File manager should have a extension api

[Khurshid Alam]

A file manager should be developed with an extension api in mind from the very beginning. Only basic level functionality should exists in the core code. All other advanced features & functionality can be achieved through plugins & extensions.

It gives uses & developers several advantages:

1. Developers only have to maintain a basic level of code, code remains clean & bug-free(almost).

2. Normal users can use it without minimal-fuss. Power-users can have advanced functionality through plugins.

3. When the code remains bug-free for longer amount of period, developers can concentrate on other things like modernize the UI, integration with various desktop shells...etc.

For example, Nautilus has a very extensive Extension-API (https://developer.gnome.org/libnautilus-extension/stable/). Popular features like open-in-terminal, open-as-root do not exist in nautilus code but as a default extension.

[Lacraia (lacraia-tellus)]

A nifty feature would be to do full screen previews of files through extensions. I find this to be very convenient.

[Carlos Jose Mazieri (carlos-mazieri)]

The current work on Samba also brings a reengineering to easily allow introducing support to new protocols.
It is not configurable to work as plugin but developers won't need to worry about details, they just need to provide the interface required to introduce support to new protocols.

As soon Samba support gets done, some documentation about adding new protocols to filemanager should be provided.