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    {{Template:I18n/Language_Navigation_Bar|Dolphin}}
    <languages />
    == General information ==
    Dolphin is the file manager of KDE.


    I'll show how to use dolphin for common file managing tasks, and how to customize it to your needs.
    {|class="vertical-centered"
    |[[Image:Dolphin.png|thumb|center|320px]]||    ||'''<translate><!--T:12-->
    The dedicated file manager focusing on usability</translate>'''
    |}
    <translate>
    ==Feature Overview== <!--T:2-->


    [[Image:Dolphin default.png|thumb|240px|center]]
    <!--T:3-->
    :* Simple to use and dedicated file manager
    :* Focus on usability
    :* ''Breadcrumb'' navigation bar
    :* Optional panels for convenient navigation and information display
    :* Remote and pseudo-filesystem file management through [[Special:myLanguage/Glossary#KIO|KIO]]
    :* Tag files and folders, and find files by content, using [[Special:myLanguage/Glossary#Nepomuk|Nepomuk]]


    When we open the dolphin from [[Glossary#Kickoff|Kickoff menu]] it shows starting directory - by default it is your [[Glossary#Home_directory|Home directory]].
    <!--T:4-->
    At first look, this is a simple file manager, but it has many talents. Some features include:


    To open file, or go to folder just click on it. You don't have to double-click. It's KDE, not windows - you can click only once :).
    <!--T:5-->
    :* Split windows - view and use two directories at the same time
    :* Viewing attributes can be set (and remembered) independently for each window
    :* Tabbed browsing
    :* Use the optional informational panel on the right
    :* Or elect to have essential attribute information displayed in the window
    :* Use 'breadcrumb' navigation for speed
    :* One-click change to editable navigation bar
    :* Add Folders panel for traditional navigation
    :* Add a terminal in the directory you are currently browsing
    :* Many functions controlled by keyboard shortcuts


    Selecting files - in KDE, by default when you click once on something, it activates. In Windows you have to couble-click for that effect. So, there is problem, what to do in KDE if you don't want to open folder or file, only select it ? Answer is simple - over any icon in dolphin, when you hover your mose over it, there will be small "+" sign. Like that:
    == Tutorials == <!--T:6-->


    [[Image:Dolphin folder hovered.png|thumb|240px|center]]
    <!--T:7-->
    :* [[Special:myLanguage/Dolphin/File Management#Discover Dolphin|Discover Dolphin]]
    :* [[Special:myLanguage/Dolphin/File_Management#File_System_Navigation|File System Navigation]]
    :* [[Special:myLanguage/Dolphin/File_Management#Archive_Management_in_Dolphin|Archive Management in Dolphin]]
    :* [[Special:myLanguage/Dolphin/Customize Folder Icon|Customize the icon of a folder]]
    :* [[Special:myLanguage/Dolphin/Batch_Rename|Rename multiple files at the same time]]


    When you click that sign, this file/folder will be added to selection. You can easily select many files in that way (selecting by draging rectangle also works).
    == Philosophy == <!--T:19-->


    Many selected files looks like this:
    <!--T:20-->
    '''Dolphin''' is a file manager focusing on usability. When reading the term ''Usability'' people often assume that the focus is on newbies and only basic features are offered. This assumption is wrong.


    [[Image:Dolphin folder hovered deselect.png|thumb|240px|center]]
    === Target User Group === <!--T:21-->


    We also see here, how we can deselect files - when file is selected, and you place your mouse cursor over it, in place of "+" sign there will be "-". If you click it, file will be deselected.
    <!--T:22-->
    Focusing on usability means that features are discoverable and efficient to use. The feature set is defined indirectly by the target user group of '''Dolphin''':


    <!--T:23-->
    * '''Lisa''': Lisa is familiar with computers since 10 years. Due to her job she has experience with Word, Excel and Outlook. At home she mainly uses the computer for browsing the web and writing e-mails. She requires a file manager for managing  photos from the camera, documents she gets per e-mail or PDF-documents she downloads with a browser. Lisa knows concepts like folders and a file hierarchy, but she is not familiar with the file hierarchy of Linux.


    {{KDE3}}
    <!--T:24-->
    D3lphin is a fork of Dolphin for KDE 3. It lacks some features of Dolphin from KDE 4. It is also less known, because for KDE 3 default file manager was Konqueror. This fork is not supported by KDE and is no longer maintained by its author.
    * '''Simon''': Simon has been a developer at a software company for 8 years. At home he uses a file manager to maintain his large collection of photos and music. Additionally he owns a small homepage and needs to transfer updated files on the FTP server. Moving and copying files are regular tasks in Simon's workflow.


