The K Desktop Environment
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3. Usage

3.1 General Usage

Start Kchmod by selecting "File permission tool" from the "Utilities" submenu in the K menu. Or type kchmod at a command-line prompt. kchmod filename opens a specific file. This is especially useful for opening a directory. Type kchmod --help to see a list of all available command-line options.

3.2 Menu Commands

3.2.1 File menu

Open
Selects the file to be changed. A directory can not be directly selected in this step - either specify it at the command line or select a file in the directory and then use "Enclosing Directory".

Enclosing Directory
Selects the directory enclosing the currently selected file.

Save
Writes the new settings to the file. If successful, it displays the issued command in the lower left corner. If not, probably because you're not the file's owner, it displays an error message.

Show Tooltips
When checked, tooltips are shown for most of the items in the window.

Quit
Quits the application.
 

3.2.2 Help menu

Contents
Brings up these help documents.

What's This
Select this and click on items to get more information about them.

Report Bug
Offers an easy to use dialog to report bugs in Kchmod.

About Kchmod
Displays information about the Kchmod

About KDE
Displays information about the KDE project

3.3 Other Options

Check the boxes to set read, write and execute access for UID, user, group and other. The number is the octal representation of the permissions you've chosen (explained in the next section). The letters below the box indicate the output ls -l will give you after those permissions have been written to the file.
 

SetUID

From info chmod:
Set the process's effective user ID to that of the file upon execution (called the "setuid bit").  No effect on directories.

Example: The rm command is owned by root. Normally it runs with the permissions of the user, so files can only be deleted if the owner has write permission. If rm were setuid, anyone who runs can delete files as if they were root. Obviously you'd have to be crazy to setuid rm but certain applications, like those controlling PPP connections or CD playback, may need to be setuid to function for ordinary users.
 

GroupID

From info chmod:
Save the program's text image on the swap device so it will load more quickly when run (called the "sticky bit").  For directories on some systems, prevent users from removing files that they do not own in the directory; this is called making the directory "append-only".

Sticky

From info chmod:
Save the program's text image on the swap device so it will load more quickly when run (called the "sticky bit").  For directories on some systems, prevent users from removing files that they do not own in the directory; this is called making the directory "append-only".
 

Recursive
Setting this box causes the new settings to apply not only to the specified directory, but to all files contained within it.
 
 
 

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