[Patch] #29984 Change file permission using octal numbers

[David Faure]

On Friday 16 May 2003 18:14, Aaron J. Seigo wrote:
> if one wants to change the permissions of several files at once, one can
> already do that, so it isn't like the action needs to be repetitive and
> therefore is in need of a shortcut.

You can only do that all at once if 1) they are in the same dir (or you use the listview
and make a complex selection of the files that need changing) and
2) decide on all the changes at the same time (I was referring to the case where you
change one file, and later on you add more files, and you need to change them too,
and the day after you need that again on new files, etc.). But anyway.

> if anything, the dialog should be simplified. using terms like "Show Entries",
> "Write Entries" and "Enter" is sort of ludicrous: they make no sense when
> applied to a file

Of course they don't, that's why they depend on the kind of object the dialog
is referring to. It's "ludicrous" to assume that it shows this for a file: it doesn't.
The code says
  if (isDir)
    l = new QLabel( i18n("Show\nEntries"), gb );
  else
    l = new QLabel( i18n("Read"), gb );
etc.

> and aren't the UNIX terms so any previous learning someone 
> will have done about UNIX file permissions will require translation to be
> useful. 
So you think it should say rwx instead? :)

> while this attempt to make it easier for the user was made, in the 
> far column there is "Set UID", "Set GID" and "Sticky". if we expect the user
> to understand UID and GID, we can safely assume they can understand "Read",
> "Write" and "Execute".

We do show read, write and execute, for files.
For directories (like the screenshot that was sent), "Read" "Write" and "Execute"
are not as precise as "show entries", "write entries" and especially "enter"
is much more appropriate than "execute".

> it would also be nice to offer a clear set of keyboard shortcuts for the
> checkboxes.
I don't see how, without cluttering the dialog.

-- 
David Faure -- faure at kde.org, dfaure at klaralvdalens-datakonsult.se
Qt/KDE/KOffice developer
Klarälvdalens Datakonsult AB, Platform-independent software solutions