File Manager

File Manager for the Common Desktop Environment allows users to drop icons on the desktop. The icon on the desktop becomes a reference. The creation of the reference and resulting behaviors are not consistent with the future user model for the Common Desktop Environment. Until the user model and architecture are further specified, developers are not encouraged to do any drops onto the desktop or to copy the File Manager behavior.

Within File Manager windows, File Manager allows dropping onto icons other than folders and action icons for the Common Desktop Environment 1.0. For example, dropping a mail message icon onto a mail container icon appends the mail message.

When mail messages or calendar appointments, or other buffers are dragged from the source application and dropped onto File Manager, they must be named. The underlying API supports a name field for the item being dragged. This name should be used as the name of the buffer. The name should be determined in a manner consistent with the application from where it came. If there is no appropriate name, as in dropping a text selection in File Manager, File Manager should name the resulting file "unnamed". If there is a name conflict, File Manager should put up a dialog box and ask the user to rename the dropped file.