Version: latest svn (using Devel) Installed from: Compiled sources For all Views: Offer an option "show parent directories" (".."): Browsing down a directory-tree is very efficient and fast (just click the folder). To go up one directory I have to click on the right toolbar-button or the part of the location-bar: This breaks my workflow. Navigation with the keyboard would also become much more intuitive...
You can add the "UP" action on the toolbar which is disabled per default (the action, not the toolbar) ... anyway, why is this action disabled per default?
> ... anyway, why is this action disabled per default? I did some usability tests with the target user group of Dolphin (http://enzosworld.gmxhome.de/philosophy.html) and the outcome was that they simply never used the up-button. Aaron also did some tests even without back and forward buttons :-) My guess (!) is that because people got so familiar with the back and forward buttons of web browsers, that they seem to prefer the same navigation approach for files. By having the breadcrumb view the up-button is not required anymore (but for sure it is offered still optionally for people who cannot live without it - not everybody wants to use the breadcrumb and not everybody works the same way). But the Dolphin defaults are optimized for the Dolphin target group, so no up-button is on per default.
This Bug is not about the "Up" button in the toolbar. The "BACK" button in the toolbar has exactly the same problem: - Why move the mouse soo far just to go up a directory? - With the keyboard I cannot press the "UP" button in the toolbar! Do I need to look for the key-combo just to go one directory up? The ".." directory should be shown as a directory (name it "parent directory" with a nice icon) in the different views.
Thanks Peter for the answer #2 :-) @Nik: About the "keyboard navigation" you can go up, back and forward pressing: ALT + up/left/right.
I know that there are shortcuts. But these are absolutely not intuitive.... And nobody in the usability test has used them, have they? I don't see why going up a directory is so much different than going down. mouse: - go down: click the directory - go up: move the mouse away from the current directory (mostly over half of the screen) and click "BACK"/"UP" (or the right entry in the location bar) keyboard: - go down, select with arrows, then enter (ALT + Right does something different ) - go up: press ALT + up Is there a usability guru that says: "parent-directories are evil"? Nautilus and other filemanager are hiding ".." as well... I don't understand why!
@Nik: before starting a long discussion thread - I'll have a look how complicated it is to provide a ".." directory for the item views. If it is straight forward I'm open to provide an option for this, but it has currently very low priority on my task list as this feature seems to be requested not very much. > I know that there are shortcuts. But these are absolutely > not intuitive.... No keyboard shortcut is "intuitive" - each shortcut must be learned first. Additional note: pressing the "Backspace" key also brings you one level up, which is - in my opinion - very fast for navigation as the combination arrow keys, return + backspace works quite well. > Is there a usability guru that says: "parent-directories are evil"? > Nautilus and other filemanager are hiding ".." as well... I don't > understand why! No usability guru requires to say something like this ;-) The ".." approach just has some disadvantages: - in long directories the ".." item can be hidden -> you must scroll up first just to go one directory level higher (this is slow and annoying) - in the details view it's more difficult and hence slower to hit the ".." entry then the up-button of a toolbar (assuming that the up-button has a size of around 40 x 40 pixels and the vertical height of the ".." entry is 16 pixels) - keyboard navigation: when you're on the item #10 and want to go up, you have to press 10 times arrow-up and then return, which is just very slow in comparison to press backspace or alt+up However: it's a matter by habit that some users prefer having a ".." and that's OK. So as summary: I'll have a look whether it is possible implementing this in a very straight forward manner. If this is the case, I'm open to provide an option for this.
@Peter: about the backspace/ALT+up, the are working differently. I'll give you an example: 1) start dolphin, per default it display your ~. 2.A) press "backpsace" : nothing happen 2.B) press ALT+up : you go to the parent dir. The backspace let you to ga back on the breadcrumb path, not on the absolute path. Is this a wanted behaviour?
@Finex: ah, yes you are right. I mixed the shortcuts myself :-) The current behavior is a wanted behavior and conforms to other file managers/web browsers.
@Peter: ok, just to know, thanks :-)
Peter, did you also do a contra-test for the usability test to check whether it bothers the users if there is n Up button (which they do not use)? So, OK, it won't be better for most users in the target group if you add the Up button, but will it be worse? If not, I think it's worth adding it because a user who is used to it on other systems can be annoyed if they don't find it.
@Daniel: I discussed this issue also with the maintainer of Gwenview and we came to the conclusion that for 4.2 we'll add a button to go up one hierarchy. I'll create a prototype shortly after KDE 4.1 is out and will do some tests. As you say I also guess that it won't disturb users that don't need this functionality but might be a benefit for users who want to go-up.
I too miss the ".." at the top of each folder to go up in the hierarchy. Having to think which button to click (back or up) interrupts my workflow, and also if you don't think it's easy to just click the back button instead, and I get interrupted even more. Plus i don't really like to navigate with buttons/icons; it forces me to move the mouse button away from the lister I'm currently working with. This is why I am also forced to use xbindkeys to bind the back/forward thumb buttons on my mouse to alt+arrows. I can understand the reasoning why this is not a high priority item. But for me that is the sole reason why I am now using krusader instead (which then lacks a forward button instead, heh). Guess it depends from which was your previous file browser of choice, myself i was a windows user for ages and directory opus is what I'm used to (which I used back in the days on Amiga, too).
Sorry, I'm closing this as WON'T-FIX, as there are not enough votes which justify an option for this.
(In reply to Peter Penz from comment #13) > Sorry, I'm closing this as WON'T-FIX, as there are not enough votes which > justify an option for this. I added some votes, as I also think this would be adding something natural and useful. Perhaps the WONTFIX decision can be reconsidered in this new decade?