Ubuntu Manpage: TkDesk - a Graphical File and Desktop Manager for the X Window System

NAME

       TkDesk - a Graphical File and Desktop Manager for the X Window System

SYNOPSIS

       tkdesk  [-configdir dir]  [-debug]  [-default] [-develop] [-iconic] [-layout file] [-startdir dir] [-twm]
       [-?|--help]

DESCRIPTION

TkDesk provides a rich set of functions to help you manage your files and efficiently navigate your file
systems. It also provides several desktop and system managing capabilities such as accessing the
external devices of your workstation, starting programs, monitoring the system load and mailbox etc.

The main parts of TkDesk are the following:

1. One or more file browser windows (or just "browsers"). These display the contents of the currently
selected directory in the rightmost listbox and the contents of a configurable number of parent
directories in the listboxes left to it. In addition this window contains a menu bar, a button bar, and
a status bar.

2. One or more file list windows. These display the contents of just the currently selected directory.
These windows also contain a menu bar, a button bar, and may also contain a status bar.

3. An application bar (or "appbar"). This is a set of buttons displaying icons or other graphical output
that can be configured to execute certain commands. All of the buttons provide a possibly cascaded popup
menu that is accessed by pressing the right mouse button over any appbar button. Files may be dragged
from any file browser or list window and dropped onto appbar buttons that have been configured to be
drag'n'drop targets. The contents of the appbar is configured in the "AppBar" configuration file
(located in "~/.tkdesk").

4. The built-in editor (or just "editor"). The editor provides multiple buffers in the same window,
virtually unlimited "undo", marks, search and replace, etc. Files may be dropped onto any editor window
from TkDesk's file listboxes or the desktop.

BASIC USAGE

The listboxes contained in the file browser and list windows display the contents of their respective
directory. They provide the following mouse button bindings:

Single-1
Select the file under the mouse pointer, deselect all others.

Control-Single-1
Select or deselect the file under the mouse pointer, without deselecting any other file.

Shift-Single-1
Select all files between and including the one under the mouse pointer and the one that was last
selected by Single-1 or Control-Single-1. Deselect all others.

Double-1
Select and open the file under the mouse pointer, deselect all others. The command that will be
used to open the file is the first entry of the file's popup menu (see next item).

Control-Double-1
Select the file under the mouse pointer, and ask for a command to be executed on that file.

Press-2
Used to initiate a drag and drop operation. Valid drop targets are all other file listboxes,
appbar buttons that have been configured to be drag'n'drop targets, editor windows, and the root
window (a.k.a. desktop).

Press-3
Display the file's or directory's popup menu. The contents of these menus are configured in the
"Popups" configuration file (located in "~/.tkdesk").

The display options of any file listbox can be configured through the menubutton right above the listbox,
displaying the name of the displayed directory, and the file mask currently set. It can also be used as
a drag and drop source (by pressing mouse button 2) and target.

TkDesk makes heavy use of cascading popup menus. Basically in every text entry field that's used for
entering paths of file names pressing the right mouse button brings up a popup menu of parent
directories. Next to most test entry field there is a menu button displaying a turned-over triangle that
gives access to a menu containing a history of entered strings.

OPTIONS

       -configdir dir
              By default TkDesk reads its configuration  either  from  the  files  contained  in  the  directory
              "~/.tkdesk"  (see  section  FILES below), or if it does not exist, from TkDesk's library directory
              (usually "/usr/local/lib/TkDesk").  This options lets TkDesk load  its  configuration  files  from
              directory dir.

       -debug Switch  on  "debug  mode".   This  generates  some output on stderr that may be used for debugging
              purposes.

       -default
              Let TkDesk read its configuration from its library directory.  This means that TkDesk  will  start
              using the default configuration.

       -develop
              Switch on "development mode".  This adds a "Development" submenu to the "TkDesk" menu.

       -iconic
              Open all file browser and list windows in iconic state when TkDesk starts up.

       -layout file
              Load  and  save TkDesk's window layout from and to file.  If file doesn't exist the default layout
              is used.

       -startdir dir
              Display dir in the first file browser window that's opened.

       -twm   Some window managers, namely twm cannot handle icon windows  correctly.   TkDesk  uses  these  for
              colored icons.  This options switches to monochrome icons.

       -?, --help
              Displays the command line options available.

FILES

All of the following configuration files are accessible directly inside the "Configuration" submenu of
the "TkDesk" menu. The default application bar contains the same menu in the first button (the one with
the comet).

~/.tkdesk/AppBar
Definition of the application bar.

~/.tkdesk/ButtonBar
Definition of the button bars used in file browser and file list windows, and of directory-
specific button bars.

~/.tkdesk/Commands
Contains a list of menu entries that will be added to the "Commands" menu.

~/.tkdesk/Directories
Definition of the contents of the "Directory" menu and of actions performed when specific
directories are opened.

~/.tkdesk/FileTags
Defines how files and directories are displayed, both by default and on a per-object basis (using
shell-like "glob" patterns).

~/.tkdesk/Local
Initially, this file does not exist. If it does though, it is sourced (evaluated) when TkDesk
starts up. This is the right place to put any local extensions.

~/.tkdesk/Popups
Definition of the file- and directory-specific popup menus. Also contains the definition of the
popup menu used in the "Copy, Move, ..." dialog.

~/.tkdesk/Sounds
Defines which command should be used for playing sounds, if any, plus defines which sounds should
be played at which TkDesk event.

~/.tkdesk/System
Contains definitions of colours and fonts to be used, which commands should be used for copying,
deleting etc. Also contains options that affect the built-in editor and some other configuration
variables.

ENVIRONMENT

       The static version of TkDesk is affected just by one environment variable:

       TKDESK_LIBRARY
              This    determines    where   TkDesk   will   look   for   its   library   (by   default   usually
              "/usr/local/lib/TkDesk").

       The dynamically linked version is affected by the following variables:

       TCL_LIBRARY
              Location of the Tcl library files.

       TK_LIBRARY
              Location of the Tk library files.

       Note that other more general variables like PATH may also affect TkDesk.

AUTHOR

       Christian Bolik (Christian.Bolik@mainz.netsurf.de)

BUGS

       TkDesk may still have problems with files containing spaces, brackets, and braces. This  is  due  to  the
       fact  that  the  largest  part  of TkDesk is written using Tcl, the Tool Command Language created by John
       Ousterhout, for which these characters are "special" in some respects.

       If you can't get the application bar back  on  the  screen,  delete  the  line  starting  with  "Toplevel
       dsk_appbar" from the file ~/.tkdesk/_layout and restart TkDesk.

       Some  Sun  machines  seem  to  have  problems with Drag&Drop. It seems these problems go away when a more
       recent X server is used.

4th Berkeley Distribution                    TkDesk 2.0, 04/15/2004                                    TKDESK(1)