Templates not working

[xlinuks]

Binary package hint: nautilus

Nautilus doesn't seem to work with file templates.
After including file templates into $HOME/Templates, nautilus doesn't add them to the right-click->Create Document menu.
As specified by many tutorials, for example:
http://ubuntu-tutorials.com/2006/12/08/how-to-create-easy-access-templates-via-right-click-ubuntu-510-6061-610/
nautilus should show these new templates in the right-click menu but it doesn't (not even after computer reboot).
I installed another file manager - Thunar and it does display the new file templates, so I think it's a bug in Nautilus.

Screenshots of both file managers behavior:
http://xlinuks.googlepages.com/nautilus.png
http://xlinuks.googlepages.com/thunar.png

I have Gutsy Gibbon with all updates.
This bug can be reproduced each time.

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

Thanks for your report, that works fine in my Gutsy and Hardy installation, may you try to reproduce the same with another new user? Could be something broken in you configuration rather than a nautilus bug.

[xlinuks (xlinuks)]

I investigated a bit more into this problem and here's my conclusion: if the user deletes the Templates folder (I did Shift+Delete) and restarts the computer, nautilus seems to never check again for this folder (nautilus doesn't show anymore any templates even if the user creates this folder and adds templates to it).

Here's what I did:
On another computer a formatted a partition and made a clean install of Gutsy. When I first logged there was already the "Templates" folder and I added a OpenOffice odt document and it showed up instantly in the right-click menu. Then I deleted this folder, made a computer restart, created back the folder and the template - but the templates don't work anymore.

ps: If you care about your current templates I suggest checking what I posted above on some computer/installation that you don't care about, cause you risk having to reinstall the OS or something alike to get back the templates working, just my 2 cents.. btw I'm surprised by the fast reply, on Sun's bug track it usually takes weeks..

[xlinuks (xlinuks)]

And oh.. I think this is a bug in Nautilus, because a novice user when entering the home folder after system install sees an empty "Templates" folder and since he doesn't know what's it for - deletes it.. he has no clue that if he deletes this folder he will never have the templates working again.
I think one the following actions would be helpful:
1) Nautilus should always check for this folder so that the user realizes the impact of deleting the folder he can get back the templates working, or:
2) The templates folder should be made hidden so that users don't accidentally delete it, or move it to some other settings directory such as ~/.gconf or alike, so that the user realizes that this folder is part of his desktop settings and deleting it will affect (negatively) his desktop settings.

[Bruce van der Kooij (brucevdk)]

In my case the XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR variable in ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs wasn't set properly. Might this also have been the case for you?

[xlinuks (xlinuks)]

I don't know, after reinstalling the system I decided to use Thunar. It works correctly with templates.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

We are closing this bug report as it lacks the information, described in the previous comments, we need to investigate the problem further. However, please reopen it if you can give us the missing information and don't hesitate to submit bug reports in the future.

[xlinuks (xlinuks)]

Bruce van der Kooij wrote on 2008-02-21: "In my case the XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR variable in ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs wasn't set properly. Might this also have been the case for you?"

- The value of the variable XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR gets changed from "$HOME/Templates" to "$HOME" after the user removes the Templates folder and reboots the computer. Thus to get back the templates to work one has to manually set the value of XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR back to "$HOME/Templates".
If this is not a bug but a feature than please keep this bug report closed.

[Michael Nagel (nailor)]

i do not see this as a feature, as described in a duplicate
copy of comment there:

----------------------------
i have deleted my templates folder and nautilus does not handle this very well.
clicking on "Go->Templates" brings me to my home folder.

(that is at least consistent with
XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR="$HOME/"
line from .config/user-dirs.dirs)

however this setup is not very useful because i most certainly do not want to have my templates in my home folder (or put it the other way round: all my files as a template). and secondly, it does not work, i.e. even the files that are in my home folder are not available as templates...

i suggest that a non-existent template dir should not be changed to $HOME and i should be offered some assistance when clicking on "Go->Templates" in this case.
----------------------------

[Michael Nagel (nailor)]

for future reference: i wrote up how to fix an accidentally deleted folder:
http://nailor.devzero.de/blog/archives/26-fix-broken-gnomenautilus-template-folder.html

...and i would really like to see this reopened as wishlist...