# File manager functionality

Related articles

- PCManFM
- SpaceFM
- Thunar
- Window manager
- Desktop environment
- Udisks

This article outlines the additional software packages necessary to expand the features and functionality of file managers, particularly where using a window manager such as Openbox. The ability to access partitions and removable media without a password - if affected - has also been provided.

## Overview

Note: When installed, the software packages listed below will automatically be sourced by all installed - and capable - file managers, and within all desktop environments and/or window managers.

A file manager alone will not provide the features and functionality that users of full desktop environments such as Xfce or KDE will be accustomed to. This is because additional software packages will be required to enable a given file manager to:

- Display and access other partitions
- Display, mount, and access removable media (e.g. USB sticks, optical discs, and digital cameras)
- Enable networking / shared networks with other installed operating systems
- Enable thumbnailing
- Archive and extract compressed files
- Automatically mount removable media

When a file manager has been installed as part of a full desktop environment, most of these packages will usually have been installed automatically. Consequently, where a file manager has been installed for a standalone window manager then - as is the case with the window manager itself - only a basic foundation will be provided. The user must then determine the nature and extent of the features and functionality to be added.

## Additional features

This article or section needs expansion.

Reason: Mention KDE file managers which use KIO instead of GVFS for mounting and other functionality (Discuss in Talk:File manager functionality#)

Particularly where using - or intending to use - a lightweight environment, it should be noted that more file manager features and functions will usually mean the use of more memory. See also udisks.

### Mounting

- gvfs: The Gnome Virtual File System provides mounting and trash functionality. GVFS uses udisks2 for mounting functionality and is the recommended solution for most file managers.

Tip: For some file managers it may be useful to have the package gamin installed. Gamin is a file and directory monitoring system.

Folders used by GVFS:

- `/usr/lib/gvfs/` contains `gvfsd-*` files, where `*` refers to the various supported file system types.
- `/usr/share/gvfs/mounts/` contains mount rules for GVFS. To use one's own rules, create `~/.gvfs/mounts`.

Additional packages for installation usually follows the gvfs-* pattern, for example:

- gvfs-mtp: media players and mobile devices that use MTP
- gvfs-gphoto2: digital cameras and mobile devices that use PTP
- gvfs-afc: Apple mobile devices

#### File manager daemon

The first is to simply autostart or run the installed file manager in daemon mode (i.e. as a background process). For example, when using PCManFM in Openbox, the following command would be added to the `~/.config/openbox/autostart` file:

    pcmanfm -d &

It will also be necessary to configure the file manager itself in respect to volume management (e.g. what it will do and what applications will be launched when certain file types are detected upon mounting).

Tip: Most desktop environments will start the file manager in daemon mode by default so manual intervention will not be required in these use cases.

#### Standalone

Another option is to install a separate mount application. The advantages of using this are:

- Less memory may be required to run as a background / daemon process than a file manager
- It is not file manager specific, allowing them to be freely added, removed, and switched
- gvfs may not have to be installed for mounting, lessening memory use.

### Networks

Note: It will also be necessary to enable Bluetooth and/or networking with Windows to enable the relevant file manager functionality in turn.

- obexfs: Bluetooth device mounting and file transfers (see Bluetooth)
- gvfs-smb: Windows File and printer sharing for Non-KDE desktops (see Samba)
- kdenetwork-filesharing: Windows File and printer sharing for KDE (see Samba#KDE)
- sshfs: FUSE client based on the SSH File Transfer Protocol

#### Windows access

If using gvfs-smb, to access Windows/CIFS/Samba file shares first open the file manager, and enter the following into the path name, changing <sever name> and <share name> as appropriate:

    smb://<server name>/<share name>

#### Apple access

AFP support is included in gvfs. To access AFP files first open the file manager, and enter the following into the path name, changing <sever name> and <share name> as appropriate:

    afp://<server name>/<share name>

### Thumbnail previews

Some file managers may not support thumbnailing, even when the packages listed have been installed. Check the documentation for the relevant file manager.

You may not see thumbnails for remote storage, including MTP. Check your file manager's settings, e.g. for Thunar one have to set "Show thumbnails: always".

#### File managers other than Dolphin and Konqueror

These packages apply to most file managers, such as PCManFM, SpaceFM, Thunar and xfe. The exceptions are Dolphin and Konqueror, used in the KDE desktop environment.

- tumbler: Image files. This must also be installed to expand thumbnailing capabilities to other file types
- poppler-glib: Adobe `.pdf` files
- ffmpegthumbnailer: Video files
- freetype2: Font files
- libgsf: `.odf` files
- raw-thumbnailer: `.raw` files
- totem: Video files and tagged audio files (GNOME Files, Nemo and Caja only)
- evince or atril: `.pdf` files

#### Dolphin and Konqueror (KDE)

See Dolphin#File previews.

### Archive files

To extract compressed files such as tarballs (`.tar` and `.tar.gz`) within a file manager, it will first be necessary to install a GUI archiver such as file-roller. See List of applications#Archiving and compression tools for further information. An additional package such as unzip must also be installed to support the use of zipped `.zip` files. Once an archiver has been installed, files in the file manager may consequently be right-clicked to be archived or extracted.

Archive files are mounted under folder `/run/user/$(id -u)/gvfs/` with automatically created mount point that contains full path to the file in its name where all `/` are replaced with `%252F` and `:` replaced with `%253A` hex codes.

Example of path to the mounted archive `/full/path/to/file/name.zip`

    /run/user/$(id -u)/gvfs/archive:host=file%253A%252F%252F%252Ffull%252Fpath%252Fto%252Ffile%252Fname.zip

### NTFS read/write support

See the NTFS-3G article.

### Desktop notifications

Some file managers make use of desktop notifications to confirm various events and statuses like mounting, unmounting and ejection of removable media.

### Enable Trash functionality on different filesystems (external drives)

The factual accuracy of this article or section is disputed.

Reason: Shouldn't these folders be created automatically? When is it necessary to create them manually? (Discuss in Talk:File manager functionality#)

Make trash directories `.Trash-<uid>` for each users on the top level of filesystems:

For example (mount point: /media/sdc1, uid: 1000, gid: 1000):

    # mkdir /media/sdc1/.Trash-1000

and `chown` them:

    # chown 1000:1000 /media/sdc1/.Trash-1000

## Troubleshooting

### "Not Authorized" when attempting to mount drives

File managers using udisks require a polkit authentication agent. See polkit#Authentication agents.

### Password required to access partitions

The need to enter a password to access other partitions or mounted removable media will likely be due to the default permission settings of udisks2. More specifically, permission may be set to the root account only, not the user account. See Udisks#Configuration for details.

### Directories are not opened in the file manager

You may find that an application that is not a file manager, Audacious for example, is set as the default application for opening directories — an application that specifies that it can handle the `inode/directory` MIME type in its desktop entry can become the default. You can query the default application for opening directories with the following command:

    $ xdg-mime query default inode/directory

To ensure that directories are opened in the file manager, run the following command:

    $ xdg-mime default my-file-manager.desktop inode/directory

where `my-file-manager.desktop` is the desktop entry for your file manager — `org.gnome.Nautilus.desktop` for example.

Tip: If you want the change to be system-wide, run the command above as root or create/edit the following file:

    /usr/share/applications/mimeapps.list

    [Default Applications]
    inode/directory=my-file-manager.desktop

Category:

- File managers

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