GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 138491
Dragging files from multiple windows at once
Last modified: 2005-07-11 17:29:50 UTC
Scenario: in an open nautilus window, i select a file (or multiple files, doesn't matter). Using <ctrl>, in a second window (or the desktop), I select another file. I would expect that when dragging one of the selected files to another location *every* selected file/folder is moved. Instead, only the files from the folder where you acutally drag from are moved... Mostly in regard to spatial mode this should be fixed. Currently (2.6.0) ithappens in both spatial and browser mode, and by "files" I also mean "folders"
It looks like bug 144726 may be a duplicate of this one; if so the priority and severity should probably be bumped up on this bug as it could lead to data loss (due to a user thinking files have been copied elsewhere and then deleting the originals...)
Thanks for your bug report! I've never used that feature but a quick test revealed that it would really be amazing to have something like this in place for the power users among us :).
I'm not convinced by this feature anymore. I think it will horribly confuse users. Anyway, CCing usability crew for feedback.
Sorry, but this is totally unworkable. For example, it'd mean that during a delete operation every selected file in background windows (even non visible ones) would be deleted too. Basically you'd never know what the operation you're about to start will really do (if you don't feel like looking at every open window and check its selection). Plus it'd be different from how any other gui in existence handles it.
Yeah, it would be "different" from every other GUI for a reason... it completely breaks the conceptual selection model :/ Now that we have the hierarchical list view in nautilus, you can potentially select any number of files on any filesystem in the same window anyway, so there is at least now a way to achieve the same result that you're looking for. (Albeit a little painstakingly.)