    {{KDE4}}
    <!--T:25-->
    In KDE 4 Dolphin opens by default, when we click on any folder, it can also be started from [[Glossary#Kickoff|Kickoff menu]].
    Not part of the target user group of '''Dolphin''' are Fred and Jeff:


    == Navigation Bar ==
    <!--T:26-->
    Dolphin integrates a new concept to use the navigation bar in a faster and more precise way. Therefore a breadcrumb navigation bar is used. Instead of displaying the complete path only the navigation points starting from one of the places are displayed as buttons. By clicking one of these buttons you navigate directly to this folder. So  you can reach a parent folder from a sub folder in a very quick way.
    * '''Fred''': Fred is 75 years old and is able to write e-mails and browsing the web. He is not familiar with file hierarchies and stores all his documents on the desktop.


    Between the buttons which represent a folder there is a small arrow which is a button as well. By clicking this arrow a list of all sub folders of the folder in front of the arrow is shown. So you can change very fast the selected and displayed sub folder.
    <!--T:27-->
    * '''Jeff''': Jeff is Linux-freak since the age of 16 a few years ago. He is developer and in his spare time he acts as administrator for a small company. Jeff has two monitors to keep the overview about his huge number of opened applications.


    There is also a classical navigation bar which displayes the complete path. To use this style you can select ''"View -> Navigation Bar -> Show Full Location''" or trigger the keyboard shortcut '''Ctrl+L'''. By clicking on the free space next to the last displayed folder in the breadcrumb style you can change to the classical style as well. If the classical style is selected an arrow is displayed at the end of the navigation bar. This arrow is a button which can be used to change back to the breadcrumb style. Of course menu and keyboard shortcut can be used, too.
    <!--T:28-->
    This does not mean that Fred or Jeff cannot work with '''Dolphin'''. But there might be features and concepts of '''Dolphin''' that overburden Fred. Also Jeff might miss some features which are a must-have for his daily work.


    == Split View ==
    ===Non-Intrusive Features=== <!--T:29-->
    Dolphin offers the possibility to split the current folder view so that two folder views are displayed next to each other as known from [[:wikipedia:Midnight Commander|Midnight Commander]]. This is a very comfortable view to copy or move files from one folder to another.
    [[Image:Dolphin split view.png|thumb|240px|center]]


    You can split the view with ''"View -> Split"'' (keyboard shortcut '''F3'''). To change back to only one folder view you can use ''"View -> Close"''. The symbol will show you which view will be closed. Depending on the currently active view the minus sign will be shown in the left or right part of the symbol. In general always the inactive view will be closed. This is important to know if you want to use the keyboard shortcut. There is also a button for splitting and closing the view situated in the toolbar. This button displays the minus symbol  as well, so it is easy to know which view would be closed.
    <!--T:30-->
    Before a feature is added in '''Dolphin''', it is checked whether the feature is mandatory for the target user group. If this is not the case, then this does not mean that the feature cannot be added; first it must be clarified whether the feature might be non-intrusive, so that it adds value for users outside the primary target user group of '''Dolphin'''. ''Non-intrusive'' is mainly related to the user interface. A feature that adds a lot of clutter to the main menu, context menus or toolbar might harm the target user group. In this case the feature will not be added.


    Of course each view has its own navigation bar and each view can use a different view mode.
    <!--T:31-->
    A good example of a feature that is non-intrusive is the embedded terminal in '''Dolphin'''. It only requires one entry inside a sub menu, but adds great value for Jeff, who is not part of the target user group.


    == View mode ==
    ===Options=== <!--T:32-->
    Dolphin supports three different view modes: ''"Icons"'', ''"Details"'' and ''"Columns"''. These can be changed via the menu ''"View -> View mode"'' or via the keyboard shortcuts '''Ctrl+1''' (Icons), '''Ctrl+2''' (Details) and '''Ctrl+3''' (Columns). There is also a button for each view mode in the toolbar and the context menu of the folder view offers a submenu ''"View mode"'' to change the view mode.


