When dragging and dropping files in Dolphin it always brings up a menu with various options such as "move", "copy", etc. Is it possible that Dolphin just move by default and not bring up that menu? I tried a couple obvious things and discovered that dragging and then holding shift does what I want, but I'd rather not even have to hold shift at all. (It's awkward on a trackpad.)

molecule-eye wrote:When dragging and dropping files in Dolphin it always brings up a menu with various options such as "move", "copy", etc.

That's one of the things I absolutely love in dolphin.

It doesn't look like it is possible to change this.

nickkefi wrote:

molecule-eye wrote:When dragging and dropping files in Dolphin it always brings up a menu with various options such as "move", "copy", etc.

That's one of the things I absolutely love in dolphin.

I might like it except that every other file manager I've used in the past did it the way I now want, and it's hard to kick old habits. But just looking at my usage patterns, it's probably more convenient to have it automatically move. I can't remember which do this, but some file managers give you a menu on *left*-click and drag. I prefer this. Probably nautilus does this.

I believe the reason for having the drop-down is that there is no guessing if drag-and-drop would move vs. copy vs. link. I have to keep this in mind when using Windows Explorer because I believe that if the drag-and-drop operation is within a disk (partition), then it will move, but if it is to/from a network share (or across disks?) then it will copy, but if you drag-and-drop to the desktop or the quick-launch bar then it creates a shortcut. The result is I can never keep these conventions straight when I'm going to move or copy something, so I end up always using right-click-and-drag to make sure that I get the drop-down so I can explicitly select which one I want.
Thus I prefer it this way because there is no guessing as to which action is the default for the current case: you either select the action from the drop-down or you explicitly hold shift or ctrl when dragging.

I recall seeing other discussion on this topic some time ago, which might be useful for more background.

OTOH, I can see the merit of having the option to set a default action (by default display the drop-down of options), since it is certainly less convenient to have to hold a key while dragging or have to select an option from a drop-down.

I had forgotten that Windows has this strange variable behavior depending on the source and destination. But that's Windows. One way to make things easy is to just have the same action no matter the source and destination unless, of course, a move/delete is prohibited on the source which is quite common on networks due to privilege restrictions.

Certainly there's room for debate. I don't see that it's beneficial to most users to have the menu pop up each time since likely the most common use scenario is a drag and drop on one's local partition to which she has full privileges. A reliable poll would settle the issue.

molecule-eye wrote:Certainly there's room for debate.

YES, that's exactly what this thread is for. Cease qualification.

Here are the facts:

• Windows Explorer, Mac OS X Finder, Linux Gnome, Linux LXDE, Linux Fluxbox, and Haiku Tracker default to move when files are dragged and dropped. They do not ask for confirmation.
• Thunar defaults to copy.
• Dolphin asks the user.
• Users very frequently move files into folders.
• Users hardly ever copy files into folders.

There is only one sane option:

Set the default to move and do not ask the user for confirmation.

I think there should be a setting for the drag-and-drop action with these alternatives:
* ask user what to do
* move
* copy
* link

Personally, I like getting the question about what to do. Especially when I have drag-and-dropped something accidentally...

mcandre wrote:Users hardly ever copy files into folders.[/list]

I copy files far more often than I move them.

erikiiofph7 wrote:I think there should be a setting for the drag-and-drop action with these alternatives:
* ask user what to do
* move
* copy
* link

Personally, I like getting the question about what to do. Especially when I have drag-and-dropped something accidentally...

I'm in complete agreement, even if the settings are hidden within a configuration file.

I also definitely need the DnD function. My solution if I want DnD is simply to use PCman, the LXDE FM, or Thunar, for XFCE. Though they're GTK UIs, they fits fine into my KDE, thanks to the GTK settings in KDE's Application Appearances.

There are some LXDE or XFCE-specific features that don't work well in KDE, like a default set of bookmarks pointing to the Ubuntu side of my installation, and the pop-up grab handles. But for straightforward file browsing, and for people who like to keep things neatly organized, they're the best bets.

molecule-eye wrote:

erikiiofph7 wrote:I think there should be a setting for the drag-and-drop action with these alternatives:
* ask user what to do
* move
* copy
* link

I'm in complete agreement, even if the settings are hidden within a configuration file.

I second that!
Having the option to set a default action would be really nice!

You can always hold ctrl or shift when dragging to force a move or copy.

I wouldn't want default move if that included cases where the destination was a removable drive such as a usb key. Or another user's drop box on the local drive. But for most cases, I'd prefer it because I'm used to it.

On the other hand, I'm also used to having a severely deficient file manager and tend to drop to the CLI for that reason. (I was using OS X until a few months ago and the default file manager was pretty useless for managing files, among other things.)

Actually, I have yet to find a file manager I like whether cli or, especially, graphical. I don't know if that says something about me or something about file managers. Possibly both.

molecule-eye wrote:

erikiiofph7 wrote:I think there should be a setting for the drag-and-drop action with these alternatives:
* ask user what to do
* move
* copy
* link

Personally, I like getting the question about what to do. Especially when I have drag-and-dropped something accidentally...

I'm in complete agreement, even if the settings are hidden within a configuration file.

I second (or third) that!

I drag and drop files all the the time, but use "copy" perhaps twice a week. In KDE I find myself defaulting to using Nautilus for moving files about just because its quicker and takes fewer mouse clicks. If I could configure KDE/Dolphin to get rid of that menu (I do appreciate its useful for some users, but I think a choice of configuration is the answer) then I'd use Dolphin all the time.