© Copyright Robert Vasvari, 1993.

File Operations Within a Host

RBrowser supports the following operations on the remote host:

<WINDOWS Users please note:> When the icon is dropped into a directory in the same connection, you will get a menu to choose between move, copy, link. If you are dragging from NY Explorer into RBrowser, it is always a copy. If you are dragging from RBrowser into NT Explorer it is *always* a MOVE!

1. Move

Drag the source above the target directory. If the target opens up, drop it in. The cursor must look like this during the drop: (a small black square on MacOSX)

2: Copy

Same as above, but hold down the <ALT> key before dropping. The cursor chages to this: (a small black + on MacOSX)

3: Create Soft Link

Same as above, but hold down the <CONTROL> key before dropping. The cursor chages to this: (a small black arrow on MacOSX) This feature is not available on FTP.

4: Delete

Select file(s) in the browser and click on the File/Destroy. You will be asked to confirm before the delete operation is started.

5: Duplicate

Select file(s) in the browser and click on the File/Duplicate. Another file with the name CopyOfOrigFileName will appear in the same directory.

6: Compress

Select file(s) in the browser and click on the File/Compress. The utility used for the compress is the one defined for this connection in the Connection Preferences.

This feature is not available on FTP.

7: New Directory

Creates a new subdirectory in the currently selected directory.

8: New Empty File

Creates a new empty file in the currently selected directory.


All file operations work on files, directories and multiple selections. Copying/Moving a directory involves all of its subdirectories.

All file operations run asynchronously in the background. You can view/kill them from the Processes panel. If the KILL button appears, the operation can be aborted.

UNIX only:

Warning: Some of these operations may continue in the background on the remote host even if you try to kill them in the process panel. This behaviour entirely depends on the host you are connected to. Exercise caution before starting operations (like deleting a tree of files) which are potentially final and cannot be recovered from. In these cases you may have to telnet to the remote host and kill the processes directly.


File Operations between different hosts

UNIX only:

Without using any modifier keys, you will see the move cursor(above) as you hold the source document above the target directory. This DOES NOT mean that the source will be deleted. In this case if the source is (or contains) a link, the target of the link will no be copied, there will be a new link in the target directory instead. You should exercise caution with copying links between systems,since the link might point to a non existent file on the target system. If the <ALT> key is held down when the icon is dropped and the copy cursor (above) shows, RBrowser will attempt to copy whatever the links point to. WARNING: this may greatly increase the size of the copied file(s).

FTP only:

Modifier keys make no difference here.

Local To Remote:

drag the source file from three possible sources:

RBrowser Local Viewer, OPENSTEP Workspace, or by <ALT> clicking on the miniaturize icon of any file. Drop the icon into any directory on the remote

browser that will open as you drag over it.

Remote to Local:

There is a limitation here: The target MUST be RBrowser's Local Viewer.

Remote to Remote:

No limitations on either source or target. You can drop into any directory on a remote browser that will open for the dragged document.


RBrowser Main Page

RBrowser ® is a product of Different Drummer Software.