Ubuntu Tutorials

This article is part of a series entitled “Ubuntu Beginners”, which walks new users through basic Desktop and Command Line usage. This article will detail how to rename files, using both the graphical interface as well as the command line. Included below are GNOME, KDE and command line methods.

Rename Files – Nautilus (GNOME)

If you are using the standard Ubuntu, which uses the GNOME Desktop Environment, the file manager is called Nautilus. Anytime you are browsing files or folders graphically, you are using Nautilus. I’ve included screenshots below displaying the default Home folder, selecting a document, and renaming the document.

This is the default Nautilus view in Ubuntu 9.10, displaying the contents of the home folder. You’ll notice that there are pre-populated directories (folders) for Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, etc.

Nautilus - Home Folder

In this next screenshot I’ve selected a document in my Documents folder, and selected the ‘Rename…’ option. This is done by selecting the file, right-clicking the mouse and selecting the ‘Rename…’ option.

Nautilus - Rename File

After selecting the ‘Rename…’ option, the file name will become editable. You can update the text to your preference, and rename your file.

Nautilus - Rename

Once you’ve updated the file name simply hit the [ENTER] key on your keyboard, or click your mouse anywhere outside of the editable text area. The edit-field will disappear and your file will have been renamed.

Rename Files – Dolphin (KDE)

If you have installed Kubuntu, the KDE-based Ubuntu variant, your file manager is called Dolphin. I’ve included screenshots of Dolphin, as well as the process of renaming files in Dolphin.

This is the default Home folder as displayed by the Dolphin file manager.

Dolphin - Home

In order to rename a file, simply right-click on the file and select the ‘Rename…’ option. You’ll notice that Dolphin also provides a keyboard shortcut to rename using the F2 key. This means, instead of right-clicking and selecting ‘Rename…’ you can simply press F2 after the file has been selected.

Dolphin - Rename File

Lastly, enter the new name of the file into the dialog box and update your changes by hitting the [ENTER] key, or clicking the ‘Rename’ button.

Dolphin - Rename Item

Rename Files – Command Line (Linux)
The method of renaming a file on the command-line is generic to Linux. In other words, this method should apply to any Linux distribution, any version, and any variant.

In Linux, renaming a file is essentially the same as moving a file. Where moving a file is simply moving a file from one location to another, renaming a file is essentially moving the name of the file. The contents remain the same, we’ve simply moved the place where you’d find them–from one name to another.

To rename a file, using the following syntax:

mv welcome-to-ubuntu.doc renamed.doc

A few additional examples:

mv IMGOOO1.JPG release-party-pictures-1.jpg
mv IMGOOO2.JPG release-party-pictures-2.jpg

You get the idea. I understand it can be confusing to use the mv (move) command to rename a file, but you’ll find that you get used to it rather quickly and then not even think about it.

Conclusion
No matter the environment that you’re in, whether in be GNOME, KDE or the command-line, renaming files is simple. Right-click and select ‘Rename…’ is generally standard between graphical environments, and using mv on the command-line will work on all Linux distributions. I hope this beginner tip has been helpful.

I recently installed Kubuntu 9.10 to have a look at the latest that KDE has to offer in the Ubuntu arena. I have to say, I find it very polished and far less buggy than previous releases that I’ve used! If you haven’t tried KDE recently, I invite you to give it a try. In this article I’ll outline how to install Dropbox on KDE (Kubuntu) without using the packages, or requiring the GNOME dependencies that are required for Nautilus integration.

Installation

Because we’ll be installing Dropbox manually, outside of the package management system, the first thing you’ll need to do is download the binary for your running architecture. I’ve included direct download links to the 32bit and 64bit releases below:

• 32bit Dropbox Linux Client
• 64bit Dropbox Linux Client

After you’ve downloaded the .tar.gz file, unpack it and move its contents to your home folder. Assuming your default Download location is your ~/Downloads folder, do the following to unpack and move the dropbox files:

tar xf dropbox-lnx*.tar.gz

mv .dropbox-dist/ ~/

Lastly, assuming you want Dropbox to autostart when you login, you’ll want to create a symlink to your Autostart folder. You can do this using the command:

ln -s ~/.dropbox-dist/dropdoxd ~/.kde/Autostart/

Launch Dropbox

At this point you can either logout and log back in to have Dropbox launch, or manually launch by issuing the command:

~/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd

You should be prompted to enter your account information, and you’re set!

