HOWTO: Easily open any file as root via drag & drop

[Nis]

these directions worked perfectly for me. thanks.

is there anywhere i can get a breakdown of what that script does and how it does it?

Sure.

for uri in $NAUTILUS_SCRIPT_SELECTED_URIS; do

This is a simple for loop that goes through each of the URIS (file locations) specified in the variable $NAUTILUS_SCRIPT_SELECTED_URIS and performs the next part on each of them.

gnome-sudo "gnome-open $uri" &

This is what does the prompt for your password and, if correct, opens the variable uri (which is each file in turn as per the for loop) according to its mime-type. The '&' puts the process "in the background" which means that each file is opened at the same time. Without '&', each file would have to wait for the previous one to close before it was opening. Think of it as a big field where everybody can stand at once (&) in contrast to a queue where only one person can be inside the field (no &).

done

Just closes off the for loop.

Every line starting with a '#' is a comment: this is code that will not be executed. The first line, '#!/bin/sh', is a little different. This is a special signal to the shell to execute the following with the 'sh' shell (usually bash). Some scripts might have '#!/bin/ksh' or even '#!/usr/bin/perl' (which is for perl scripts). For more information check out the Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide.

[Toastermax]

Sure.

for uri in $NAUTILUS_SCRIPT_SELECTED_URIS; do

This is a simple for loop that goes through each of the URIS (file locations) specified in the variable $NAUTILUS_SCRIPT_SELECTED_URIS and performs the next part on each of them.

gnome-sudo "gnome-open $uri" &

This is what does the prompt for your password and, if correct, opens the variable uri (which is each file in turn as per the for loop) according to its mime-type. The '&' puts the process "in the background" which means that each file is opened at the same time. Without '&', each file would have to wait for the previous one to close before it was opening. Think of it as a big field where everybody can stand at once (&) in contrast to a queue where only one person can be inside the field (no &).

done

Just closes off the for loop.

Every line starting with a '#' is a comment: this is code that will not be executed. The first line, '#!/bin/sh', is a little different. This is a special signal to the shell to execute the following with the 'sh' shell (usually bash). Some scripts might have '#!/bin/ksh' or even '#!/usr/bin/perl' (which is for perl scripts). For more information check out the Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide.

still a bit fuzzy to me but a bir of reading should give me some better questions to ask. thanks for the explanation.

[connellr]

I'm not going to pretend to be a programmer, but would the following work for kde?

#!/bin/sh
### openas-root:
###   konqueror script for opening the selected files as superuser (uid=0),
###   utilizing the appropriate applications.

for uri in $KONQUEROR_SCRIPT_SELECTED_URIS; do
	kde-sudo "kde-open $uri" &
done

### end of file.

Thanks in advance

Segrewb

Thanks for your sugestion, but this doesn't seem to work in kde ... First of all I dont think kde-sudo and kde-open exist (on my computer anyhow). I tried modifying your script to use gksudo and gnome-open (gnome-open seems to work in KDE as well) but I couldn't find anywhere to put the script where it would work on the right-click menu. Anyone else have any ideas?

[23meg]

wow, i'm glad that this has been so useful to so many of you! rock on!

[jiyuu0]

added to ubuntuguide.org
http://ubuntuguide.org/#openfileasrootviarightclick

[alexp]

connellr,

Thanks for your sugestion, but this doesn't seem to work in kde ... First of all I dont think kde-sudo and kde-open exist (on my computer anyhow). I tried modifying your script to use gksudo and gnome-open (gnome-open seems to work in KDE as well) but I couldn't find anywhere to put the script where it would work on the right-click menu. Anyone else have any ideas?

this won't work at all. Konqueror doesn't set the variable and AFAIK has no Nautilus-compatible scripting interface.

It might, however, be possible to do that for KDE, too, but this will involve digging deep into the Konqueror/DCOP API, which has various language bindings (including python, IIRC). If you are interested in hacking together something, you might want to have a look at this site -- good luck.

Regards,
Alexander

[segrewb]

connellr,



this won't work at all. Konqueror doesn't set the variable and AFAIK has no Nautilus-compatible scripting interface.

It might, however, be possible to do that for KDE, too, but this will involve digging deep into the Konqueror/DCOP API, which has various language bindings (including python, IIRC). If you are interested in hacking together something, you might want to have a look at this site -- good luck.

Regards,
Alexander

Thanks for the link to the kde site. Looks promising. I'll check into it.

Thanks again,

Segrewb

[thecrimsonking]

I have been using these gems in KDE for years.

[Desktop Entry]
ServiceTypes=application/x-executable,application/x-shellscript,application/x-python,application/x-perl
Actions=runassu

[Desktop Action runassu]
Name=Run as Root
Name[de]=Als root ausfhren
Name[cs]=Spustit jako root
Name[sk]=Spustiť ako root
Name[hu]=Futtatás rootként
Icon=kfm
Exec=kdesu -c

[Desktop Entry]
ServiceTypes=inode/directory,inode/directory-locked
Actions=Openassu

[Desktop Action Openassu]
Name=Open as Root
Name[de]=Als root �fnen
Name[cs]=Otevřít jako root
Name[sk]=Otvoriť ako root
Name[hu]=Megnyitás rootként
Icon=kfm
Exec=kdesu "konqueror --profile filemanagement %U"

Place the files here:
/usr/share/apps/konqueror/servicemenus

Now you will have run as root and open as root in your right click "action" menu.

[arjay1]

crimsonking - hi I really need to have easier root access to modifying files etc as suggested in this thread. I am using KDE

Could you explain a bit more about the two files you suggest creating?

1. Do I just create these in a text editor?

2. What do I call them?

3. Do you have the english words for those in the files (!!!)

Thanks for any help you can give.

[Tyche]

My thanks. I get tired of having to constantly either use sudo or a root terminal just to do a little configuration. I've had as many as 4 root terminals open at a time, 3 of them locked into operating some program (such as gedit). THIS should solve the problem. Thanks