    === Icons ===
    <!--T:33-->
    Each file and each folder is represented by an icon in the view mode ''"Icons"''. Instead of displaying an icon a preview of the file can be shown. This behaviour can be turned on/off via the menu ''"View -> Preview"'' or via a toolbar button. There exists a size limit for the  file previews. This size limitation can be configured via ''"Settings -> Configure Dolphin -> View Modes -> General"'' option ''"File Previews -> Maximum file size"''. There is also an option to use thumbnails embedded in files.
    Options are mandatory as the user "average Joe" does not exist. Still it is not the goal of '''Dolphin''' offering options for all kind of things.   Again the focus is on the possible needs of the target user group. Each additional option makes it harder finding other options, so the same rules for features are applied to options too.


    The files in the currently selected folder are sorted in alphabetical order by default. The way of sorting can be changed via menu ''"View -> Sort by"''. The following sort criteria are available:
    == Hints, Tips and Troubleshooting == <!--T:13-->  


    * Name
    <!--T:14-->
    * Size
    '''Problem:''' Dolphin's menu entries <menuchoice>View -> Additional</menuchoice> and/or <menuchoice>View -> Panels</menuchoice> don't have any options.  Nepomuk is enabled in System Settings.
    * Date
    * Permissions
    * Owner
    * Group
    * Type
    Additionally the sorting sequence can be defined by ''"View -> Sort by -> Descending"''.


    There is the possibility to display additional information below the icons. These can be turned on/off via ''"View -> Additional Information"''. In principal the same criteria which are available as search criteria can be selected.
    <!--T:15-->
    :'''Solution:''' Rename the folder <tt>~/.kde4/share/apps/dolphin</tt> (in some distros it will be <tt>~/.kde/share/apps/dolphin</tt>) and restart dolphin. This will purge your dolphin customizations but the entries should be back. If everything works as expected you can then delete the folder. This happened to me after an upgrade from KDE 4.4 to 4.5


    You can group the icons to achieve a better overview. This is turned on via ''"View -> Show in Groups"''. Now the icons are grouped and the groups are divided by a horizontal line containing the name of the group as caption. The grouping is related to the selected search criterium.
    <!--T:16-->
    [[Image:Dolphin show in groups effect.png|thumb|240px|center]]
    '''Problem:''' When I choose the application to open a specific filetype with, it seems to affect other filetypes too. It’s like '''Dolphin''' cannot tell the difference between the ''two different filetypes''.


    == External links ==
    <!--T:17-->
    :'''Solution:''' Probably the KDE platform does not know about one of the two filetypes, so it associates the filetype to a different, known filetype. This is common with XML-based filetypes; even if they use a file extension of their own (e.g. <tt>.xliff</tt> or <tt>.graphml</tt>), if they are not a filetype known by the KDE platform, they will be treated as any other XML file, and opened with the default application to open XML files.


    [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin_(software) Wikipedia- Dolphin_(software)]
    <!--T:18-->
    :To solve this issue, you can use [[Special:myLanguage/System Settings/File Associations|File Associations]] to [[Special:myLanguage/System Settings/File Associations#Adding new file types|create an entry for the unrecognized filetype]].


    [http://dot.kde.org/1172721427/ Road to KDE 4: Dolphin and Konqueror]
    <!--T:34-->
    '''Problem:''' Dolphin's Find File service doesn't find files you know are on your computer.


    [http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070405-afirst-look-at-dolphin-the-kde-4-file-manager.html Ars Technica: A First Look at Dolphin]
    <!--T:35-->
    :'''Solution:''' Reindex Baloo. Baloo is a file indexing and search service that Dolphin uses to search for files.  It needs to be indexed to work. To solve this problem, in a terminal type, <tt>balooctl check</tt>


    [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4HS1v0a9Xs Youtube - KDE 4 rev 680445 - Dolphin]  
    <!--T:8-->
    Also see [http://forum.kde.org/viewforum.php?f=222 forums] and the [http://docs.kde.org/stable/en/applications/dolphin/index.html Dolphin Handbook].


    [http://introducingkde4.blogspot.com/2007/12/dolphin.html Introducing KDE 4 Blog - Dolphin]
    == Keywords == <!--T:9-->
     
    <!--T:10-->
    File management, file manager, file browser, tags, metadata, Nepomuk
     
    <!--T:11-->
    [[Category:Dolphin]]
    [[Category:Desktop]]
    [[Category:File Management]]
    [[Category:System]]
    </translate>

    Revision as of 17:11, 19 October 2017

    The dedicated file manager focusing on usability

    Feature Overview

    • Simple to use and dedicated file manager
    • Focus on usability
    • Breadcrumb navigation bar
    • Optional panels for convenient navigation and information display
    • Remote and pseudo-filesystem file management through KIO
    • Tag files and folders, and find files by content, using Nepomuk

