a directory to select "create xyz".
>Most of the time you start an application to create "xyz" and
>when you are done, you think of a nice place to store it.
>(I think Microsoft wants us to believe otherwise, with their
>"document-orientated" Windows95 marketing)
>((Well, sometimes you are browsing and have a sudden urge to put
>a text-file like README in a directory. But for that you still
>need a text-editor. Just creating an empty file is of little use.)) 
>"

This should be left for Templates; One more thing. When you create template
and name it open it's Application with it.
- if you create *.kdelnk open properties window for it right away
- If you have "WP Doc" in template I think that kfm should let you name it and
   open WordPerfect on it right away.

Proper KDE applications should have "save template" option.
It might be silly but it is optional. I've seen a lot of people using "New
Office Document" in Windows.

Of course it addresses only file manager part of konquerror.
 --
Sven Radej     radej@kde.org
KDE developer   Visit http://www.kde.org

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