'Re: [KDE Usability] Review Request 126622: GSoC 2016 Project Idea: File Trays for Dolphin GUI Mockup'

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List: kde-usability
Subject: Re: [KDE Usability] Review Request 126622: GSoC 2016 Project Idea: File Trays for Dolphin GUI Mockup
From: Thomas Pfeiffer <colomar () autistici ! org>
Date: 2016-01-18 9:01:18
Message-ID: 20160118090118.18012.94052 () mimi ! kde ! org
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> On Jan. 17, 2016, 5:53 p.m., Heiko Tietze wrote:
> > Sounds like a good starting point. I don't understand why files shouldn't be cut from their \
> > original position via file tray. But that's a minor issue, IMHO. More difficult will be the \
> > delete file(s)/purge tray disinction. First idea is to accelerate the delete by, for \
> > instance, ctrl (crtl doesn't work because of delete instead of move to trash, or was it \
> > alt?). But accelerate for safety purpose the delete file function or, since it's a new \
> > function, remove items from the tray? We should solve this issue later. Anyway, looks like \
> > you want to start, which is great. I'd suggest to move the essence from this review to the \
> > wiki.
> 
> arnav dhamija wrote:
> Thanks for the ship request! 
> 
> The problem is this - when we Cut files from the destination and place them on the File Tray, \
> the files URLs are copied to the Tray, and the files are marked for deletion when the Copying \
> process is complete. 
> Now, suppose I go to another directory and Copy the files in the Tray to the active \
> directory, what should happen to the files in the source directory? Should the File Tray copy \
> all the files to the active directory and then delete them from the source? However, if the \
> files are deleted from the source, they will disappear from the File Tray as well as their \
> URLs will no longer be valid. This may not be unexpected behavior for users who have a mix of \
> files which are Copied and Cut from their respective source directories and Copy all these \
> files to another directory. 
> Moreover, which wiki will this be moved to?
> 
> Heiko Tietze wrote:
> What I meant is to cut the file later from the try. Of course you can just add it there from \
> the origin, which is neither copy nor move. 
> Wiki is here https://techbase.kde.org/Welcome_to_KDE_TechBase. Maybe the community area is \
> better or more up to date https://community.kde.org/Dolphin, but according \
> https://community.kde.org/Main_Page "The community wiki is the collaboration place for the \
> community. It is used for publishing and sharing community-internal information. Work in \
> progress or information targetted at very small groups of people is suitable content for the \
> community wiki. It also acts as a staging area for content which later is moved to techbase \
> or userbase." I wouldn't care too much. ;-)

It should definitely go in community.kde.org . Techbase is a documentation wiki for things \
which are already there.

- Thomas

-----------------------------------------------------------
This is an automatically generated e-mail. To reply, visit:
https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/r/126622/#review91215
-----------------------------------------------------------

