Shortcuts pane: "root" label in "run as root" mode

[noyannus]

Introduction

Welcome to the project, if you pick up this Issue because of the "GOOD FIRST USE" label. You will be mentored through the process if you want. First the Issue is explained. At the end you will find some guidance for first contributors. Please do not hesitate to ask questions. Your solution don't need to be perfect.

Participation or contribution is not recommended unless you are familiar with Back In Time and are an active user. This project is not intended for learning basic Python skills or enhancing your profile at Microsoft GitHub.

Problem & suggested solution

In the Shortcuts pane, there is Root and Home that open the respective content lists. When BiT is run as user, it points to the user's home folder, which is fine. Run as root, "Home" points to root's home folder, which is also fine, but the name is misleading here. It would be more clear to rename that pointer to "Root" or "/root". To avoid confusion of / "Root" and /root "Root", what is now "Root" (/) ought to be named more specifically, e.g. "Filesystem" or "Root Filesystem" or "Filesystem Root". If space is at a premium, omit the icons.

Your next steps

1. If this is your first contribution in this project please introduce your self and tell us about your skills, wishes and plans. Also let us know how you found the issue and the project.
2. Read the existing contributors documentation.
3. We can develop the next steps in the further discussion. Don't hesitate to ask.

Original post

Two cosmetic points that might make their way into a general GUI overhaul.

• Get rid of that pesky "Main profile". The name is not meaningful and not editable, so one has to take notes what that profile actually does, or disable it altogether. Still when the GUI is launched, "Main profile" is opened first and complains if it can't find its backup folder. That in turn can be mitigated with a dummy backup folder that is always available (I use /root/.backintime-dummy/ and /home/user/.backintime-dummy/), but this is an ugly situation. I guess "Main profile" is a leftover from very early days of BiT when it had a more limited functionality. It' done it's job and can go now.

• In the Shortcuts pane, there is Root and Home that open the respective content lists. When BiT is run as user, it points to the user's home folder, which is fine. Run as root, "Home" points to root's home folder, which is also fine, but the name is misleading here. It would be more clear to rename that pointer to "Root" or "/root". To avoid confusion of / "Root" and /root "Root", what is now "Root" (/) ought to be named more specifically, e.g. "Filesystem" or "Root Filesystem" or "Filesystem Root". If space is a premium, omit the icons.

[buhtz]

Hello noyannus,

Thank you for taking the time to report and providing the details. I appreciate your feedback.

Your first point (about "Main profile") is covered by this issues:

• Rename the "Main profile" #1495
• Make all profiles removable including the "main profile" #1371

Your second point about "root" in the shortcuts pane also does make sense. I edit your initial post to make it more clear for new contributors.

Best regards,

[noyannus]

The edit is fine for me. You might also consider for BiT a visual marker to clearly show whether it runs as root or not. The menu bar holds enough space for a center aligned "Running as root" or so, possibly in red or bold font.