Dragbox is a software tool designed for GNOME that allows users to drag and drop files via the command line. It also offers additional features to enhance the usability and productivity of the system.
Once you start Dragbox, the software accepts both drags and drops and can output dragged-to items to the standard output. Additionally, you can pipe text to Dragbox or a list of files using xargs. Another fantastic feature of this tool is that when you click an item, it is copied to the clipboard. Right-clicking opens a context menu that provides access to the preferences dialog, which is incredibly useful.
For detailed command-line instructions, Dragbox comes with an included man page. Dragging in GNOME works well, but there are some undiscoverable tricks that can make your experience even better. For instance, pressing modifier keys can switch between different types of drags. You can drag a file to nautilus, and it usually copies. However, you can hold shift to move it or shift-ctrl to make a symlink.
Moreover, you can drag from any window without activating it by holding the altgr or super key when you drag. This is often very useful. You can bring up a minimized or obscured window while dragging by hovering momentarily over its button in the window list (in the gnome-panel). If you select something in a window and focus on another window, it looks like the selection disappeared. Still, you can try to drag it without focusing the window (see above). Lastly, type escape while dragging to cancel the drag.
Some key features of Dragbox include dragging text and files to and from the dragbox, piping text and files to and from the dragbox, and copying a file path or text to the clipboard on click. The software offers powerful command-line integration in both ways, but you can still use it without touching a terminal, which is amazing.
To use Dragbox, you need GTK+ version 2.6.x, python2.4, python-gnome2, python-glade2, and python2.4-dbus. The exact python modules needed are gtk, glade, gnome.ui, gnomevfs, gconf, and dbus. In conclusion, Dragbox is a powerful tool that provides an unprecedented level of functionality to its users, making it an outstanding option for those looking to work more efficiently in GNOME.
Version 0.4.0: N/A