[Pipet Devel] Gnome stuff

[Gary Van Domselaar]

> 
> Regarding a user accessing things in his home directory, and even making some
> things public, we can do what Apache does and have
> 
>     locus://bradcom.com/~brad/
> 
> point to
> 
>     /home/brad/loci/
> 
> and you would have
> 
>     /home/brad/loci/public/
>     /home/brad/loci/private/
>     /home/brad/loci/workspace/
> 
> too.

If we were to follow the apache example, we would not specify a public
and private directory explicitly, but rather use an authentication
procedure (like apache's .htaccess) to create private (or perhaps
'restricted') directories from publically accessible ones. So

/home/brad/loci/public_loci/   			//unrestricted access, network
viewable
/home/brad/loci/public_loci/germ_warfare/	//restricted access, network
viewable 


Of course, like apache, there's nothing stopping you from _making_ a
separate directory to contain your private files

/home/brad/loci/private_loci/			//completely private, network hidden

> 
> >         Anyways, is this along the lines of what people were thinking for
> > the representation? I haven't really said anything about how to actually
> > generate this kind of XML, but I just wanted to make sure I was on the
> > right track!
> 
> You are correct, sir!
> 
> > Okay, so if in the above example I wanted to move gb_file_1.gb from the
> > container to the main workspace, I would drag it into the workspace and in
> > the real directory structure, the file would move from
> > /usr/home/chapmanb/my_seq_files/gb_file_1.gb to
> > /usr/local/loci/workspace/gb_file_1.gb? Do you want the file to actually
> > move, or just to create a link to the file from inside the
> > /usr/local/loci/workspace directory system?
> 
> Hmmmm.  I suppose the user can either 'copy' or 'move' something onto/from the
> Workspace (and other areas) just like using a file manager (copy means the
> original stays, and move means the original is deleted).  But I don't think
> the user should be able to 'move' a file to/from a _remote_ system, so only
> copying would be allowed in such a case.  I'd say that by default a DnD would
> move a locus, unless it is remote (not on the local filesystem).
> 
> Keep in mind though, that when the user manipulates loci, he/she is only
> manipulating an XML _representation_ of something that can exist anywhere on
> the Internet (and is _always_ referenced to via URI).  Since that XML
> representation should be small (about the size of a typical Web page), the
> transfer of it should be trivial.  So, I wouldn't create symlinks but just
> copy or move the XML representations.
> 
> The transfer of the actual program or data that the locus represents is
> another case altogether.  I think this can be handled (in a GUI sense) via
> pop-up menu option and not DnD.

For DnD, you may want to consider providing the user with option to do a
move, copy, or symbolic link, via pop-up menu, in direct analogy to
right-button DnD in Windoze.


gary
-- 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Gary Van Domselaar		gvd at redpoll.pharmacy.ualberta.ca
Faculty of Pharmacy 		Phone: (780) 492-4493
University of Alberta		FAX:   (780) 492-5305
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada       http://redpoll.pharmacy.ualberta.ca/~gvd