xfilemanager(1) manual page

Name

xfilemanager - X11 based Unix filemanager

xfilemanger [-rootDir path ] [-iconDir path ] [-trashcan [directory] ] [-iconFont fontname ] [-selectColor color_name ] [-doubleClickInterval time ] [-multiWindow/-singleWindow] [-saveWS] [-noDragCopyAsk] [-noDragMoveAsk] [-noDragExecAsk] [-noDragDeleteAsk]

Introduction

xfilemanager is a X11 based Unix filemanager with Drag'n Drop abilities. When xfilemanager starts up, it popups either one big window with an iconbar on top and three seperated regions below, or with two seperated windows. xfilemanager considers three main types of regions (called windows in later reference) - the path-, directory- and workspacewindow.

Pathwindow

The pathwindows shows the entire directorytree, begining from a given root-directory. Within this window, directories can be opened by clicking upon their name or icon. If a directory opens while clicking upon it's entry with a single click, all direct subdirectories of this directory will be inserted in the directory tree. To investigate the whole contents of this directory, you have to double click upon the icon. If the present display mode is set into the multi-window-mode, a new window will be opened, showing all files of this directory. In single-window-mode, the middlest window will be updated with the contents of the directory.

Directorywindow

The directorywindow displays, depending on the current filterin method, the whole contents of a directory. Within this window, files can be selected for moving, copying, deleting, etc. by clicking upon their icons or names. Double clicks are forcing the filemanager to execute a determined action, depending on the type of the file. Example: double clicking upon a directory will open a new directorywindow or display the contents of this directory in the directorywindow.

Workspacewindow

The workspacewindow serves as a kind of container for executables. Executables can be either draged from directorywindows to the workspacewindow or added by using the Add_Workspace_Entry Button. If the user changes has the savwWSOnExit resource set to true, either by using the resources of by setting the -saveWS flag, the workspace will be saved into the ~/.wsrc file on exit.

Workspace Entry Editor

If the workspace entry editor is invoked either to edit an existing item or to create a new one, a window is displayed that contains several test fields and toggle buttons. The first field contains the label of the item and is writen below the icon in the workspace area. If the item is selected and the executor is started, the text written in the second field will be taken as the executable command. If the Ask_before_Execute toggle button is selected, it will be executed directly after double-clicking on it. Otherwise the executor window will be opened. In the iconfile textfield the user can enter the name of an icon which is living in the iconDir, where the filemanager looks for icons. If this field is empty, the default icon for executables will be displayed instead. The last to toggle buttons determine, if the item can take files as datafiles when they are dragged upon them. For example a xterm-item wont be a drag&drop target so this toggle will be disable, whether a picture-viewer will probably only work if it gets a file with some picture informations as a datafile. I that case, the second toggle must be selected too.

Fileoperations

To invoke several fileoperations (copy, delete, move, newdir, status) you can either press one of the buttons on top of each window or by draging files into the destination window or over the action buttons.

Most of the actions can also be reached by the user customizeable popupmenu, which can be reached by pressing the third mousebutton.

Filetypes

To determine what file belongs to what kind of fileclass, the user can edit his own ~/.xfmrc file, which specifies the executable, the fileendings, the iconfile and a short description.

Package Builder

There is also an connection tar(1) If this is done, a window will be opened. In the center of this window is a large field were files can be dragged in to include the in the tar file. This tar file can be either uncompressed or compressed by using the common compress(1) or the more effective gnuzip(1)

Options

-rootDir path - sets the rootdirectory of the pathwindow. The default is the users HOME-directory.

-iconDir path - sets the directory that contains the fileicons. For example: ~/icons:/usr/lib/X11/bitmaps:/usr/lib/X11/icons

-trashcan [directory] - if path is given, it enables the trashcan option. To disable a globaly set trashcan you can use this option without a directory

-iconFont fontname - specifies the font to be used within the different windows to display the name of files.

-selectColor colorname - determines the color to be used to mark selected files

-doubleClickTime time - specifies the interval within mouseclicks will be threated as doubleclicks. Default 300 milliseconds.

-multiWindow - uses serperate windows for each directory.

-singleWindow - uses one big window instead of many little windows.

-saveWS - save workspace on exit

-noDragCopyAsk/-noDragDeleteAsk/-noDragMoveAsk/-NoDragExecAsk - prevent the filemanager from displaying a dialog box on copying/removing/moveing/copying files by draging them.