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    #1

    [SOLVED] Interesting but dangerous Desktop

    In 18.04, for quite some time I have noticed something interesting. On my Desktop, I double-click on a folder--any folder or any file--to open it. OK. I do my navigating and my work in that folder (or to that file). OK. I then close that folder (or file), return to my Desktop, and guess what: that folder (or that file) is still highlighted! I've often wondered if that is for real: If I press the Delete key on my keyboard, would that delete the highlighted folder (or file)? Today, finally, I tried it. Not OK! Pressing the Delete key does, indeed, delete that highlighted folder (or file) that was left on my Desktop.

    Is that right? Do you see that on your system? Isn't that a flaw? Or is my system goofed up?

    Rx: Of course, I try to be careful to return to my Desktop (after opening and then closing a folder or a file there), and I click on an empty space to un-highlight that folder or file (that was left sitting there highlighted).

    Sure would appreciate some input on this one.
    An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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    #2
    I can confirm your observation and believe it's a bug in KDE /Plasma. It's not serious in my opinion but good to be aware of it , in fact I just tried in dolphin and it holds true no matter which folder you try it will delete it. Good thing is it sends it to trashcan where it can be undone. So it may very will be a dolphin problem, or maybe it's intentional not sure.
    Dave Kubuntu 20.04 Registered Linux User #462608

    Wireless Script: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...5#post12350385
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      #3
      I single-click :·) but I tried using folder mode (I use desktop), copying a folder there, and I get exactly the same behavior.
      Neon 18.04.

      Except, when I press the Del key, it moves the file to the Trash, it doesn't "delete it".
      To Delete it - in Dolphin - I have to right-click on it and choose Delete (I had to add the action).
      Which when I do, gives me a Pling and a warning - which I can get rid of (do not show this again), but I don't... from past experience :·)
      If I press the Del key, -->trash.

      From the Trash you can recover it, from an actual Delete... not so easily.
      So, maybe a good idea to set the Del key to Trash rather than Delete?
      Which has always been the default mode for me...
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        #4
        Thanks, guys, for checking and for your input. Yes, I've set my Delete to send to Trash, so, yes, the deleted file can be recovered. Just a little edgy about this, though! I choose to use my Desktop in folder mode, and I have a major contain-all master folder there on Desktop. I do this for convenience. OK, so we do seem to be seeing this. Thanks. Cuidado es la palabra.
        An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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          #5
          Another experiment. Created a folder on the Desktop and opened it and then closed it, and, as we know, it remains highlighted. Opened Thunderbird email, highlighted an email, pressed the Delete key on keyboard to delete the email. Checked the Desktop, and the test folder was still there (I know this sounds a little nuts), however it was no longer highlighted, which is a good thing. Repeated this twice, just to be sure. As you can glean, I'm thinking that hopefully there is no way to accidentally delete that highlighted folder on the Desktop.

          See Post #8 for the correction and discussion.
          Last edited by Qqmike; Jul 01, 2019, 08:52 AM.
          An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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            #6
            I've been burned many a time while cleaning up files. You click on a Folder to open it then click on a file to delete it and the entire folder gets deleted. I have a habit now of clicking somewhere in a "dead" zone first to clear any highlighted items then clicking on the file/folder I want to delete.
            If you think Education is expensive, try ignorance.

            The difference between genius and stupidity is genius has limits.
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              #7
              Originally posted by Qqmike View Post
              Another experiment. Created a folder on the Desktop and opened it and then closed it, and, as we know, it remains highlighted. Opened Thunderbird email, highlighted an email, pressed the Delete key on keyboard to delete the email. Checked the Desktop, and the test folder was still there (I know this sounds a little nuts), however it was no longer highlighted, which is a good thing. Repeated this twice, just to be sure. As you can glean, I'm thinking that hopefully there is no way to accidentally delete that highlighted folder on the Desktop.
              In this 'experiment', the reason your folder remained, is the act of launching Thunderbird 'forced' the focus to change from the folder to the application.
              Using Kubuntu Linux since March 23, 2007
              "It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data." - Sherlock Holmes​
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                #8
                Snowhog, right. And so the Delete key action applied to the email, not to the Desktop folder.

                My experiment in Post #5 is wrongly reported.

                Another experiment. Created a folder on the Desktop and opened it and then closed it, and, as we know, it remains highlighted. Opened Thunderbird email, highlighted an email, pressed the Delete key on keyboard to delete the email. Checked the Desktop, and the test folder was still there (I know this sounds a little nuts), however it was no longer highlighted, which is a good thing. Repeated this twice, just to be sure. As you can glean, I'm thinking that hopefully there is no way to accidentally delete that highlighted folder on the Desktop.
                It should read:

                Opened Thunderbird email, highlighted an email, pressed the Delete key on keyboard to delete the email. Checked the Desktop, and the test folder was still there and it was still highlighted. In Post #5, I was inadvertently clicking on the Desktop before viewing the highlighted test folder.

                Summary: It seems the risk of leaving a highlighted previously opened folder does persist.
                An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                  #9
                  OK, maybe this is a bit "cilly".
                  But that "major contain-all master folder"... you could have it in a dock like Latte.
                  So it's on your desktop but not in a "dangerous" way.

                  I just added my Pictures folder to it, look:

                  Click image for larger version Name: lattepics.png Views: 1 Size: 13.2 KB ID: 644233
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                    #10
                    Don B Cilly, that's a good idea. Or ... I could rename the master folder to something like remember-to-un-highlight-me.
                    An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                      #11
                      That's exactly the reason I've set Dolphin to confirm a delete-action. It's almost impossible to delete something by accident that way.
                      Another thing I noticed in the past (don't know if that's still the same in 18.04): if I moved a folder to the trash and restored it, everything inside it changed to read-only. I had to restore the rights by hand.
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                        #12
                        Thanks for all your posts. It confirms what I see. And the policies re the Delete action options should be noted by anyone reading through this thread. I'll mark this thread Solved, but feel free to add input.
                        An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                          #13
                          Maybe that stash thing mentioned here could be a solution?
                          It's basically an "all containing folder", except it doesn't really "contain" anything, it just has links in it.
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