On Jan. 17, 2016, 11:35 a.m., arnav dhamija wrote:
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> This is an automatically generated e-mail. To reply, visit:
> https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/r/126622/
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> 
> (Updated Jan. 17, 2016, 11:35 a.m.)
> 
> 
> Review request for Dolphin and KDE Usability.
> 
> 
> Description
> -------
> 
> **The idea**
> Selecting multiple files in any file manager for copying and pasting has never been a \
> pleasant experience, especially if the files are in a non-continuous order. Often, when \
> copying files between devices we might find that we need to select only a subset of the \
> required files we have selected and this leads to the unwieldy operation of removing files \
> from our selection. Of course, the common workaround is to create a new folder and to put all \
> the items in  but this is a very inefficient process and can be very slow if large files need \
> to be copied between devices. 
> My solution to this problem is to add a panel/view in Dolphin where the links to files and \
> folders can be temporarily saved for a session. The files and folders are "staged" on this \
> panel. Hence, the user can add folders and files from several different directories to this \
> panel and can then collectively perform actions on all the items in the tray such as copy, \
> paste, cut, delete items, send via Bluetooth, create a list of symbolic links, and better \
> sharing options for the File Tray and Dolphin as a whole using the KDE Purpose Framework API. \
> Complex file operations such as moving files across many devices can be made easy by staging \
> the operation before performing it. 
> Files can be added to this tray by using a right-click context menu option or by using the \
> mouse scroll click or drag and drop. As an additional option, the session for the File Tray \
> Panel can be saved for later use. 
> This File Tray will be accessible through the existing Split view function in Dolphin as well \
> as a directory available under the Panel section. This would make it neatly integrated with \
> Dolphin's existing toolset and it would make dragging and dropping easy. Dolphin maintainer \
> Emmanuel Pescosta suggested using Plasmoids to make the project more cohesive with KDE and to \
> make it usable with multiple applications (eg Gwenview). 
> **Implementation**
> The File Trays implementation is not completely resolved yet, but currently I want to \
> implement a type of KIO Slave dedicated to the File Tray. Implementing a KIO Slave will make \
> this project extremely versatile as it will allow several other KDE programs (such as \
> Konqueror) to also benefit from such a feature. Creating a Plasmoid for the same will also be \
> much easier as it will be no more difficult than simply using the existing Folder view \
> Plasmoid by setting the directory to filetray:/ and creating some more context menu specific \
> actions (I will probably need a better name than filetray:/ for it though). 
> **Use Cases**
> Jerry has a large music collection on his computer and he has many devices such as a tablet, \
> smartphone, HTPC, and a USB drive for his car audio. He needs only a subset of files from his \
> extensive collection which he wants to keep on all his devices. Hence, to avoid making the \
> same selection over and over again for each device, it's much more efficient for him to just \
> create his list on the File Tray and then copy the same list to each device. 
> George is a student at university and he has a lot of unorganised files on his computer from \
> lots of different directories. By selecting these files and staging them on the File Tray in \
> a split view mode, he can easily discern where each file should go. He can then easily move \
> files by simply dragging and dropping them in the directory they belong in. This makes the \
> File Tray a helpful tool for file organisation. 
> Cosmo keeps forgetting where he keeps his important files as they are often hidden deep \
> within directories and sub-directories. The File Trays feature can come to the rescue here by \
> letting him stash the files in the File Tray and hence it will save him time from drilling \
> deep into directories for a file. Hence, the File Tray can also be used for making quick \
> shortcuts for files. For this I plan to add a feature and user preference to allow the user \
> to restore the Tray from the previous session and to have the option of making the Tray \
> retain the files stored in it across sessions. 
> **Interaction Model**
> The File Tray will behave exactly like any other directory in Dolphin. However, the \
> interaction model is not entirely obvious at first glance. 
> For example, using Copy on a selection of files and Pasting in the File Tray will populate a \
> list of the folders in the Tray. Now, copying these files from the File Tray and pasting them \
> to another directory will retain the files on the Tray while creating a copy of these files \
> at the chosen directory. 
> Using a Cut on a selection of files **on** the File Tray will remove the files on the File \
> Tray while copying them to the chosen directory. 
> However, one interaction which I feel will create a lot of confusion would be moving the \
> files to the File Tray. This will be confusing as moving files to a virtual directory is not \
> possible as the files simply exist as URLs on the Tray. Hence, the context menu will have a \
> minor modification to disable/remove the Move option to the Tray. If items are pasted from \
> the Clipboard, the files will still remain in their source directory, regardless of whether \
> they have been Cut or Copied from the source directory. 
> On the other hand, there will be two options for Removing files from the File Tray. One \
> option will simply remove the chosen files from the list in the File Tray and the other \
> option will move the selection to the Trash. 
> Furthermore, by default, the File Tray will **not** retain the files added in it across \
> sessions, though I will add a button to restore files from the previous session. I also plan \
> to add a Save button (not sure where it should go) to allow the user to save the selection of \
> files they have made on the Tray. 
> Another important note about the interaction model I have thought about is that the File Tray \
> should have its own shortcut such as ctrl+W (of course the keyboard shortcut is subject to \
> change). Invoking this shortcut on a selected number of files in the Active Directory should \
> immediately open the File Tray and add all the Files in the selection there. Moreover, the \
> Split view will be disabled whenever the File Tray is active. If the split view is open when \
> the File Tray keyboard shortcut is activated, the Split view of the inactive directory will \
> close and will be replaced with the File Tray. 
> Also, the File Open dialog will undergo some modification so users can select items directly \
> off the Tray for other programs. 
> Finally, I also want to create a Plasmoid which will sync the same links as the File Tray and \
> will exist as a widget on the Desktop. This Plasmoid will benefit the KDE desktop as a whole \
> as multiple applications will be able to interact with the Plasmoid for stashing files. \
> However, the completion of this may or may not happen with the GSoC timeline as it is \
> completely dependent on how much QML I can learn by the time the GSoC proposal period starts \
> : ) 
> **GUI Mockup**
> Attached with this Review Request is a Balsamiq mockup for my project idea, building upon \
> what already exists in Dolphin. The Tray panel is activated by a toggle button on the Dolphin \
> toolbar and behaves very similarly to the Split feature. Dragging and dropping folders and \
> files from the active directory on the left and pasting directly from the clipboard will be \
> supported. 
> The File Tray will use the same zoom and icon/details/compact settings as the main window of \
> the file manager. While it may be technically possible to have a distinction, I feel it may \
> be too complicated for many users as there will be many duplicate controls.  
> I will be much obliged to hear feedback from the usability and dolphin teams on these GUI \
> interactions : ) 
> **Extra Features**
> Also, there are a few more features I want to add to make the File Tray more powerful. \
> However, these features are probably a better fit for Dolphin in general, and then the File \
> Tray can use these functions from Dolphin: 1) The ability to create symbolic links of a \
> selection of files. Nautilus has been doing this for a while. 2) Automatically create a music \
> playlist file by selecting music files. 3) Adding support for the KDE Purpose Framework in \
> Dolphin to make sharing easier. 
> **Note**
> I made a new mockup by butchering the mockup a bit :S But, the new one is at least indicative \
> of what I want to achieve with this project. I'm leaving the old one in just for some A/B \
> testing if anyone wants to compare. 
> 
> Diffs
> -----
> 
> 
> Diff: https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/r/126622/diff/
> 
> 
> Testing
> -------
> 
> 
> File Attachments
> ----------------
> 
> FileTray Mockup (OLD).png
> https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/media/uploaded/files/2016/01/04/ec5ec185-0307-4579-afc4-567d2aafa220__FileTray_Mockup.png
>  FileTray Mockup.png
> https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/media/uploaded/files/2016/01/09/feeab4a9-df95-42ed-b1f5-7c6bb756db2f__FileTray_Mockup.png
>  
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> arnav dhamija
> 
> 

