Script: permz

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Download Links:	Script: download – browse – authenticate – instructions Debian/Ubuntu: packages – PPA Arch Linux: AUR
Description:	Presents a menu for quickly changing file permissions/ownership
Recommended For:	Linux
Requires:	zenity gksu (also recommended: sudo)
License:	GNU GPL v3     * SEE DISCLAIMER *
Related:	pcmanfm-mod
Feedback:	comments – issues

Overview

permz presents a GUI menu which allows you to quickly change file permissions and ownership as a normal user or as root, and delete files as root. permz is designed to be integrated into any file manager, such as PCManFM-Mod.

permz --help Presents a GUI menu for changing file permissions/ownership. May be run as a normal user or root. Requires: zenity gksu Optional: sudo (recommended to prevent multiple root password prompts) Usage: permz FILE [...] MENU FUNCTIONS: rwxrwxrwx Sets file(s) to given permissions Sticky Clear/Set Performs "chmod -t" or +t to clear or set the sticky bit. You may select to clear/set sticky in addition to changing other permissions. Recursive go-rxw "chmod -R go-rxw" on file(s) recursively, denying access to non-owners Recursive go-w "chmod -R go-w" on file(s) recursively, denying write to non-owners Recursive ugo+rX "chmod -R ugo+rX" giving read access to all. Also sets +x for directories and executables. Recursive ugo+w "chmod -R ugo+w" on file(s), giving write to all (You may select several compatible recursive functions above at once) Owner USER As ROOT Sets ownership to USER:USER as root DELETE As ROOT Deletes file(s) as root. Must be used alone or with "Perform Recursively" (to delete directories - USE WITH CAUTION). Not available if permz is run as root. Perform As ROOT Run as root to change selected permissions. (Use of root is automatic when changing ownership) Perform Recursively Adds -R to all chmod, chown, and delete commands to descend into subdirectories. Use in conjunction with any other functions. (Recursion is automatic for "Recursive" functions above) Current su command is set to: gksu -gS

If your file manager allows you to define user commands, you can simply set permz to open all selected files. (See instructions for adding permz to PCManFM-Mod.) Otherwise, you can associate permz with all file types and use your file manager’s “Open With…” menu to run it. You can also simply run permz from a console window.

Almost all file managers already allow you to change file permissions, but the mechanism is usually buried on a second tab of the Properties window, and changing permissions often involves multiple clicks in a grid. To change the owner of a file, you need to type the username. And if the file is owned by root, you can’t do anything.

permz allows you to set file permissions and ownership with single clicks, and it can perform the changes as root. While permz does not allow you to change permissions to all possible combinations, it includes the most common settings. When these aren’t sufficient, you can still use the default mechanism of your file manager.

 

Installation Instructions

Follow the standard Script Installation Instructions. Alternatively, for Debian and Ubuntu a deb package and a PPA repository are available. On Arch Linux, permz can be installed automatically using the AUR.

Before running permz, install required packages using your package manager. For example, on Debian/Ubuntu:

apt-get install zenity gksu

By default, permz uses gksu for functions performed as root. If sudo is installed, it will have gksu use sudo as its backend. This is recommended because it avoids your having to enter the root password multiple times for combined functions.

You can also change the su command to your preferred program at the top of the script. You may need to test and adjust how strings are passed to your command.

You can also adjust the size of the pop-up window at the top of the script. Depending on your default GTK font size you may want to make the window smaller or larger.

permz is a bash script, and is thus easily customized. If you are reasonably familiar with bash, it’s straightforward to change the default functions to whatever you prefer. Be sure to test thoroughly after modifying the script.