[haiku-doc] Re: End user documentation
- From: Scott Kemp <eightbitz@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: haiku-doc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:37:31 -0700 (PDT)
Here is what I have so far. I've converted it to plain text so the special
features/fonts disappeared. Let me know what you think. I still have to
expand more on query formulas and such.
Attribute and Query Basics:
Attributes are definable characteristics of a file. For example an
attribute of an email file is the "Reply to" field. Each attribute
contains two items. The first being the name/descriptor, and the second
being the value. A file may contain an unlimited number of attributes, and
an attribute can contain any amount of data. A files attribute data is
stored in the I-node, separate from the file. It is possible to have a
file with attribute data but have a zero file size..
Why are attributes important:
File attributes store information about a file. This data can be
used to open up the correct helper application for viewing/ executing the
file. Without attributes, imagine trying to locate the proper application
to access a file every time it was used. This would be very tedious.
Another feature of attributes is the ability to sort the files on your
file system and list them according to the specifications of the user.
Attributes and Tracker:
The OpenBFS attribute setup is very similar to a database. Using Tracker
the user can sort file listings by using attributes. To do this open a
Tracker window, click on the Attribute menu item, and select the attributes
you want to display. Clicking on the attribute title bar will toggle the
attribute list order from ascending to descending..
Attributes in the Terminal:
There are five commands for controlling attributes from the terminal. They
are as follows:
listattr <filename> - Will list a file's attributes, but will not show the
data associated with the attributes. To do that use catattr.
catattr <attribute name> <filename> - This command will display the
contents inside of a specific attribute.
addattr and rmattr – Will add or remove attributes from a specified file.
copyattr – This command will copy attributes from one or more files to
another.
More information can be found on these commands by typing the command name
followed by “--help” from the terminal.
What is a Query?
In relation to this document a query is defined as a file search based on
file attributes. On Haiku a query can be performed on the desktop or in
terminal. The queries are saved as files in “/boot/home/queries” and by
default last seven days before being purged.
Basic Search:
Performing a basic desktop query is easy. First open the Find entry on the
Leaf menu (or press ALT-F). Type a full or partial name of the file being
searched in the textbox. Then click Search. That’s it! But what if you
want to perform a search of your people files only showing those living
in France than , where their name starts with “L”? For this Haiku offers
more advanced search settings.
Advanced Search:
The Find window has many other options. Along the top of the
window are four buttons. There function follows, starting left to right.
The first button allows the user to select previous queries.
The second button allows the user to select a specific type of
file.
The third button defines the search method.
The fourth button selects which drives to search on.
Also along the bottom of the window, next to the file drawer, is an
expander, which gives additional advanced options, and of course the Search
button.
The Find interface has many possibilities when searching “by
Attribute” which is located under the third button. This is where the user
can sort by specific attributes and what value or condition they hold.
Sources:
BeOS Bible
Practical Filesystem Design
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be_File_System
www.haiku-os.org
and experimentation on the Haiku OS
<<<To do:>>>
add filetype section
add by formula query
----- Original Message ----
From: Salvatore Benedetto <emitrax@xxxxxxxxx>
To: haiku-doc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, August 15, 2008 9:11:44 AM
Subject: [haiku-doc] Re: End user documentation
2008/8/15 Axel Dörfler <axeld@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
> Scott Kemp <eightbitz@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> But for now this document takes priority. I think a wiki would be a
>> good idea,
>> could it be hosted on haiku-os.org?
>
> As long as we can do actual documents with pictures out of it (html &
> pdf), I think a Wiki might be a good way to do user documentation.
> Whatever we decide on, it can definitely be hosted on haiku-os.org,
> though.
I'm all for having a wiki at haiku-os.org. Perhaps wiki.haiku-os.org where
to keep all the user and developer documentation.
Regards,
--
Salvatore Benedetto (a.k.a. emitrax)
Student of Computer Engineer
University of Pisa
www.haiku-os.it
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