GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 605608
Reintroduce location/path bar toggle button
Last modified: 2017-07-29 06:22:21 UTC
Created attachment 150501 [details] screenshot of problem there is no more way to enter a path in nautilus, you can only click the preset buttons (see screenshot)
Ctrl+L gives you the entry, but yes you have to guess that...
(In reply to comment #1) > Ctrl+L gives you the entry, but yes you have to guess that... And I will have forgotten it tomorrow. I don't like to remember keyboard shortcuts at all :(
*** Bug 608523 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
So is this by design? Or is it an inadvertent change? I always use the text-based method. I guess I'm a URI/URL junky! Can we please get it back or make it an option in a menu. Right now the only thing I can do is modify gconf entry: /apps/nautilus/preferences/always_use_location_entry.
It became very uncomfortable :( Bring it back, please
I too suffer from this bug. Typing "/e" and having the rest of the path name entered for me for "/etc" is much faster than hunting down a folder named "etc" from dozens of others in the directory, for example. The ability to toggle between the icons and manual text entry should be retained, at least as an option in the preferences.
I went to launchpad and was advised to go upstream. So here I am ;). Contex: Bug #382626 Nautilus location bar toggle icon implies unrelated function https://bugs.launchpad.net/nautilus/+bug/382626 Was tipped ctrl+L and cited this: "In user testing, we observed people clicking on this toggle button in an attempt to create new documents simply because the icon had a document in it." My response: Yes, I found the ctrl+L keys. Only, it's not a toggle. But more importantly, it's a right hand key combo. In my opinion right hand key combo's slow down computer interaction, as you have to move your hand from mouse to keyboard. And even if it was a left hand one. Nautilus interaction is mostly mouse based (as opposed to for example a text editor), so having to use key combo's is in conflict with that. "In user testing, we observed people clicking on this toggle button in an attempt to create new documents simply because the icon had a document in it." My apologies for being frank. But, an OS should be intuitive, yes, but not necessarily idiot proof. The effect that toggle button has, isn't very dramatic, you click it, some UI element changes, you click it again and it changes back. Clicking it once to make a new doc, seems possible. But you should be capable of noticing that is has some other functionality. In fact, most UI elements have tooltips these days, there's no crime in looking at them once in while. In the long end, trying to find a better icon might be a good thing. But killing it because someone might mistakenly toggle it, what's that about? Then again, as Vish mentions, it might have some other reason. But if you ask me, there should at least be an option to the button. As long time nautilus users have grown accustomed to it. While it could make sense to recover some screen space on a netbook, when you're on a 26" display, having the button there makes more sense.
(In reply to comment #1) > Ctrl+L gives you the entry, but yes you have to guess that... The action is now located under the Go menu. So the action haven't been removed, just moved it seems. The shortcut is mentioned there.
(In reply to comment #8) > The action is now located under the Go menu. So the action haven't been > removed, just moved it seems. The shortcut is mentioned there. Is the toggle state still remembered as it was in the past with the button? Does it work to leave it showing the path? If not, please make it so. The former button remembered it state. I was able to leave it showing the path. Thanks for this information. I will check and see if the functionality you mention is in the latest daily build of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS.
(In reply to comment #7) > But if you ask > me, there should at least be an option to the button. As long time nautilus > users have grown accustomed to it. Nautilus have had lots of odd things it's old users grew accustomed to through the years, including being able to use it as a web browser :) http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-7.3-Manual/getting-started-guide/s1-browsers-nautilus.html (in the version mentioned there it seems one is no longer able to drag and drop the menubar _below_ the toolbar as was possible in earlier versions, see http://primates.ximian.com/~michael/nautilus2.png)
Could be, but the impact of an above or below menubar is very small. And that toggle button has by far less complexity to include then a browser functionality.
This is affecting me as well. I really miss the location toggle button. Took some searching to find the ctrl+L shortcut. Who makes the decision to make such drastic design changes? Would really appreciate having the button added back...
*** Bug 609128 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Now that it's too late to change it back, I thought over it and how it could be solved intuitively. Without additional Button (nautilus has already more than enough of it) When you click on the right side of the buttons, it should switch to text mode, and back after leaving it. additionally it could set the cursor to the right position if you click on the space in between the buttons. I created a video Mockup of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlmNSrNoA2M
> I created a video Mockup of it: I like your mockup. Looks usable / intuitive. Alas, will not make it into Lucid. :-( Has my vote as a workaround / solution.
We have had user complaints (Ubuntu 10.04). Some of ours were looking under Edit > Preferences for the location bar settings. Essentially the button bar is often too slow for our users (not especially 'advanced' users). Their general consensus is that they are well used to typing web addresses and that this usecase is very similar. The video mockup appears to be a good compromise, which is what other OSes do.
(In reply to comment #14) > When you click on the right side of the buttons, it should switch to text mode, > and back after leaving it. additionally it could set the cursor to the right > position if you click on the space in between the buttons. So exactly the same as Windows 7? The problem with this method is, how do you toggle back to the breadcrumb? E.g. you might start typing an address and then realise you instead want to go 3 levels up. Previously this was very quick and easy. (Note it can't be done with current Ctrl-L either). Also, how would this method cope with the new split view mode? You would have to leave a blank area to click - and then it would go against the "reason" for this change: "This takes a lot of space for something thats not commonly used. Especially with two of it visible in split view mode. Maybe we should make a preference for it, but its not interesting in the main UI. " (http://git.gnome.org/browse/nautilus/commit/?id=4b49aab5aa6a9ef9ab288ff2ce463affca1eacf2) As for the current situation - it is really annoying. Ctrl-L is a cumbersome shortcut, and why is it shown in the "Go" menu? Everything else in that menu takes you somewhere. I don't get what the committer is talking about regarding taking up a lot of space - if I have a nautilus window 1600px wide, and go deep into a number of folders, it only takes up 1/4 of the width of the window "folds" them with an scroll arrow! Thereby leaving 3/4 of the width of the window blank! That is a huge waste of space. And anyway, widescreen monitors are becoming the standard - so there is hardly a pressing need to worry about horizontal space.
