GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 43472
"Show hidden files" preference isn't easily accessible
Last modified: 2004-12-22 21:47:04 UTC
-------------------------------------------------- Nautilus Feedback - Text View (Click the BACK button to return to the Log Viewer -------------------------------------------------- Date Time Type Source Category Subject ---- ---- ---- ------ -------- ------- 09:14:2000 08:36:07 Feature Request PR1-Binary Customization View - Hidden Files IP: 209.233.25.170 Email: bart@eazel.com I know there's a Show Hidden files preference but there should also be a View - Hidden files setting that just applies to the directory you're viewing: most of the time I don't want to see them, but sometime I quickly need to switch and see them in the directory I'm viewing. ------- Additional Comments From darin@bentspoon.com 2000-10-09 10:07:06 ---- I agree that this is a potentially-useful feature. I immediately mark most new features "deferred" but I guess Bud and co. can consider this one. ------- Additional Comments From eli@eazel.com 2000-10-16 20:14:09 ---- Batch-assigning QA ownership of remaining bugs to eli@eazel.com ------- Additional Comments From bart@eazel.com 2000-11-08 15:30:09 ---- I would *love* that feature! The hidden files are always driving me nuts, but then sometimes I'm looking for them. ------- Additional Comments From eli@eazel.com 2001-02-21 11:16:21 ---- QA Assigning to brett. Sorry for the spam. ------- Additional Comments From sullivan@eazel.com 2001-03-09 17:36:06 ---- The UI for this is easy. The hard part is changing the architecture. Currently the fact that certain files are hidden (not counted, not displayed) is done at a pretty low level and we aren't set up to change it on a folder-by-folder basis. ------- Additional Comments From bart@eazel.com 2001-03-09 17:39:28 ---- Oh, do you think we'd need it on a folder by folder basis? I was thinking it'd be a universal setting, but by putting it on a menu, you're bringing it within reach where I can turn it on/off when I want to. ------- Additional Comments From eli@eazel.com 2001-03-26 11:12:58 ---- QA Assigning to self. ------- Additional Comments From braden@endoframe.com 2001-06-21 14:29:07 ---- FWIW, I'd like to see this as a stateful toolbar button (perhaps only available in Advanced mode). And I agree that it would be reasonable to make it global, rather than per-directory. Actually I think I'd prefer it that way. ------- Bug moved to this database by unknown@bugzilla.gnome.org 2001-09-09 20:41 ------- The original reporter (victor@eazel.com) of this bug does not have an account here. Reassigning to the exporter, unknown@bugzilla.gnome.org.
Changing to "old" target milestone for all bugs laying around with no milestone set.
Adding GNOME2 keyword.
*** Bug 84798 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
*** Bug 87008 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
If nautilus didn't ignore the 'show hidden files' gconf key, a script could easily set/unset this, which IMHO would be very nice.
*** Bug 100071 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
*** Bug 105641 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Created attachment 17319 [details] [review] Patch to add "Show hidden files" and "Show backup files" to the view menu
I didn't write that patch and I don't remember exactly where I got it from but it works for me. This it was from the nautilus list. It does per-directory showing/hiding.
*** Bug 119430 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
setting GNOMEVER2.5
Some have suggested putting this in the View menu, which would require two clicks to toggle it. I much prefer a toggle button on the toolbar. If it is that easy to toggle, there is no need to make it operate on a folder by folder basis.
*** Bug 114445 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
*** Bug 129596 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Are there any plans to realize this feature ? Btw, now users can't see backup files in comfortable way in nautilus, because there are only option to see hidden and backup files, but this is not user-friendly, because only few users like to see hidden files. It would be nice if developers add ability to see backup files without hidden files.
*** Bug 134911 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Mantas: you can see backup files without hidden files, see the gconf-editor key /desktop/gnome/file_views/show_backup_files. As to you first question about whether this is planned on being realized, I think the "Target Milestone: future" and the amount of discussion on this bug answer that question (yes).
*** Bug 139907 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment on attachment 17319 [details] [review] Patch to add "Show hidden files" and "Show backup files" to the view menu For 2.8 we want to make these options per-window rather than global. However, if you want to rework the patch to just include the instant-apply stuff, that would be great to apply to 2.6. Thanks!
I think that it should be accessible from the interface without going into the preferences as well. However i dont think that is should be some sort of drop down. Instead i suggest putting an entry on the "View" menu that simply shows/doesnt show hidden files... also a hotkey would be nice if one doesnt already exist.
Indeed, keeping this as a folder-specific attribute makes sense from a spatial point of view. But we need to have a reasonable default somewhere and decide what we do with the treeview and the non-spatial mode. regs, Chris
I am growig accustomed to the spatial view metaphor and i appreciate the responsiveness of the trimmed down nautilus. However i am begining to get concerned about the atomic level of all of these changes we can make to the interface. All around bugzilla i am hearing the rally cry of "folder-specific". While i agree with the metaphor completely i do feel that we should offer some advantage to the user for working in a virtual environment. Sure if this was a "real world" spatial environment you would have to change each of these windows individually just as you have to organize your belongings one by one. But most organizers would also appreciate the ability to make sweeping changes as well. While i think that we should continue pushing the spatial metaphor as far as it reasonably applies i also thik that we should develop some simple utilities to rectify any widespread errors or mistakes that users make while "personalizing" their file system. A couple of options i can think of: 1. Set subfolders to current settings (background, view type, etc..) 2. Creation of simplified styles that aggregate the options of a folder and can be easily and quickly applied and universally changed. 3. applicability to the list view (currently has no effect and i like the list view) however i realize it is built on a different architecture and may take some considerable work to retrofit. I can think of other ways to simplify the interface and improve the use and usability of the spatial metaphor in nautilus (#140490, #139831 and others) but i think i may be ranting right now... maybe ill collect my thoughts and publish something lucid in the next couple of days. My main goal is to make the nautilus spatial metaphor work elegantly for the poweruser and the normal user in a unified way. In fact a good metaphor for my approach to the nautilus system is that ability but not the requirement to use stylesheets on the web and in OpenOffice. Intelligent and efficient use can be made of them if you know what you are doing (change all header text to bold) and simple but effective changes can be made if you have no idea how to work anything (bold a word). I think that the implementation should be subtle and transparent to say the least. Please let me know what you think. And ill try to pu ttogether a licid argument.
*** Bug 143239 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Created attachment 28123 [details] [review] Allows toggling display of hidden files I have improved my previous patch to include saving the toggle state when changed for each folder (spatial metaphor compatible!). Folders in browser or spatial mode will now remember their previous toggled state. Global Pref for show hidden files is now made a default setting and only affects folders that have not been previously toggled (IE it wont override saved toggled state).
Created attachment 28877 [details] [review] Behaves more appropriately in spatial and browser modes Updated patch such that browser mode no longer remembers previous state and always reverts to the default setting when changing folders. No state metadata is saved. Spatial mode remembers and saves state for each folder. If a folder has no saved state it uses the default global setting. A change in the global preferences show hidden files state only affects folders that have no previously changed or saved state.
fixed in cvs.