NAME

vuefile — The HP VUE File Manager.

SYNOPSIS

vuefile [options]

DESCRIPTION

The HP VUE File Manager (vuefile) is HP VUE’s primary interface to the file system.  It provides application execution and file manipulation. 

The File Manager can display many main windows, each of which contains the files of a single directory.  Each file is presented as a labeled icon.  A menu bar provides file operations. 

A direct manipulation paradigm is used to perform operations on the displayed files.  Double-click performs a specified action on a file.  Selection and multiple selection activate a file or a set of files.  This is primarily used to indicate the active object for menu operations.  Multiple selection is also used by drag for defining the set of files to be dragged.  Drag is used to copy or move a file or files between File Manager windows.  It is also used to drag data to another cooperating client. 

OPTIONS

Vuefile defines three command-line options that can be used when vuefile is run. 

-noview
This runs vuefile in "server mode," which means that no directory views are initially displayed.  Vuefile waits for a cooperating client to tell it to display a view. 

-session session file
This option takes the name of a session file as an additional parameter. Vuefile is run with the specified session file name.  The session file is a file that was previously saved by vuefile through a session shutdown. 

-dir directory
This option takes a single or multiple directory specification as an additional parameter.  This specification is of the form hostname:path,hostname:path,... or path,path,... or any combination of the two (no spaces are allowed in the additional parameter string). This option runs vuefile and causes it to display a directory view for each directory specified. 

Both the -noview and -session options are normally used by the session manager to start vuefile. 

The command-line options are treated exclusively and have a priority of session, dir, noview.  If more than one of the options is specified, the lower priority option(s) is(are) ignored.  If vuefile is run with no command-line parameters, the user’s current directory is displayed. 

FILE TYPES and ACTIONS

Each File Manager main window displays a set of icons, each representing a single file.  Each file has an associated file type that is determined by the file name: data file, executable file, or directory.  The set of file types defined for the File Manager are contained in the users and system file type files. 

Each file type has a set of actions defined for it.  An action is an executable or application that can be run with a file of that type.  To make the action readily available, each of the actions defined for a file type are displayed in an Actions menu pane in the File Manager’s main window.  The set of actions defined for the File Manager are contained in the users and system action files. 

Refer to HP Visual Environment System Administration Manual for a description of file type and action files. 

FEATURES

Opening a File
Double-clicking a file opens it, which causes the default action defined for the file type of the file to be run. By default, opening an application will execute it, opening a directory will cause the contents of the directory to be displayed, and opening a data file will cause a text editor to be run with the data file being edited.

Dragging a File
A file or set of files can be dragged to another File Manager window or to any other cooperating client.  This provides for file copy, move and execution.

File Filtering
Directories can contain files of many different types and sizes.  The File Manager’s filtering mechanism provides the means by which the user can selectively display sets of files.  The types of filtering available include: by type, by size, by modification (or creation) date.

Directory Traversal
Simple directory traversal is available by double-clicking a directory icon.  This displays the contents of the directory.  The File Manager provides a display mode that displays the directory hierarchy as a graph that can be easily traversed.  A dialog is also available that can search the file system for a directory or directories matching user-supplied search criteria.  Another dialog can be used to list directories frequently used; a double-click on a directory in the list changes to that directory.

Setting Display Preferences
Both iconic and non-iconic visual representations for file display are provided.  The non-iconic form can be used to display directories with large numbers of files or where display space is at a premium.

Finding Files
Directories can be searched for a file or set of files that match search criteria.  Search criteria can include file name, size and modification (or creation) date.  When files are located, a File Manager window opens to display the directory that contains the file.

Smart Trash Can
The File Manager provides access to VUE’s smart trash can. The user can place files into the trash can, but they are not permanently removed until the user asks that the trash can be emptied or the HP VUE session is terminated at logout. Files dragged to the trash can also be restored, but only during the current session (before logout) and before being permanently removed.

COPYRIGHT

Copyright 1990 Hewlett-Packard Company. 

ORIGIN

Hewlett-Packard Company ITO. 

  —  HP VUE 2.01 (2/91)