Minimizing file system accesses when transferring a document between applications
When working with documents and transferring them from application to application, a lot is done through an intermediary - the file system (FS). Well, as it is done and done, I will not deny it at all (although there are also such projects), but unnecessary references to it from the user’s side are also not good.
This situation can be illustrated as two peaks, extremely closely spaced, but with a gap between each other. To move from one to another, you have to make a thorny path down and up again, although crossing the bridge would be much easier, faster and without unnecessary frustration.
Peak - a high level of abstraction (document), nisin, respectively, - low (file). Upstairs life is much nicer, so it would be good to go down less often.
')
Also, I often hear from people the question “where did I save the file ?!” And this is the same. “My documents” and “recent files” help in the file dialog, but these are crutches in essence - we still go down to the level of abstraction, remember what name we saved.
[PrtScr] → mspaint.exe → ctrl + v → save the image → Word: insert the object → select the file
Start word.exe → tyts-tyts-tyts by keys → save * .doc → Mailbox: attach file → file open dialog
Firefox.exe: save the image → Explorer.exe: find the file → clack-clats!
I created a new text document, I want to save it. The neighboring application is a file manager with an open directory, the one where I want to save. But doing without an intermediary (FS) again fails.
In general, senseless inconvenience enough. Another thing …
1) a certain graphic entity in each document, personifying the document itself, which could be dragged onto another document
2) the system of notifications about the created documents; something in the corner that pops up in the right cases: somehow creating a file at the user's will (Download Statusbar - local implementation)
3) “system” menu document / send-to in each application
(The draggrop is not so obvious, of course, which may interfere with its use.)
The document can be transferred:
- into another application already launched, and then the DnD mechanism works,
- not yet started - and here it’s not so easy with DnD :-), it can save “Send To”.
Of course, some single applications allow you to do one thing (drag a song from the playlist to the editor), others do something else, but there are few of these, and without mass character and unification it means little. It would be nice if such a transfer of a document from application to application was a premeditated, conspicuous, through feature of the operating system. Present in the culture of development or was imposed by the system as the same system menu "close-move".
1) The context menu “Sent To” is accessible from the same FS and therefore, in itself, it does not represent values ​​in this context, but it can serve in the implementation of the concept.
2) Some programs allow you to call others by transferring the document file as a parameter, but this is either hard-coded (“Edit” in the viewer), or requires configuration for each program (foobar2000 run services) - you cannot simply transfer any document to any program.
3) The Firefox Download Statusbar extension is just an example of the above-described local Notification System (Chrome has an equivalent). The extension is incredibly valuable and is an excellent illustration of the profit from not falling down (but try to guess that functionality!) Action (action), of course, only one is available, but it covers most cases.
What is stated here is similar to one article in a personal blog here, but I’m less relying on the helpful suggestions of the system my people remain the same source of will as now, the way of interaction between documents (applications) is simplified. And there is no need to prescribe any possible actions for each type of file: edit, view, etc.
Example. Open a text document and ICQ chat (also a document, in fact). Here they are both in front of me, but there is no way to introduce them to each other - the simple familiar DnD (drug'n'drop) does not work at the document level, and if you go down to the FS level, it works here.
This situation can be illustrated as two peaks, extremely closely spaced, but with a gap between each other. To move from one to another, you have to make a thorny path down and up again, although crossing the bridge would be much easier, faster and without unnecessary frustration.
Peak - a high level of abstraction (document), nisin, respectively, - low (file). Upstairs life is much nicer, so it would be good to go down less often.
')
Also, I often hear from people the question “where did I save the file ?!” And this is the same. “My documents” and “recent files” help in the file dialog, but these are crutches in essence - we still go down to the level of abstraction, remember what name we saved.
More examples
[PrtScr] → mspaint.exe → ctrl + v → save the image → Word: insert the object → select the file
Start word.exe → tyts-tyts-tyts by keys → save * .doc → Mailbox: attach file → file open dialog
Firefox.exe: save the image → Explorer.exe: find the file → clack-clats!
I created a new text document, I want to save it. The neighboring application is a file manager with an open directory, the one where I want to save. But doing without an intermediary (FS) again fails.
In general, senseless inconvenience enough. Another thing …
What can be done
1) a certain graphic entity in each document, personifying the document itself, which could be dragged onto another document
2) the system of notifications about the created documents; something in the corner that pops up in the right cases: somehow creating a file at the user's will (Download Statusbar - local implementation)
3) “system” menu document / send-to in each application
(The draggrop is not so obvious, of course, which may interfere with its use.)
The document can be transferred:
- into another application already launched, and then the DnD mechanism works,
- not yet started - and here it’s not so easy with DnD :-), it can save “Send To”.
Of course, some single applications allow you to do one thing (drag a song from the playlist to the editor), others do something else, but there are few of these, and without mass character and unification it means little. It would be nice if such a transfer of a document from application to application was a premeditated, conspicuous, through feature of the operating system. Present in the culture of development or was imposed by the system as the same system menu "close-move".
What already is
1) The context menu “Sent To” is accessible from the same FS and therefore, in itself, it does not represent values ​​in this context, but it can serve in the implementation of the concept.
2) Some programs allow you to call others by transferring the document file as a parameter, but this is either hard-coded (“Edit” in the viewer), or requires configuration for each program (foobar2000 run services) - you cannot simply transfer any document to any program.
3) The Firefox Download Statusbar extension is just an example of the above-described local Notification System (Chrome has an equivalent). The extension is incredibly valuable and is an excellent illustration of the profit from not falling down (but try to guess that functionality!) Action (action), of course, only one is available, but it covers most cases.
P. S.
What is stated here is similar to one article in a personal blog here, but I’m less relying on the helpful suggestions of the system my people remain the same source of will as now, the way of interaction between documents (applications) is simplified. And there is no need to prescribe any possible actions for each type of file: edit, view, etc.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/51953/
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