There are a couple of cool features in Ubuntu that you might not know what to do with, yet, but they are cool nonetheless. You can attach notes and attach an emblem, or icon, to any file or folder.

To do this, open a folder in the File Browser by selecting a location from the Places menu.

Opening the Home folder

In the File Browser, right-click on a folder, and select Properties from the popup menu.

Selecting properties of a folder

The Documents Properties dialog box displays. Click the Notes tab. Type your notes into the box on the Notes tab. Click Close when you are finished.

Documents Properties dialog box - Notes tab

In the File Browser, a note icon displays in the lower, left corner of the folder icon to which you attached the notes.

Note icon on a folder

To remove the note, go back into the Documents Properties dialog box, click the Notes tab, and delete your text from the Notes tab. The note icon is removed from the folder icon.

You can also add an emblem, or an icon, to a file or folder. Access the Documents Properties dialog box as mentioned earlier in this post. Click the Emblems tab. Scroll through the list and select an emblem by selecting the check box to the right of it.

NOTE: You cannot apply more than one emblem to a folder at a time. There is an exception to this, that we noticed. We selected the Document emblem and the Draft emblem and we got a document icon with a pencil on it. Also, if you apply an emblem to a folder or a file and you have applied notes to the same folder or file, the emblem takes precedence.

Documents Properties dialog box - Emblems tab

A document icon displays on the selected folder.

Document emblem on a folder

Use the same procedures to attach notes and emblems to files. These may be a seldom-used features, but they can be useful.

by Lori Kaufman