### User interface tips

Here are a few user interface information that may be useful :

- The status bar
- Right clicks
- Drag & drop
- File explorer integration
- Delete elements from a combo list
- Edit information
- Expression combo shortcuts
- Directory combo
- Expression testbed

#### The status bar

The status bar is at the bottom of Siren's main window. The information it displays deserve some explanation.

| Until you change Siren's current directory or quit it the rename/copy operations can be undone or redone. You'll find here information about history. In this case, two operations have been done and one has been undone
| The total duration of the audio and video selected files
| The total size of the selected files
| The number of selected and listed files

#### Right clicks

- On a value in the file list : one of the most interesting options in this menu is the possibily to insert in the expression the variable associated to it

- On a file list column header :

- On a directory name in the directory tree :

- On a tag in the tag visualisation tab : like what can be done in the file list, you can directly insert the variable associated to a value

#### Drag & drop

- Drag
  Only the elements of Siren's file list can be dragged onto another program
- Drop
  You can drop files or directories on Siren :
  - Files or directories on the file list : the parent directory is loaded and the dropped elements are selected
  - A directory on the directory tree or on the "directory" combo : it becomes Siren's current directory

#### File explorer integration

- Under Windows
  In "Preferences/Shortcuts" you can choose to add Siren into the "Send To" submenu of the file explorer contextual menu.
  When you want to rename files from the file explorer :
  1. Highlight the files you want to work on
  2. Right click : a contextual menu opens
  3. In the "Sent To" submenu choose Siren
  Siren starts, loads the directory you were in and selects the files you highlighted.
  This even works when the file explorer is in icon/thumbnail view mode.
- Under GNU/Linux
  Even if under GNU/Linux there is no "Shortcuts" entry in the "Preferences" you can get the same kind of result with the file explorer you are using.
  For example, with "nautilus", by installing and customizing "nautilus-actions".

#### Delete elements from a combo list

You may have noticed that the values you typed in the combo boxes (expression, filter ...) are added (automatically or manually) to their list.
To remove a useless one, just open the list, highlight it and press the "Delete" key.

#### Edit information

In all combos and especially in the "Expression" one, a specific key combination has been added. It enables to determine correct "coordinates" for the modifiers.
If you press `"Ctrl+Shift+E"`, information will be displayed in the status bar. You'll get the cursor (or selection start/end) positions from the start and end of the text and the selection length.

#### Expression combo shortcuts

- `Ctrl+Shift+I` inserts the current file name
- `Ctrl+Shift+B` doubles the `'\'` (backslash) present in the selected text

#### Directory combo

Pressing the `"+"` button on its right will add the current value to the list.

As under your OS command line, names manually entered can contain environment variables, `'.'`, `".."` and, under GNU/Linux, `'~'`.

#### Expression testbed

In the "?" menu you'll find the "Expression testbed" option.

This tool has been designed for the ones who want to help Siren users having difficulties. It enables to create and test rapidly renaming expressions on files and directories that don't have to exist on the computer.
They are seen as empty and therefore won't have any metadata outside the ones of the "base" group.