Nautilus' Tops Extensions: Add-Ons for File Manager in Ubuntu Linux

Although it comes out of the box in a fairly simple configuration, Nautilus - the default file manager for Ubuntu Linux - is very extensible. Through scripts and other add-ons, you can extend the functionality of this super-cool file manager to all sorts of extra awesome things with your files. Here are just a few of the best scripts and extensions available.

Nautilus-Open-Terminal. I love this little guy! It allows you to open a terminal window right where you are in the file browser, so no more wasting type changing directories from the command line. Simply navigate the GUI way to where you want to work, and open your command line! I still haven't figured out why this infinitely useful feature isn't included in Ubuntu by default.

Nautilus-Image-Converter. If you work with images or photos on your computer, this extension is a must. It uses the free program ImageMagick to rotate and resize your images (yeah that's right, as many as you can select) all from your right click menu. No need to wait to open the GIMP, F-Spot, or any other image manipulation application.

Nautilus-Wallpaper This is another piece of brilliance that should really be included in Ubuntu by default...but since it's not, I'll tell you about it. All it does is add another right-click context menu item for images, so you can quickly and easily set them as the desktop background. I didn't know how much time I was wasting until I got used to this! Who wants to navigate menus and dialog boxes just add a bit new eye candy their desktop?

Nautilus-Actions This one is particularly useful. It allows you define custom action or commands for certain file types or files with names matching your description. Uses range from queuing your audio files in the Rhythmbox music player, to emailing pictures, to securely wiping files from your hard drive. See what other people have done with their actions.

Installation of these extensions should be fairly straightforward in the major distributions; just do a search in your package manager for "nautilus extension" and all of these should show up!

As you can see, there's much more to Nautilus than meets the eye, and with a little tweaking, it becomes one of the most useful and user-friendly tools for managing your files that you'll find anywhere.