9. The "Browse Files" tool
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## 9. The "Browse Files" tool

This tool is displayed after you select any of the menu items of the File → Folder submenu.

You may need to enable the File → Folder submenu by checking "Enable the 'File|Folder' Submenu" in Options → Preferences, General|Features section.

This tool is similar to the file manager applications which are native to all operating systems: Windows Explorer, Mac OS X Finder, Linux/KDE Nautilus, etc. The main advantages of using one or more "Browse Files" tools over the native counterparts are:

- Tightly integrated in XMLmind XML Editor.

- Does not use much screen real estate.

- Makes use of all XXE plug-ins. For example, if you install the "JEuclid image toolkit plug-in" add-on, you'll be able to preview MathML equations.

- Last but not least, if you have the "WebDAV virtual drive plug-in" add-on and/or the "FTP virtual drive plug-in" add-on installed, you'll be able to manage files stored on all sorts of remote servers. Installing such add-ons is done simply by using Options → Install Add-ons.

Figure 7.5. The "Browse Files" tool showing the source files of our DITA tutorial

Notice in the above screenshot that the "Show image thumbnails" option (see below) is turned on and that the icon next to "`concept.dita`" has a small lock, meaning that is file is currently locked[19].

Toolbar buttons:

Back

  Browse previously visited folder.

Forward

  Browse previously visited folder by undoing the Back action.

Go up one level

  Browse parent folder.

Split

  Split the "Browse Files" tool in two parts, making it easy to drag/drop or to copy/paste files between these tools.

Search

  Open a "Search Files" tool allowing to search by their contents the XML files found in this folder.

Show image thumbnails

  This checkbox adds a thumbnail after each list item corresponding an image file.

  This facility makes use of all the image toolkit plug-ins currently installed in XXE. If you are missing an image format (e.g. `SVG`), please install the corresponding image toolkit plug-in (e.g. "Apache Batik image toolkit plug-in") using Options → Install Add-ons.

Refresh

  Update what is displayed by the "Browse Files" tool. Clicking this button is needed when the content of the folder is modified outside XMLmind XML Editor.

Below the toolbar is found an interactive pane containing a visual representation of the folder:

- Up, Down, Shift+Up, Shift+Down may used to select one or more files. These shortcuts work as expected in any multi-selection list.

- Press Enter to open the selected file. If the selected file is an XML file, it is opened in XXE. If the selected file is not an XML file, a dialog box is displayed allowing the user to choose a helper application.

- Click, Shift+Click, Ctrl+Click may used to select one or more files. These actions work as expected in any multi-selection list.

- Double-click on a file to open it. If the selected file is an XML file, it is opened in XXE. If the selected file is not an XML file, a dialog box is displayed allowing the user to choose a helper application.

- Right-click on a file to first select it and then to display the following popup menu:

  Open

    Open the selected file. If the selected file is an XML file, it is opened in XXE. If the selected file is not an XML file, a dialog box is displayed allowing the user to choose a helper application.

  Open Document in Read-only Mode

    Same as above, but the document is opened in read-only mode.

  Open as Document Set

    Open selected XML file — typically a DITA map or a DocBook master document — as a document set. This button displays the "Document Set" tool.

  New Folder

    Create a subfolder in current folder.

  New Document

    Create an XML file using the same dialog box as the one displayed by File → New.

  Lock

    Lock selected file.

    If the current folder is stored on a WebDAV server, it is also possible to lock a subfolder of the current folder.

  Unlock

    Unlock selected file.

    In principle, the file must have been locked by you. However, this menu item will attempt to unlock it in all cases and depending on your privileges, this action may succeed or fail.

  Cut

    Cut selected files.

  Copy

    Copy selected files.

  Paste

    Paste files cut or copied using the above menu items.

  Rename

    Rename selected file.

  Delete

    Delete selected files.

- The customary keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+A, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Del, Backspace work as expected in any file manager.

- The "Browse Files" tool is fully drag and drop enabled. It supports the copy and move operations. It does not support the link operation.

  Note that when an XML file is dragged and dropped onto XXE, the document is always opened or reopened in XXE.

[19] Details about the lock are given by the tooltip of the file icon.

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8.4. Using the "Document Set" tool | Home | 10. The "Search Files" tool