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      This is an automatically generated e-mail. To reply, visit:
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<blockquote style="margin-left: 1em; border-left: 2px solid #d0d0d0; padding-left: 10px;">
 On January 17th, 2016, 5:53 p.m. UTC, Heiko Tietze wrote:
 <blockquote style="margin-left: 1em; border-left: 2px solid #d0d0d0; padding-left: 10px;">
 <pre style="white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: -moz-pre-wrap; white-space: -pre-wrap; \
white-space: -o-pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">Sounds like a good starting \
point. I don't understand why files shouldn't be cut from their original position via file \
tray. But that's a minor issue, IMHO. More difficult will be the delete file(s)/purge tray \
disinction. First idea is to accelerate the delete by, for instance, ctrl (crtl doesn't work \
because of delete instead of move to trash, or was it alt?). But accelerate for safety purpose \
the delete file function or, since it's a new function, remove items from the tray? We should \
solve this issue later. Anyway, looks like you want to start, which is great. I'd suggest to \
move the essence from this review to the wiki.</pre> </blockquote>

On January 17th, 2016, 6:05 p.m. UTC, arnav dhamija wrote:
 <blockquote style="margin-left: 1em; border-left: 2px solid #d0d0d0; padding-left: 10px;">
 <pre style="white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: -moz-pre-wrap; white-space: -pre-wrap; \
white-space: -o-pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">Thanks for the ship request! \
The problem is this - when we Cut files from the destination and place them on the \
File Tray, the files URLs are copied to the Tray, and the files are marked for deletion when \
the Copying process is complete. Now, suppose I go to another directory and Copy \
the files in the Tray to the active directory, what should happen to the files in the source \
directory? Should the File Tray copy all the files to the active directory and then delete them \
from the source? However, if the files are deleted from the source, they will disappear from \
the File Tray as well as their URLs will no longer be valid. This may not be unexpected \
behavior for users who have a mix of files which are Copied and Cut from their respective \
source directories and Copy all these files to another directory. Moreover, which \
wiki will this be moved to?</pre> </blockquote>

