To Delete a File or Folder Permanently

When you delete a file permanently, it cannot be recovered (unless you have a backup mechanism.)

Open the Trash Can.

Select the objects you want to empty from the Trash Can.
Select individual objects, or choose Select All from the File menu.

Choose Shred from the File menu or from the object's pop-up menu (displayed by pressing Shift+F10 or mouse button 3).

Click OK in the confirmation dialog box.

File and Folder Ownership and Security

The traditional UNIX file and folder protection scheme provides read, write, and execute permissions for three user types: owner, group, and other. These are called basic permissions.

Access Control Lists (ACLs) provide greater control over file and folder permissions than do basic permissions. ACLs enable you to define file or folder permissions for the owner, owner's group, others, and specific users and groups, and default permissions for each of these categories.

Basic Permissions

The permissions on a file or folder specify how it can be accessed. These permissions apply to the basic user types as well as to the ACL default types described in "Setting Default Permissions Through an Access Control List".

Read Permission - Allows access to retrieve, copy, or view the contents of the object.

Write Permission - For a file, allows access to change the contents of the file. For a folder, allows access to create or delete objects from the folder.

Execute Permission - For a file, allows access to run the file (for executable files, scripts, and actions). For a folder, allows access to search and list the folder's contents.

If you do not have permission to write inside a folder, the folder will look like this:

If you do not have read or execute permission for a folder, the folder will look like this:

Basic User Types

For a file or folder, the three basic types of users are:

Owner - The user who owns the file or folder. Only a system administrator (root user) can change the owner of a file or folder.

Group - Users who have been grouped together by the system administrator. For example, the members of a department might belong to the same group. This group is the owning group and usually includes the file or folder's owner.

Other - All other users on the system besides the owner and owning group.

Examples

To make a folder private:

Change the folder's properties, giving yourself (the owner) read, write, and execute permission, but giving no permissions for group and other. This means that only you and the root user can view the contents of the folder.

To make an object that you've created available for everyone to use but protect it so it isn't inadvertently overwritten:

Change the file's properties, giving read and execute permission to owner, group, and other. Don't give anyone write permission.

To View a File or Folder's Permissions

In File Manager, select the icon of the file or folder whose permissions you want to view.

Choose Properties from the File Manager Selected menu, or from the icon's pop-up menu (displayed by pressing Shift+F10 or mouse button 3).
The Permissions dialog box is the default view.

Examine the file or folder's Basic Permissions in the Effective column ("r" stands for Read permission, "w" stands for Write permission, and "x" stands for Execute permission).
- Owner - The permissions granted to the file or folder's owner
- Group - The permissions granted to the file or folder's group
- Other - The permissions granted to everyone besides the owner and group
Note - The Read, Write, and Execute columns in the dialog box represent requested permissions, and may be different than the permissions that are actually in effect (which are shown in the Effective column). The requested permissions may not be in effect because of the mask (see "Permissions Mask").
If you want to look at the permissions for another file or folder, select the object and choose Properties from the Selected menu. If you display the Properties dialog box by typing sdtfprop& on the command line, you can click Browse in the dialog box and select the file or folder name to view properties.

To Modify Basic Permissions

In File Manager, select the icon of the file or folder whose permissions you want to modify.

Choose Properties from the File Manager Selected menu or from the icon's pop-up menu (displayed by pressing Shift+F10 or mouse button 3).
The Permissions dialog box appears.

Click the check boxes to set the Owner, Group, and Other permissions.
The mask restricts the Group permissions, but does not affect Owner or Other permissions. The actual read, write, and execute permissions that Owner, Group, and Other receive appear in the Effective column.

Use the Apply Changes To option button to choose the scope of the changes.
For files, the options are This File Only (default), All Files in Parent Folder, and All Files in Parent Folder and its Subfolders. For folders, the options are This folder only (default) and This folder and its Subfolders.

Click OK on the Permissions dialog box to apply the current settings and dismiss the dialog box. Click Apply to apply the settings without dismissing the Permissions dialog box.
If you want to modify the permissions for another file or folder, select the object and choose Properties from the Selected menu. If you display the Properties dialog box by typing sdtfprop& on the command line, you can click Browse in the dialog box and select the file or folder name to modify properties.

See "Permissions Mask" for a discussion of the mask.


