Tracker: A tree-view

[jadedctrl]

In addition to the list-view and icon-view, a tree-view might be useful in a couple of circumstances: Sorting files within the same directory (e.g. e-mail threads) or seeing multiple directories at once,

In tree-view, the right-most leading attribute (usually Name) could also contain the tree's lines, and only this attribute will be indented by the tree. Other than that, it might look identical to the list-view.

I can think of three ways the tree ordering might be determined:

1. By two attributes: One attribute contains a file's ID, and the other contains the "parent's ID." Files will be put in the branch of the file whose ID equals its own "parent ID." This would be the sort used for e-mail, with something like MAIL:in_reply_to being the "parent ID" attribute and MAIL:id being the individual "ID." The mockup attached shows this in action with e-mails.

2. By a single attribute: All files with the same value for x attribute will fall under the same indentation of the tree. This ordering would only allow one level of indentation. There's a mockup attached showing this in action with Calendar events, nested by category.

3. By directory: This one's probably self-evident.

The menu-bar items for this could be like so:

Window
-> Icon View -> (Icon sizes)
-> List View
-> Tree View
-> -> By attribute -> (List of attrs) -> (List of attrs)
-> -> By directory

Under "By attribute," the first attribute might be the "ID" attribute, the second being the "parent" ID (ordering with method 2 if selected).

[jadedctrl]

Tree-view of calendar events, sorted by one attribute (Category)

[jadedctrl]

Tree-view of e-mail files, ordered by two attributes (In-Reply-To and Message ID)