Dropping a file vs importing it: @edit vs @auto

[Thomas Passin]

If there is a Leo shortcut on the desktop and you drag and drop a non-Leo file on it, an instance of Leo will start and contain an @edit node for the dropped file (a .cmd file will be put into an @file node).

If you import the same file, it will get imported into an @auto subtree.

Why the difference, and shouldn't both ways do the same thing?

[Edward K. Ream]

Heh. I didn't know that I could drag and drop as you describe. Here are some other ways of importing files:

-  The import-file command calls c.importAnyFile. This method contains various special cases. Maybe some of those cases are dubious.

- Create an empty @<file> node and do refresh-from-disk.

- Create an @button node to do exactly as you please with c.recursiveImport.

I don't think consistency between these ways is all that important.

Edward

[Thomas Passin]

Well, it's not *too* mysterious.  When you drop the file its path gets added to the command line that the OS uses to launch Leo (or whatever program the desktop icon is for).

[jkn]

I have been meaning to check this for ages - what happens if you try to drag and drop a .leo file into a running leo?

looks like you have to drop it into the tree pane, and it then becomes one of the open .leo files - cool

and if you try to drag and drop a non-leo file (into the tree pane) it gets turned into an @file node.

Good, I think...

    J^n

[Thomas Passin]

I do this from time to time.  It's a bit weird that it only works with the tree panel, but I guess that's not a problem.