Getting Dropbox

If you don’t have a Dropbox account, I’d invite you to check it out. It’s a very, very useful tool for sharing files and doing off-site backups. If the program is still in place, you’ll get a 250M storage bonus for using this link.

Some time ago I blogged about keyboard shortcuts for the Gnome Desktop.  I figure its time to revisit some of these.  If I’ve missed any that you find helpful as usual drop a comment.  I am unaware of any definitive list of Gnome shortcuts.  Could this be a start?

Gnome Desktop Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt-F2 : Run Application Dialog

Alt-F1 : Open Applications Menu

Alt-F9 : Minimize Active Window

Alt-Tab : Rotate Current Window Focus

Ctrl+Alt+Left Arrow : Move Virtual Desktop Left

Ctrl+Alt+Right Arrow : Move Virtual Desktop Right

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Left Arrow : Move Current Application Left

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Right Arrow : Move Current Application Right

Ctrl+Alt+L : Lock Screen

Ctrl+Alt+Del : Log Out

Ctrl+Alt+Backspace : Restart Gnome (careful)

Nautilus File Management

Shift+Ctrl+N : Create New Folder

Ctrl+T : Delete (to Trash)

Alt+ENTER : File/Folder Properties

Ctrl+1 : Toggle View As Icons

Ctrl+2 : Toggle View As List

Shift+Right Arrow : Open Directory (List View)

Shift+Left Arrow : Close Directory (List View)

Ctrl+S : Select Pattern [enter pattern]

F2 : Rename File

Ctrl+A : Select All

Nautilus Navigation Shortcuts

Ctrl+W : Close Window

Ctrl+Shift+W : Close All Nautilus Windows

Ctrl+R : Reload Nautilus Window

Alt+Up Arrow : Open Parent

Alt+Left Arrow : Back

Alt+Right Arrow : Forward

Alt+Home : Home Folder

Ctrl+L : Location Bar

F9 : Toggle Sidepane

Ctrl+H : Show Hidden Files

Ctrl++ : Zoom In

Ctrl+- : Zoom Out

Ctrl+0 : Normal Size

I know this is a bit of a long list, but I find that using keyboard shortcuts allows me to get more done than reaching for a mouse to navigate around my Desktop.  I know many are much more comfortable with the mouse, but learning a few of these shortcuts can’t hurt either.  Please comment if I’ve missed any shortcuts.

Recently I blogged about the advanced permission management tool for nautilus, which could be switched on using the gconf-editor.  I noticed that one of the comments mentioned that neither of them had adequate support for ACLs.  This post will remedy that.

If you have no idea what ACLs are you might skip this post as I’m not going to go into detail explaining them. I simply want to outline how to add graphical support for ACLs with a tool called eiciel.

Installing eiciel

The eiciel package can be installed in Ubuntu by way of the standard repositories.  Either click the link below or run the command, and you’ll be on your way:

sudo aptitude install eiciel

This will install an extension to the native “Properties” of a file (find this via right-click, Properties) which will let you add and update ACLs.  note: You may not see this listed until you restart nautilus, which can be done using:

killall nautilus

Troubleshooting

If you find that this isn’t working for you you’ll need to ensure that your file system is mounted with ACL support.  This can be done one of the following ways:

sudo mount -o remount,acl /filesystem

You can also update your /etc/fstab to include “defaults,acl” for the filesystem(s) that you want to be supported and then remount.  Again, I’m assuming you know what ACLs are.  A definition for ACLs may be for a later post.

Recently you may have seen this topic on Tombuntu’s blog, but if you missed it here is an outline of how to enable the advanced permissions dialog in the Nautilus file manager.