    At first look, this is a simple file manager, but it has many talents. Some features include:

    • Split windows - view and use two directories at the same time
    • Viewing attributes can be set (and remembered) independently for each window
    • Tabbed browsing
    • Use the optional informational panel on the right
    • Or elect to have essential attribute information displayed in the window
    • Use 'breadcrumb' navigation for speed
    • One-click change to editable navigation bar
    • Add Folders panel for traditional navigation
    • Add a terminal in the directory you are currently browsing
    • Many functions controlled by keyboard shortcuts

    Tutorials

    Philosophy

    Dolphin is a file manager focusing on usability. When reading the term Usability people often assume that the focus is on newbies and only basic features are offered. This assumption is wrong.

    Target User Group

    Focusing on usability means that features are discoverable and efficient to use. The feature set is defined indirectly by the target user group of Dolphin:

    • Lisa: Lisa is familiar with computers since 10 years. Due to her job she has experience with Word, Excel and Outlook. At home she mainly uses the computer for browsing the web and writing e-mails. She requires a file manager for managing photos from the camera, documents she gets per e-mail or PDF-documents she downloads with a browser. Lisa knows concepts like folders and a file hierarchy, but she is not familiar with the file hierarchy of Linux.
    • Simon: Simon has been a developer at a software company for 8 years. At home he uses a file manager to maintain his large collection of photos and music. Additionally he owns a small homepage and needs to transfer updated files on the FTP server. Moving and copying files are regular tasks in Simon's workflow.

    Not part of the target user group of Dolphin are Fred and Jeff:

    • Fred: Fred is 75 years old and is able to write e-mails and browsing the web. He is not familiar with file hierarchies and stores all his documents on the desktop.
    • Jeff: Jeff is Linux-freak since the age of 16 a few years ago. He is developer and in his spare time he acts as administrator for a small company. Jeff has two monitors to keep the overview about his huge number of opened applications.

    This does not mean that Fred or Jeff cannot work with Dolphin. But there might be features and concepts of Dolphin that overburden Fred. Also Jeff might miss some features which are a must-have for his daily work.

    Non-Intrusive Features

    Before a feature is added in Dolphin, it is checked whether the feature is mandatory for the target user group. If this is not the case, then this does not mean that the feature cannot be added; first it must be clarified whether the feature might be non-intrusive, so that it adds value for users outside the primary target user group of Dolphin. Non-intrusive is mainly related to the user interface. A feature that adds a lot of clutter to the main menu, context menus or toolbar might harm the target user group. In this case the feature will not be added.

    A good example of a feature that is non-intrusive is the embedded terminal in Dolphin. It only requires one entry inside a sub menu, but adds great value for Jeff, who is not part of the target user group.

    Options

    Options are mandatory as the user "average Joe" does not exist. Still it is not the goal of Dolphin offering options for all kind of things. Again the focus is on the possible needs of the target user group. Each additional option makes it harder finding other options, so the same rules for features are applied to options too.

    Hints, Tips and Troubleshooting

    Problem: Dolphin's menu entries View -> Additional and/or View -> Panels don't have any options. Nepomuk is enabled in System Settings.

    Solution: Rename the folder ~/.kde4/share/apps/dolphin (in some distros it will be ~/.kde/share/apps/dolphin) and restart dolphin. This will purge your dolphin customizations but the entries should be back. If everything works as expected you can then delete the folder. This happened to me after an upgrade from KDE 4.4 to 4.5

    Problem: When I choose the application to open a specific filetype with, it seems to affect other filetypes too. It’s like Dolphin cannot tell the difference between the two different filetypes.

    Solution: Probably the KDE platform does not know about one of the two filetypes, so it associates the filetype to a different, known filetype. This is common with XML-based filetypes; even if they use a file extension of their own (e.g. .xliff or .graphml), if they are not a filetype known by the KDE platform, they will be treated as any other XML file, and opened with the default application to open XML files.
    To solve this issue, you can use File Associations to create an entry for the unrecognized filetype.

    Problem: Dolphin's Find File service doesn't find files you know are on your computer.

    Solution: Reindex Baloo. Baloo is a file indexing and search service that Dolphin uses to search for files. It needs to be indexed to work. To solve this problem, in a terminal type, balooctl check

    Also see forums and the Dolphin Handbook.

    Keywords

    File management, file manager, file browser, tags, metadata, Nepomuk