GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 548069
Map the recent file list to a directory of links
Last modified: 2020-11-06 20:24:50 UTC
Hi, I've been reading some problems related to the recent file menu: bug #450926 Cannot drag+drop recent documents bug #162277 Edit recent documents (in nautilus) instead of delete all bug #105639 You can't remove/manage the files in "Actions->open recents" bug 98906 Open recent menu should have context menu and I think we can solve them (and many other problems) if we increase the level of abstraction. The recent file list is currently implemented with a xml file (~/.recently-used.xbel), and any change/action is translated from/to that file. This means that, for example, if we needed to manage the recent file list, a special application will have to be developed to work with the xml file (via special devel library, special functions, etc.). My idea is: We can save all the effort needed to create special applications, if we convert (map) the recent file list into a recent file directory, where: - the directory will be a standard directory, and - the recent files will be standard links (to the original files). In this way, only one extra effort will be needed to implement the (dinamic) mapping between the xml file and the directory of links. Once implemented, all usual applications (that work with files and links) will be automatically able to work with the recent file list, with no extra effort. For example: - The gnome menu will be able to manage the recent list in the same way it manages any other folder (so standard properties will be accessed with a right-click, drag&drop will be available, etc). - The user will be able to rename/delete/add recent items by browsing the folder with nautilus (or with a command line shell, or with any application). - The user will be able to drag and drop the recent items to the desktop (or to the panel, or to any folder). - The user will be able to drag and drop the recent folder to the panel (or to the desktop), so, with only one click (or double click), the recent item list will be open in a nautilus window, and the standard sorting will be available (by name, by time, by type, etc). - etc. In few words: By abstracting the recent list into directory & links, all the power of file managing will be automatically available. Other information:
A technical detail: the xml file and the directory could co-exist (for backward compatibility, and because the xml file could store more metainformation on the items than the links on the directory), and both things would be syncronized: - If the user downloads (from the web) and opens a document file, a new item will be added to the xml file, and a link will be added to the directory. - If the user (or a file managing application) deletes a link in the directory, the corresponding element will be automatically deleted in the xml file.
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