Activating the Advanced Permissions Dialog in Nautilus

Activating (or deactivating) the advanced permissions dialog can be done by way of a single command.  To activate the dialog use the command:

gconftool-2 --type bool --set /apps/nautilus/preferences/show_advanced_permissions True

To deactivate the dialog and revert to the default settings, use the command:

gconftool-2 --type bool --set /apps/nautilus/preferences/show_advanced_permissions False

Do you prefer one over the other?  The more advanced dialog reminds me of old permission dialogs in FTP clients I remember.  I think I may prefer it, but I haven’t used it long enough to decide.

Not too long ago I blogged about the ability to quickly open a terminal session from within nautilus and a handy right-click.  If you missed it you might want to take a look back here.  In today’s post there is a similar very easy way to quickly resize or rotate images with a simple right-click.

Installation

To add this functionality we’ll need to install the nautilus-image-converter package:

sudo aptitude install nautilus-image-converter

Use

Before you’re able to use this functionality you’ll need to restart nautilus or simply logout and back in.  You’ll now be able to right-click on any image on your machine and you’ll see two new menu items:

"resize images"

"rotate images"

The options menu that will be presented will give you quite a number of options on rotation direction, resizing, etc.  Give it a quick try, its about as easy as it can get.

Tonite it’s getting late but I wanted to post something that is useful for quickly getting to the shell from any GUI location. The package nautilus-open-terminal does just what you might guess it does. It allows you to launch a gnome-terminal from a right-click within nautilus.

You might remember I blogged about something similar long-long ago with nautilus scripts.  This is based on the same idea, but now wrapped in a nice shiny deb package.  From the package description:

Nautilus plugin for opening terminals in arbitrary local paths nautilus-open-terminal is a proof-of-concept Nautilus extension which allows you to open a terminal in arbitrary local folders.

To install this quick-launch to the terminal simply run:

sudo aptitude install nautilus-open-terminal

You may need to restart gnome / nautilus for the change to take effect, but afterwards you’ll have a “open terminal” button on your right-click menu anywhere within nautilus or gnome-desktop area.  Enjoy.

Today’s tutorial might be a bit quick, but that fits along with the tips included. Speed up your work by using keyboard shortcut keys. Below I’ve listed some of the shortcut keys I use within during my day-to-day. If you have any more to offer please drop in a comment or blog about them yourself and ping back here.

nautilus / gnome:

ctrl-h : show hidden files

ctrl-t : move to trash

f9 : toggle side-pane

alt-home : jump to home folder

alt-enter : file / folder properties

alt-f1 : launch applications menu

alt-f2 : launch "run application" dialogue

ctrl-alt - right/left arrow : move to the next virtual desktop

ctrl-alt-shift - right/left arrow : take current window to the next virtual desktop

firefox:

ctrl-k : firefox search field

ctrl-l : firefox address bar

ctrl-pgup : next tab (left to right)

ctrl-pgdn : previous tab (right to left)

ctrl-t : new tab

ctrl-r / f5: reload page

ctrl-u : view page source

If you see any that I’ve missed share them below. These are the main ones that I use on a fairly regular basis and I’m sure the list isn’t complete.  I know it isn’t an all-encompassing list of shortcut keys, just those that I have found the most helpful.  Anything you can add?

As a preface to this post I want to apologize for not remembering who mentioned the un-wanted Gnome feature. I want to say it was someone at the recent interLUG BBQ, but I’m not sure. I mean no offense by forgetting.. I’m sure understand.

Recently I heard complaint about the nautilus file browser in the latest release of gnome 2.14.2. I believe the complaint was the ‘spacial’ mode that it uses. The following is taken from the Ubuntu Desktop Guide that I recently picked up.

Ubuntu's file manager Nautilus provides two modes in which you can interact with your filesystem: Spatial mode and Browser mode.

• In Browser mode, the file manager window represents a browser, which can display any location. Opening a folder updates the current file manager window to show the contents of the new folder.
• In Spatial mode, the file manager window represents a particular folder. Opening a folder opens the new window for that folder. Each time you open a particular folder, you will find its window displayed in teh same place on the screen and the same size as the last time you viewed it (this is the reason for the name).

Browser mode is the default setting on Ubuntu, but you may wish to change this:

1. In Nautilus, choose Edit > Preferences.
2. Click on the Behaviour tab.
3. Unselect the 'Always open in browser windows' check box.
4. Close and reopen Nautilus.