gksudo pcmanfm alone or with gksudo leafpad?

Question

If I open pcmanfm using the gksudo command this lets me manipulate files and directories safely. But what if I want to open and modify a text file in one of those directories? Will the gksudo protection carry over to any files I open in Leafpad or do I have to open those files using gksudo leafpad?

Answer 1

I was not sure myself so I experimented a little as follows:

1. Opened pcmanfm using gksudo pcmanfm
2. Navigated to /etc and opened a text file from within pcmanfm using Right Click and Open with Leafpad
3. Edited a text file and successfully saved it

So you do not have to run gksudo leafpad to edit text files not editable as an ordinary user while using pcmanfm opened with gksudo.

Note: Just be a little careful editing files with super user privileges as a mistake could easily cripple your system...