Chapter 8. The File Manager

The default file manager in TDE is Konqueror. Please refer to the Konqueror Handbook for detailed information.

8.1. How can I change the appearance of a folder in Konqueror?
8.2. How can I do non-anonymous FTP transfers with Konqueror?
8.3. How do I specify the startup folder for Konqueror?
8.4. How do I rename files?
8.5. Where did the delete entry from my right-click context menu go?
8.6. How do I configure the programs that Konqueror uses to open different types of files?
8.7. When I try to click on a folder in Konqueror, I get the message: There appears to be a configuration error. You have associated Konqueror with inode/directory, but it cannot handle this file type.
8.8. What are %i and %m parameters in a file's Properties Command line?
8.9. How do I make Konqueror start up without a menu bar? I can't save a view profile when the menu bar is invisible!
8.1.

How can I change the appearance of a folder in Konqueror?

Right-click the folder, select Properties, click on the large icon in the dialog which appears, and choose another icon.

To change the icon displayed for entries in the TDE Menu, use the Menu Editor, located at Settings->Menu Editor.

8.2.

How can I do non-anonymous FTP transfers with Konqueror?

Normally, if you enter a URL like ftp://ftp.somehost.com, Konqueror will attempt an anonymous login to the FTP server. If you want to login as a particular user, enter a URL like ftp://username@ftp.somehost.com instead. Konqueror will ask for your password and connect to the server.

8.3.

How do I specify the startup folder for Konqueror?

With the desktop Home icon, using the right mouse button, select the icon and choose Properties. Select the URL tab. Type /whereever/you/want with the folder you would like Konqueror to start in.

From within Konqueror the process is similar. Ensure the Navigation Panel is active (press F9). From the Navigation Panel tabs, select the Home icon. In the Navigation Panel directory, use the right mouse button to select the top level Home Folder and select Properties.

8.4.

How do I rename files?

Simply right click on the file and select Rename or press the keyboard shortcut F2 with a file selected.

8.5.

Where did the delete entry from my right-click context menu go?

The Delete context menu entry that bypasses the Trash can is not displayed by default. To enable that menu option, go to Settings->Configure Konqueror and select Behaviour in the iconbar to the left. Enable the checkbox Show 'Delete' context menu entries which bypass the trashcan.

8.6.

How do I configure the programs that Konqueror uses to open different types of files?

In order to configure file associations, you should go to the KDE Control Center and choose the item File Associations under the category TDE Components.

Suppose the default PDF viewer is now KGhostView and you would prefer to use KPDF as a viewer. You would simply type pdf in the search box at the top of the dialog, choose pdf in the application group and move KPDF up. In the Embedding tab you can also choose which component other applications will use to display files (for example, when viewing files in Konqueror or using Ark's embedded viewer).

8.7.

When I try to click on a folder in Konqueror, I get the message: There appears to be a configuration error. You have associated Konqueror with inode/directory, but it cannot handle this file type.

Make sure the embedding settings for inode/directory are correct:

  1. In Konqueror, go to Settings->Configure Konqueror and then to the File Associations page.

  2. Open inode->directory in the tree view.

  3. Click on the Embedding tab. Make sure that Left Click Action is set to Show file in embedded viewer, and by default Icon View (konq_iconview) is at the top of Services Preference Order.

8.8.

What are %i and %m parameters in a file's Properties Command line?

They are used by all TDE applications (since they are implemented in TDEApplication and all good TDE programs create a TDEApplication object before they even look at the command line arguments).

A standard line for a TDE application looks like this: foo ... %i %m -caption \"%c\". Pretty confusing, -but it has been designed in that way so that it can integrate legacy, non-TDE applications as smoothly as possible. Konqueror, when executing the line above, will extend the command to foo -icon something.png -miniicon something_mini.png -caption \"The Foo\". Both the icon and the mini-icon as well as "The Foo" are properties defined in the .desktop file. If the icons are not defined, they simply default to the executable name foo.

This way a user can change these things in KMenuEdit for his or her applications. The -caption option is important, because no user will accept that the menu item Editor starts something called kedit-0.9pl4-build47. Instead, users expect a window called Editor. Furthermore these names are localized, i.e. an American English user launches CD-Player and gets a window called CD-Player while a German user launches CD-Spieler and gets a window called CD-Spieler.

8.9.

How do I make Konqueror start up without a menu bar? I can't save a view profile when the menu bar is invisible!

The easiest way to do this is to edit Konqueror's configuration file manually. Add the following lines to ~/.trinity/share/config/konquerorrc:


[KonqMainWindow]

MenuBar=Disabled

On restarting Konqueror, the menubar should be hidden.