5. Managing Files with File Manager Deleting Objects to the Trash Can To Put Back a File or Folder from the Trash Can


	To Delete a File or Folder Permanently When you delete a file permanently, it cannot be recovered (unless you have a backup mechanism.) Open the Trash Can. Select the objects you want to empty from the Trash Can. Select individual objects, or choose Select All from the File menu. Choose Shred from the File menu or from the object's pop-up menu (displayed by pressing Shift+F10 or mouse button 3). Click OK in the confirmation dialog box. File and Folder Ownership and Security The traditional UNIX file and folder protection scheme provides read, write, and execute permissions for three user types: owner, group, and other. These are called basic permissions. Access Control Lists (ACLs) provide greater control over file and folder permissions than do basic permissions. ACLs enable you to define file or folder permissions for the owner, owner's group, others, and specific users and groups, and default permissions for each of these categories. Basic Permissions The permissions on a file or folder specify how it can be accessed. These permissions apply to the basic user types as well as to the ACL default types described in "Setting Default Permissions Through an Access Control List". Read Permission - Allows access to retrieve, copy, or view the contents of the object. Write Permission - For a file, allows access to change the contents of the file. For a folder, allows access to create or delete objects from the folder. Execute Permission - For a file, allows access to run the file (for executable files, scripts, and actions). For a folder, allows access to search and list the folder's contents. If you do not have permission to write inside a folder, the folder will look like this: If you do not have read or execute permission for a folder, the folder will look like this: Basic User Types For a file or folder, the three basic types of users are: Owner - The user who owns the file or folder. Only a system administrator (root user) can change the owner of a file or folder. Group - Users who have been grouped together by the system administrator. For example, the members of a department might belong to the same group. This group is the owning group and usually includes the file or folder's owner. Other - All other users on the system besides the owner and owning group. Examples To make a folder private: Change the folder's properties, giving yourself (the owner) read, write, and execute permission, but giving no permissions for group and other. This means that only you and the root user can view the contents of the folder. To make an object that you've created available for everyone to use but protect it so it isn't inadvertently overwritten: Change the file's properties, giving read and execute permission to owner, group, and other. Don't give anyone write permission. To View a File or Folder's Permissions In File Manager, select the icon of the file or folder whose permissions you want to view. Choose Properties from the File Manager Selected menu, or from the icon's pop-up menu (displayed by pressing Shift+F10 or mouse button 3). The Permissions dialog box is the default view. Examine the file or folder's Basic Permissions in the Effective column ("r" stands for Read permission, "w" stands for Write permission, and "x" stands for Execute permission). Owner - The permissions granted to the file or folder's owner Group - The permissions granted to the file or folder's group Other - The permissions granted to everyone besides the owner and group Note - The Read, Write, and Execute columns in the dialog box represent requested permissions, and may be different than the permissions that are actually in effect (which are shown in the Effective column). The requested permissions may not be in effect because of the mask (see "Permissions Mask"). If you want to look at the permissions for another file or folder, select the object and choose Properties from the Selected menu. If you display the Properties dialog box by typing `sdtfprop&` on the command line, you can click Browse in the dialog box and select the file or folder name to view properties. To Modify Basic Permissions In File Manager, select the icon of the file or folder whose permissions you want to modify. Choose Properties from the File Manager Selected menu or from the icon's pop-up menu (displayed by pressing Shift+F10 or mouse button 3). The Permissions dialog box appears. Click the check boxes to set the Owner, Group, and Other permissions. The mask restricts the Group permissions, but does not affect Owner or Other permissions. The actual read, write, and execute permissions that Owner, Group, and Other receive appear in the Effective column. Use the Apply Changes To option button to choose the scope of the changes. For files, the options are This File Only (default), All Files in Parent Folder, and All Files in Parent Folder and its Subfolders. For folders, the options are This folder only (default) and This folder and its Subfolders. Click OK on the Permissions dialog box to apply the current settings and dismiss the dialog box. Click Apply to apply the settings without dismissing the Permissions dialog box. If you want to modify the permissions for another file or folder, select the object and choose Properties from the Selected menu. If you display the Properties dialog box by typing `sdtfprop&` on the command line, you can click Browse in the dialog box and select the file or folder name to modify properties. See "Permissions Mask" for a discussion of the mask.