I have to say, that I didn't see the Win7 function before. It was my idea. Also note, that there is always space on the right side, because if a button doesn't fit it gets hidden. I imagine that it would toggle back if you click anywhere else or hit Esc resp. Enter. (unlike in Win7, where it's difficult to switch back if you once entered the text mode) Yes, now I looked at Win7
Actually the main reason I don't like the Windows 7 approach is that they place where you have to click changes depending on how many breadcrumbs there are. So you have to "aim" your mouse carefully. Previously in Nautilus, the toggle button was always on the left, and so you always knew where to move your mouse to quickly. (I'm sure there must be some textbook UI terminology for this).
*** Bug 618278 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE re-enable this feature! It's a very powerful and very useful one. You've just taken one of the biggest features I've loved about Ubuntu since I picked it up more than 5 years ago. I don't want either one as default. I want the button back so that I can toggle back and forth from text-based to breadcrumb. This is a feature I show off to people I help get started with Ubuntu. This is a unfortunate and unnecessary setback for users. You shouldn't have to look up how to do this as I had to spend 10 minutes doing instead of it just being there. AT THE VERY LEAST please GIVE US A CHOICE as to have the toggle button to either be visible or to not appear. Using Ubuntu Linux has always been about having GREATER CONTROL over my operating as opposed to Microsoft Windows which gives you way LESS OPTIONS AND FLEXIBILITY. Please undo this.
Please refrain from using bug trackers as whine forums.
(In reply to comment #22) > Please refrain from using bug trackers as whine forums. In what other way meaningful way can users express their dissatisfaction with a change? If a large number of people are "whining" about a change... maybe that change was a poor one. It benefits the whole GNOME project if it lessens to users. It benefits it even more if it acts based on what they are saying.
(In reply to comment #23) > (In reply to comment #22) > > Please refrain from using bug trackers as whine forums. > > In what other way meaningful way can users express their dissatisfaction with a > change? If a large number of people are "whining" about a change... maybe that > change was a poor one. It benefits the whole GNOME project if it lessens to > users. It benefits it even more if it acts based on what they are saying. Bug trackers are not the place for this sort of discussion. Forums are.
Renaming for clarity. We're going to have some designers reappraise this issue. Watch this space (but don't fill it with spam ;) ).
Changing component as part of ongoing bug reorganisation work.
Another point in favor of easy access to the text-mode path is automount. I often use Nautilus to access via ssh remote file systems where directories are automounted from a NFS server that is not publicly visible. I need to request a directory before it becomes automounted and accessible. The buttons mode in Nautilus doesn't allow this, because Nautilus cannot see the unmounted directories and hence there are no buttons. In text mode I can enter the path to request the automount point and the directory gets mounted and accessible via Nautilus. It's the same for local automounted NFS mounts, of course, but in my case those are usually mounted anyway.
Quick idea... I think most people who loved having the perm text location bar were used to the toggle button, but since there are too many buttons - couldn't an option be simply added into settings to allow the toggle button to be visible or to use the location text bar perm?
PS this is for anyone reading who does want the always text location bar, workaround: gconftool-2 --type=Boolean --set /apps/nautilus/preferences/always_use_location_entry true
There are currently no plans to reintroduce the location bar by default or to provide a toggle button as the cluttered interface has been simplified for 3.0. Several workarounds for advanced users have been mentioned in this report already (comment 1, comment 8, comment 29).
I can only see this decision as the goose headed-ness of the dev's involved. Who decides the interface is cluttered? Introduce a feature then as users get comfortable with it, throw it away. This is the disease that is permeating open source Linux world today. None of the workarounds bring a solution to the problem. What if I want to switch back to the button based breadcrumbs? Sacrificing screen estate for one more button, Oh what a waste!. Also why cant this be an option in preferences. No problem putting a lame option in the "Go" menu which says "Go" not says "Change View".. (Lamest of all). If that effort could be put to implement a preferences setting where the users are given the option of seeing the Toggle button or hide it -- Indicates the dev's are right not the rest of the world syndrome... Sorry for flaming, but the way the proud Linux community is going is beyond my comprehension. What happened to "Give users choices and let them decide how and what they want" maxim.. (By the way User testing -- sounds very Microsoft!)
Feel free to patch nautilus for your needs, or use a different file manager that offers you more options. Your "maxim" never existed, but that's off-topic here.
My next file manager is gonna be Dolphin
Root cause of bug: (https://goo.gl/MxDM2f)
@Alberto Salvia Novella: If you continue to spam GNOME bug reports with your personal preferences that you prefer red to blue your account might get disabled as it does not provide any value to any other subscribers of this task. If you want to engage in a constructive way, read https://wiki.gnome.org/Foundation/CodeOfConduct - your choice.
After investigating what makes a desktop environment successful long term, choice suddenly became a core value of me. Improvement and acceptance is tightly coupled with choice. So ease of use means the best single default, along with allowing changing it. This is my constructive feedback.