On January 17th, 2016, 7:49 p.m. UTC, Heiko Tietze wrote:
 <blockquote style="margin-left: 1em; border-left: 2px solid #d0d0d0; padding-left: 10px;">
 <pre style="white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: -moz-pre-wrap; white-space: -pre-wrap; \
white-space: -o-pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">What I meant is to cut the file \
later from the try. Of course you can just add it there from the origin, which is neither copy \
nor move. Wiki is here https://techbase.kde.org/Welcome_to_KDE_TechBase. \
Maybe the community area is better or more up to date https://community.kde.org/Dolphin, but \
according https://community.kde.org/Main_Page "The community wiki is the collaboration place \
for the community. It is used for publishing and sharing community-internal information. Work \
in progress or information targetted at very small groups of people is suitable content for the \
community wiki. It also acts as a staging area for content which later is moved to techbase or \
userbase." I wouldn't care too much. ;-)</pre> </blockquote>

</blockquote>

<pre style="white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: -moz-pre-wrap; white-space: -pre-wrap; \
white-space: -o-pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">It should definitely go in \
community.kde.org . Techbase is a documentation wiki for things which are already \
there.</pre>

<p>- Thomas</p>

<br />
<p>On January 17th, 2016, 11:35 a.m. UTC, arnav dhamija wrote:</p>

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<div>Review request for Dolphin and KDE Usability.</div>
<div>By arnav dhamija.</div>

