meiqimichelle/ipfs-companion-ux.md

## ipfs-companion-ux.md

      
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              ipfs-companion-ux.md
            
          
    IPFS Companion user experience

...when given no particular task other than 'explore pinning'

Getting running
Now what?
Other notes

"Add Selected Text to IPFS"
Oh yeah, there's also the existing concept called 'pin' in Chrome


Getting running


Get sent to https://github.com/ipfs-shipyard/ipfs-companion#ipfs-companion
First hit chrome link, which turns out just goes to chrome browser download page, then hit button for extension:


Downloads nicely, and loads this:


I know I've installed IPFS desktop before, but there's that annoying thing where it doesn't stay in the utility bar when it's closed (which is against expected behavior for Mac utility apps). Let's go search and find it...
Desktop starts. It is not black, like every other Mac utility. I also can't tell if it's "running" or not, a common issue with on/off UX (which visual state means 'on'? which visual state means 'off'?) A lot (all?) of this has been fixed in a new IPFS Desktop version, woo! I was using an older one.
So now I've got this in Companion:


We're in business!

Now what?


There's an obvious "what can you do with this" link to https://github.com/ipfs-shipyard/ipfs-companion#features, so I click it.
It tells me that there's a handy browser action pop-up that I hadn't noticed before:


+ Then there's a list telling me what I can do, in the pop-up, but I don't understand where some of the things that are being described on the left map to the pop-up I see on the right
+ 
+ I guess, and select "Share files via IPFS" since that's bold n all. That sends me to:
+ 
+ When I explore the options at the bottom, I see:
+ 
+ I drag-drop a file to the big ol' landing pad and it works!
+ 
+ I can't go back tho (browser back button no can do) -- where am I now? I have a lone leetle file in a browser window. When I add another file after finding 'share' again via the pop-up, it only shows my one file (I guess because 'share' -- like, I'm getting a link to share the thing I uploaded) but what happened to my other file? Normally this is where I would hit a dead end, but I happen to know that there's a WebUI, so I'll continue to that...tbc in another gist...
Other notes

"Add Selected Text to IPFS"


This is a thing. I found it randomly after installing the Chrome extension:


After selecting ^^ , you get:


Oh yeah, there's also the existing concept called 'pin' in Chrome


You can already "pin" a tab: