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#1 2018-03-10 03:30:18

dbickin
Member
Registered: 2015-09-30
Posts: 76

Android file transfer clarification [SOLVED]

Okay, I have read a few threads on this topic.

I DO have mtp working so that I can read and write files with my phone, I am just not happy with it, and want to know if it is working as expected or if I did something wrong.

I installed the mtp packages, and now when I plug the phone it with the usb cable, two things happen:
(1) in /media, a folder is created called "My CDROM", which is read-only and while it clearly comes from the phone, it doesn't have my files on it.
and
(2) in Thunar, I see a device called "Android" and it does have my files and I can read and write them.

But.... maybe just a first world problem, but I find Thunar to be a GUI abomination. I prefer midnight commander, and while it can see the useless "My CDROM" thing, but it can't see the "Android" thing.

Is this the way it is supposed to be? Am I missing a step to have Android show up under media like any other decent device I attach via USB?

Another minor annoyance is that when I copy a file from the phone, the file has the executable flag set. I can of course just run chmod -x, but is there a way to remove the need for that step?

Thanks,
David

PS. If I am stuck with Thunar, can it be setup as a dual panel file manager, or is there another file manager that can run dual panel that will see the Android device?

Last edited by dbickin (2018-03-11 05:22:04)

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#2 2018-03-10 07:45:16

ohnonot
...again
Registered: 2015-09-29
Posts: 5,592

Re: Android file transfer clarification [SOLVED]

dbickin wrote:

I prefer midnight commander, and while it can see the useless "My CDROM" thing, but it can't see the "Android" thing.

does mc support gvfs?
because that's how thunar gets it.
if not, you will need a separate solution.
i recommend using adb (doesn't seem to be available for jessie) directly. it's like a shell, you can use known commands like cp and move etc.

i don't know what 'mtp' you installed and why it doesn't work.

If I am stuck with Thunar, can it be setup as a dual panel file manager

yes. not permanently, but there's a dual pane hotkey.

Last edited by ohnonot (2018-03-10 07:45:35)

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#3 2018-03-10 11:54:44

Head_on_a_Stick
Member
From: London
Registered: 2015-09-29
Posts: 9,093
Website

Re: Android file transfer clarification [SOLVED]

dbickin wrote:

it can't see the "Android" thing

Thunar (well, gvfs really (well, udisks2 really really)) mounts the device under /var/user/$UID/ (or something, check for the full path in thunar itself) so you could try that, you need to enable automounting in thunar though.

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#4 2018-03-10 17:51:19

dbickin
Member
Registered: 2015-09-30
Posts: 76

Re: Android file transfer clarification [SOLVED]

Thanks ohnonot.

> does mc support gvfs?

I am guessing not, as I couldn't find anything to say it does, but then again, I couldn't find anything to say it doesn't.

I searched for which file managers use gvfs, and came up with contradictory answers. Some hits said Thunar does use gvfs, while others said that it DOES NOT use gvfs, and if you try to force it, thunar becomes unstable.

>>    If I am stuck with Thunar, can it be setup as a dual panel file manager
>yes. not permanently, but there's a dual pane hotkey.

Is that installed in bunsen by default? Doing a search only found that as a third party patch. The hotkey that patch uses doesn't seem to work...

Thanks too, Head_on_a_Stick

>mounts the device under /var/user/$UID/

I don't see that folder on my system. A search came up with gvfs putting the mount at /home/<USER>/.gvfs/<DEVICE>, but that doesn't exist either.

>check for the full path in thunar itself

I didn't see anything in Thunar to show me the full path. Where do I find that?


Thanks,
David

PS Oh Oh Oh!!!  I installed Double Command, which did show me the full path:
/run/user/1000/gvfs/mtp:host=%5Busb%3A006%2C004%5D/Internal storage

And good old mc DOES see that!

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#5 2018-03-10 17:52:32

Head_on_a_Stick
Member
From: London
Registered: 2015-09-29
Posts: 9,093
Website

Re: Android file transfer clarification [SOLVED]

^ Sorry, yes, /run is correct, not /var

EDIT: thunar does indeed use gvfs to mount stuff.

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2018-03-10 17:54:23)

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#6 2018-03-11 05:21:37

dbickin
Member
Registered: 2015-09-30
Posts: 76

Re: Android file transfer clarification [SOLVED]

So close, but it turns out that that mount in /run/user is populated only if I first open thunar.

Luckily, I found a better solution, jmtpfs, which I can call on the command line. And nicely, it doesn't have the executable flag problem I had with thunar.

I am happy.

David

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#7 2018-03-11 06:40:33

ohnonot
...again
Registered: 2015-09-29
Posts: 5,592

Re: Android file transfer clarification [SOLVED]

dbickin wrote:

>>    If I am stuck with Thunar, can it be setup as a dual panel file manager
>yes. not permanently, but there's a dual pane hotkey.

sorry about that, you are right, thunar does NOT have this feature (at least not the BL Helium version).
i confused that with pcmanfm - there it's enough to press F3 to get dual panes. and it also supports gvfs.
if you use spacefm, this can be set up permanently.

btw: thunar does not depend on gvfs - it works well without it - but if you want to mount a phone in its sidebar, you likely need it. that's often called an optional dependency (yes, i know, archlinux verbiage).

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#8 2018-03-11 14:21:38

Head_on_a_Stick
Member
From: London
Registered: 2015-09-29
Posts: 9,093
Website

Re: Android file transfer clarification [SOLVED]

dbickin wrote:

it turns out that that mount in /run/user is populated only if I first open thunar

You can set thunar to automount stuff and add it to ~/.config/openbox/autostart in daemon mode:

thunar --daemon &

This will keep the file manager running in the background ready to automount stuff that you can then view in mc.

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2018-03-11 14:22:39)

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#9 2018-03-11 19:40:42

Head_on_a_Stick
Member
From: London
Registered: 2015-09-29
Posts: 9,093
Website

Re: Android file transfer clarification [SOLVED]

ohnonot wrote:

that's often called an optional dependency (yes, i know, archlinux verbiage).

What Arch calls optdepends are known as recommends in Debian wink

For Debian it is the default behaviour to install the recommends automatically, in contrast to Arch and optdepends, which are merely suggested in the command output.

EDIT: and Debian has a lower level called suggests, which is more functionally equivalent to optdepends now that I think about it.

EDIT2: but pacman gets the upper hand again with it's rather marvellous groups system, which has no analogue in Debian (sadly).

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2018-03-11 19:43:33)

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#10 2018-03-12 06:46:56

ohnonot
...again
Registered: 2015-09-29
Posts: 5,592

Re: Android file transfer clarification [SOLVED]

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

For Debian it is the default behaviour to install the recommends automatically

but it can be switched off.
for example in synaptic settings.

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#11 2018-04-15 10:40:04

martix
Kim Jong-un Stunt Double
Registered: 2016-02-19
Posts: 1,267

Re: Android file transfer clarification [SOLVED]

ohnonot wrote:
dbickin wrote:

>>    If I am stuck with Thunar, can it be setup as a dual panel file manager
>yes. not permanently, but there's a dual pane hotkey.

thunar does NOT have this feature (at least not the BL Helium version).

There is something like that on Linux Lite:  https://unlockforus.com/thunar-split-vi … inux-lite/

Hopefully it was done once, it can be implemented in the future.

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