<p style="color: grey;"><i>Updated Jan. 17, 2016, 11:35 a.m.</i></p>

<h1 style="color: #575012; font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 1.5em;">Description </h1>
 <table width="100%" bgcolor="#ffffff" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10" style="border: 1px \
solid #b8b5a0"> <tr>
 <td>
 <pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: -moz-pre-wrap; \
white-space: -pre-wrap; white-space: -o-pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">The idea Selecting multiple files in any file manager for copying and pasting \
has never been a pleasant experience, especially if the files are in a non-continuous order. \
Often, when copying files between devices we might find that we need to select only a subset of \
the required files we have selected and this leads to the unwieldy operation of removing files \
from our selection. Of course, the common workaround is to create a new folder and to put all \
the items in but this is a very inefficient process and can be very slow if large files need \
to be copied between devices. My solution to this problem is to add a \
panel/view in Dolphin where the links to files and folders can be temporarily saved for a \
session. The files and folders are "staged" on this panel. Hence, the user can add folders and \
files from several different directories to this panel and can then collectively perform \
actions on all the items in the tray such as copy, paste, cut, delete items, send via \
Bluetooth, create a list of symbolic links, and better sharing options for the File Tray and \
Dolphin as a whole using the KDE Purpose Framework API. Complex file operations such as moving \
files across many devices can be made easy by staging the operation before performing it. \
Files can be added to this tray by using a right-click context menu option or by \
using the mouse scroll click or drag and drop. As an additional option, the session for the \
File Tray Panel can be saved for later use. This File Tray will be accessible \
through the existing Split view function in Dolphin as well as a directory available under the \
Panel section. This would make it neatly integrated with Dolphin's existing toolset and it \
would make dragging and dropping easy. Dolphin maintainer Emmanuel Pescosta suggested using \
Plasmoids to make the project more cohesive with KDE and to make it usable with multiple \
applications (eg Gwenview). Implementation The File \
Trays implementation is not completely resolved yet, but currently I want to implement a type \
of KIO Slave dedicated to the File Tray. Implementing a KIO Slave will make this project \
extremely versatile as it will allow several other KDE programs (such as Konqueror) to also \
benefit from such a feature. Creating a Plasmoid for the same will also be much easier as it \
will be no more difficult than simply using the existing Folder view Plasmoid by setting the \
directory to filetray:/ and creating some more context menu specific actions (I will probably \
need a better name than filetray:/ for it though). Use \
Cases Jerry has a large music collection on his computer and he has many devices such \
as a tablet, smartphone, HTPC, and a USB drive for his car audio. He needs only a subset of \
files from his extensive collection which he wants to keep on all his devices. Hence, to avoid \
making the same selection over and over again for each device, it's much more efficient for him \
to just create his list on the File Tray and then copy the same list to each device. George is a student at university and he has a lot of unorganised files on his \
computer from lots of different directories. By selecting these files and staging them on the \
File Tray in a split view mode, he can easily discern where each file should go. He can then \
easily move files by simply dragging and dropping them in the directory they belong in. This \
makes the File Tray a helpful tool for file organisation. Cosmo keeps \
forgetting where he keeps his important files as they are often hidden deep within directories \
and sub-directories. The File Trays feature can come to the rescue here by letting him stash \
the files in the File Tray and hence it will save him time from drilling deep into directories \
for a file. Hence, the File Tray can also be used for making quick shortcuts for files. For \
this I plan to add a feature and user preference to allow the user to restore the Tray from the \
previous session and to have the option of making the Tray retain the files stored in it across \
sessions. Interaction Model The File Tray will \
behave exactly like any other directory in Dolphin. However, the interaction model is not \
entirely obvious at first glance. For example, using Copy on a selection of files \
and Pasting in the File Tray will populate a list of the folders in the Tray. Now, copying \
these files from the File Tray and pasting them to another directory will retain the files on \
the Tray while creating a copy of these files at the chosen directory. Using a Cut on \
a selection of files on the File Tray will remove the files on the File Tray \
while copying them to the chosen directory. However, one interaction which I \
feel will create a lot of confusion would be moving the files to the File Tray. This will be \
confusing as moving files to a virtual directory is not possible as the files simply exist as \
URLs on the Tray. Hence, the context menu will have a minor modification to disable/remove the \
Move option to the Tray. If items are pasted from the Clipboard, the files will still remain in \
their source directory, regardless of whether they have been Cut or Copied from the source \
directory. On the other hand, there will be two options for Removing files \
from the File Tray. One option will simply remove the chosen files from the list in the File \
Tray and the other option will move the selection to the Trash. Furthermore, by \
default, the File Tray will not retain the files added in it across \
sessions, though I will add a button to restore files from the previous session. I also plan to \
add a Save button (not sure where it should go) to allow the user to save the selection of \
files they have made on the Tray. Another important note about the interaction \
model I have thought about is that the File Tray should have its own shortcut such as ctrl+W \
(of course the keyboard shortcut is subject to change). Invoking this shortcut on a selected \
number of files in the Active Directory should immediately open the File Tray and add all the \
Files in the selection there. Moreover, the Split view will be disabled whenever the File Tray \
is active. If the split view is open when the File Tray keyboard shortcut is activated, the \
Split view of the inactive directory will close and will be replaced with the File Tray. Also, the File Open dialog will undergo some modification so users can select items \
directly off the Tray for other programs. Finally, I also want to create a \
Plasmoid which will sync the same links as the File Tray and will exist as a widget on the \
Desktop. This Plasmoid will benefit the KDE desktop as a whole as multiple applications will be \
able to interact with the Plasmoid for stashing files. However, the completion of this may or \
may not happen with the GSoC timeline as it is completely dependent on how much QML I can learn \
by the time the GSoC proposal period starts : ) GUI \
Mockup Attached with this Review Request is a Balsamiq mockup for my project idea, \
building upon what already exists in Dolphin. The Tray panel is activated by a toggle button on \
the Dolphin toolbar and behaves very similarly to the Split feature. Dragging and dropping \
folders and files from the active directory on the left and pasting directly from the clipboard \
will be supported. The File Tray will use the same zoom and icon/details/compact \
settings as the main window of the file manager. While it may be technically possible to have a \
distinction, I feel it may be too complicated for many users as there will be many duplicate \
controls. I will be much obliged to hear feedback from the usability and \
dolphin teams on these GUI interactions : ) Extra \
Features Also, there are a few more features I want to add to make the File Tray more \
powerful. However, these features are probably a better fit for Dolphin in general, and then \
the File Tray can use these functions from Dolphin: 1) The ability to create symbolic links of \
a selection of files. Nautilus has been doing this for a while. 2) Automatically create a music \
playlist file by selecting music files. 3) Adding support for the KDE Purpose Framework in \
Dolphin to make sharing easier. Note I made a new mockup \
by butchering the mockup a bit :S But, the new one is at least indicative of what I want to \
achieve with this project. I'm leaving the old one in just for some A/B testing if anyone wants \
to compare.</pre> </td>
 </tr>
</table>

<h1 style="color: #575012; font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 1.5em;">Diffs</b> </h1>
<ul style="margin-left: 3em; padding-left: 0;">

</ul>

<p><a href="https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/r/126622/diff/" style="margin-left: 3em;">View \
Diff</a></p>

<h1 style="color: #575012; font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 1.5em;">File Attachments </h1>

 <li><a href="https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/media/uploaded/files/2016/01/04/ec5ec185-0307-4579-afc4-567d2aafa220__FileTray_Mockup.png">FileTray \
Mockup (OLD).png</a></li>

 <li><a href="https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/media/uploaded/files/2016/01/09/feeab4a9-df95-42ed-b1f5-7c6bb756db2f__FileTray_Mockup.png">FileTray \
Mockup.png</a></li>

</ul>

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