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.