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I would like to suggest a change to the details view mode of Dolphin.

When dolphin is in the details view mode why not make it more like a spreadsheet?
Each column would be under user control for display as it is now, but there could be a new option to make a new column.
The new column would be placed at the end of the existing visible rows until the user moves it.
The new column would consist of a single line script, to make the parsing very quick and easy.
It could be used to do simple maths on what is displayed say to display a running total of the sum of the sizes of all the image files of a certain type (sum *.jpg).
Not sure how easy it would be to have that column affect all the others, but if it could then you could have a script that only displays all the files over a certain age and above a certain size (display if age>100 & if size>100).

The number of things permitted in an expression could be the same as the command line switches in ls or find, or whatever is easiest to code.

By storing the scripts and attaching buttons (on their own button bar?) users could either import a load of standard scripts or make up their own.

harborn wrote:It could be used to do simple maths on what is displayed say to display a running total of the sum of the sizes of all the image files of a certain type (sum *.jpg).

You can do that already at least on two different way.

The GUI way:
1. Press Ctrl+i to open filter dialog. Type there ".jp" so it filters all other files away than JPEG (.jpg/jpeg files.
2. Click any of files and then press Ctrl+A to select all filtered files
3. The Dolphin status bar gives to you the summed size of all selected file.

The CLI way:
1. Press F4 to get konsole dialog opened bottom of dolphin and opened to directory what you have open (both are synced so if you open other directory in either one, the another does follow)
2. Use "du" program with -s -h -c options to list sizes of wanted files and give summary for you
3. Example type "du -shc *.jpg"

You get all filtered (*.jpg) filesizes as well and in the end a sum of them all.

There is no need to add command line programs features to dolphin itself so user can do simple "maths" when user can just pop-up konsole to do it correctly in first place.

Not sure how easy it would be to have that column affect all the others, but if it could then you could have a script that only displays all the files over a certain age and above a certain size (display if age>100 & if size>100).

1. To find amount of files what are older than 100 days (modification time)

Code: Select all

find . -mtime +100 -type f | wc -l

2. To list files what are older than 100 days (modification time)

Code: Select all

find . -mtime +100 -type f

3. To list files what are older than 100 days (modification time) and bigger than 100KB

Code: Select all

find . -mtime +100 -type f -size +100k

The number of things permitted in an expression could be the same as the command line switches in ls or find, or whatever is easiest to code.

Those are called program options and not switches (example "-shc" are three options for du program) and having dolphin to give them in new kind format for user expression isn't good as it is easier to user to learn then first place the command line programs names and use man or info programs to list the options for wanted program (ie: man du)
With the simple skills what user learns in that moment, carriers longer than having a Dolphin cryptic features for same thing.

Dolphin own filter bar already gives many functions for mouse use but is limited to that directory what is the good thing as well as user wants to do something for files what is shown by Dolphin.

By storing the scripts and attaching buttons (on their own button bar?) users could either import a load of standard scripts or make up their own.

That is a another idea and there is somewhere a idea of it here. To add a custom toolbar buttons/dropdown lists where user can add own functions or scripts. But they can not itself modify the Dolphin listing itself, just to run example MP3 transcoding to OGG file.
And even then it would be easier to user just to get scripts stored to ~/bin directory and they can be called with their names like any other system program but only by that user.

And already having a konsole in Dolphin blows it way ahead of other filemanagers as it gives the power of Unix programs available to user easily.