Konqueror should be able to parse .lnk files

[Matthew Flaschen]

Binary package hint: konqueror

Windows uses a .lnk (Shell link) file format for shortcut files. The Windows implementation is described at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/shell/reference/ifaces/ishelllink/ishelllink.asp . These are similar to the Konqueror .desktop files, and can refer to files or folders. It would be very useful if Konqueror could parse them. For instance, I have a dual-boot machine with a shared data partition and it would be helpful to use .lnk folder shortcuts on both operating systems. I realize this is quite complicated, because the mountpoint/drive letter will differ. However, Konqueror could attempt to resolve it relatively. An example .lnk file will be attached.

[Roel Huybrechts (rulus)]

Hi, thanks for your report. Since this is not a bug in the Ubuntu distribution, I'm going to reject this bug report.

However, your idea might get more attention and have
the possibility of being implemented if you would submit a
specification for this.
You should first check whether it already exists at the Ubuntu specs
page (https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+specs) in Launchpad. If that is the case, feel free to contact the drafter of that spec about
your comments/suggestions. Otherwise you can start writing a spec following the steps described in https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FeatureSpecifications.

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

My mistake. I know it's not a bug, but I thought this was the place for wishlist items.

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

I filed a KDE wishlist item at http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=138988

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

It figured out KDE *can* do this, but you have to install the package kdeaddons-kfile-plugins, and make some configuration changes. I detailed it at http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=85348

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

I added kubuntu-docs because I think this feature is sparsely documented in general. It's not mentioned on the community wiki or on the kubuntu desktop guide, and I basically had to figure out everything for myself.

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

Basically, the only documentation is the readme and man page.

[Jonathan Jesse (jjesse)]

I saw this bug report and am interested in trying to 'solve' the documentation portion of it. Do you think this would be good in the Desktop Guide or perhas in the Switching From Windows Guide (which currently exists in Ubuntu and is being developed for Kubuntu)?

Thanks,

Jonathan

ps. learned soemthing new today :)

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

I'm not really that clear on what the documentation project produces,
yet. Is it meant to help develop existing documentation for individual
components, like man pages and KDE Handbooks, or develop separate
documentation for whole Ubuntu distributions, or what?

Anyway, I think the .lnk documentation would be great in Switching from
Windows. I don't really know what's up with the Desktop Guide. Is it
meant to remain short and sweet, and shunt people to the Official Ubuntu
Book, or is it just short because no one's written much yet? If it's
the latter, I think it's worth including.

Matthew Flaschen

Jonathan Jesse wrote:
> I saw this bug report and am interested in trying to 'solve' the
> documentation portion of it. Do you think this would be good in the
> Desktop Guide or perhas in the Switching From Windows Guide (which
> currently exists in Ubuntu and is being developed for Kubuntu)?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jonathan
>
> ps. learned soemthing new today :)
>

[Jonathan Jesse (jjesse)]

THhe main focus of the documentation team is dealing w/ the documents that are specific to (K)(X)(ED)ubuntu and when they have time to work w/ upstream on getting things patched that might need to be.
The Switching To Ubuntu guide from Windows seems like a great place for this to be. There are a couple of specs right now in regards to documentation, one being for the Kubutnu Desktop Guide and one for Topic Based Help which we are working on pulling together to make the docs even better :)

[Rich Johnson (nixternal)]

Should this be documented by us, or should it be provided upstream Jonathan? I am pushing more towards upstream, and possibly <xref> to the help:/ location possibly. However this won't work to well with online documentation.

Is there any documentation for this function whatsoever? If so, maybe we can include a brief <para> or <sect> for it in the Konqueror section, or possibly edit it into the Konqi Handbook upstream.

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

There's a man page, and a readme. I haven't found anything else.

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

I made a patch that adds documentation for this into kubuntu/switching/c/migratingdata.xml . I also fixed a few spelling mistakes.

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

I made a patch that adds documentation for this into kubuntu/switching/c/migratingdata.xml . I also fixed a few spelling mistakes.

[Rich Johnson (nixternal)]

I really don't see how this is a Kubuntu docs bug but more or less a kdebase/konqueror bug. I am reopening it to kdebase and closing the kubuntu-docs portion.

[Rich Johnson (nixternal)]

Matthew, I applied your patch to the docs as well. Thanks for the extra information.

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

Where did you add it? I'm not seeing it in the switching section.

[Rich Johnson (nixternal)]

Starts at line 66 of trunk/kubuntu/C/switching/migratingdata.xml. Hopefully tonight it will go through and build successfully on http://doc.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/C.

[Endolith (endolith)]

"It figured out KDE *can* do this, but you have to install the package kdeaddons-kfile-plugins, and make some configuration changes."

So should Ubuntu be configured to support this by default?

[Sarah Kowalik (hobbsee-deactivatedaccount)]

Matthew, since you've researched this....what config changes do you need to make to make this work by default?

Obviously, the added dependancy, but what else?

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

See http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=85348#c7 . Basically, you need to specify which partition goes with which Windows drive letter.

[Sarah Kowalik (hobbsee-deactivatedaccount)]

right...so there's little way that we can actually automate this, unless we want to detect and mount all windows drives, at arbitary mount points. hmmm.

[Matthew Flaschen (matthew-flaschen)]

Doesn't the installation set up mount points for all drives?

[Jonathan Thomas (echidnaman)]

Hello there,

Kubuntu currently does not have the manpower necessary to implement this feature as a distribution, so we are closing this report. Worry not, though, because your wish item is still being tracked by KDE at http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=85348 . Once KDE implements this feature, we will include it in the Kubuntu release which contains the KDE version the feature was implemented in.

Thanks for understanding, and have a nice day.