Need a way to copy files to a USB stick

[jfuhrer]

OFW: Q2C18 Build:494

Right now, there's no real way to copy a file to a USB stick. Apparently, you're supposed to be able to drag a file that's on the clipboard into the journal and have it add it automatically, but that doesn't work. If I try to drag it into the USB stick's entry list in Journal, the icon simply snaps back into its place on the clipboard, and no entry is added in Journal indicating that the file is copied. Adding a "Paste" button to the Journal might also help further the metaphor and use the same conventions as the rest of the activities in Sugar - that way, you could simply copy a file to the clipboard, then paste it into the USB stick's entry list in the Journal.

[tomeu]

I have added drag and drop support to the usb stick icon in the bottom of the journal's list view. Eben, should we add another way of copying entries to usb sticks more discoverable?

[Eben]

There are several places we can add support for such a feature.

• We need to make sure that one can copy items to the Journal and to USB via drag'n'drop from the frame. (You should be able to drop an object anywhere within the view of the Journal, not just on the icon in the Tray when doing this.)
• Once we nail down some additional features of the activity toolbar, we'll have a "keep" button or menu of some kind. Here we can easily offer "keep in journal" and "keep in USB drive" etc.
• We'll probably want to add similar keep functionality to the rollover palette for any object. If I rollover an object on the clipboard, in an activity, on a bboard, etc. I should be able to keep it wherever I want.

We also need to make sure that copying from a USB stick is just as easy. For this purpose, we need to support drag'n'drop from the USB file list onto the Journal icon. We may also want to add an option to the palette for the USB stick providing "keep all in Journal" to copy over everything at once. Finally, we need a way to support selective copying of items. The new Journal design, once implemented, will give us a way to check checkboxes on a number of items at once. We'll have to see how we can then invoke a "copy selected" action.

There is a copy button in the Entry toolbar, but the intent of that was to copy to clipboard, and it should probably stay that way. Perhaps when a selection is made, the rollover palette for the USB stick has both "keep all in Journal" and "keep selected in Journal." That's probably the most consistent. Of course, if you support drag'n'drop from the Journal view, multiple item selections should also be draggable. We'll have to come up with a visual design for this, and for dragging selections in general.

[marco]

Eben, what do you suggest for Trial-2? Personally I think we should stick to a single way of copying and ensure it's solid. Discoverability is an issue but perhaps not the most critical one right now.

[tomeu]

Eben, right now we only can drag entries to the volume icons in the bottom for copying files between devices. Can you think a better way of copying entries? The copy itself is very little code for me.

[Eben]

One thing it occurs to me we will need in order to support branching of objects is a "duplicate" or "copy" functionality. In a sense, both of these are akin to a "keep" action, where the target location for the action is either the same or different, respectively. We need to make sure that this type of functionality is accessible without the need for drag'n'drop, and so we'll probably need a button for this within the Entry toolbar. It will most likely be a palette button, which provides a list of targets in its palette. Just like any other button in the entry toolbar, this will naturally extend to allowing duplication or copying of a number of selected items at once.

This seems like a post trial 2 goal, though, since it will require a bit more visual design and more care in implementation.

[tomeu]

I like this idea, would be quite similar to sending an entry to someone, right?

[Eben]

Yes, the functionality would be nearly identical; Select a device instead of a person.

[tomeu]

Entries can be copied between devices via drag and drop. Adding other mechanisms are for trial3.

[tomeu]

Created a new ticket about adding another way for copying entries to removable devices: #2651.

If dnd of entries is regressed, please enter a new ticket or reopen this one.