Yes, it will be a friction shifter. I toyed with the idea of an indexed shifter simply because I had one in 8 speed, but decided to fabricate a clamp for this particular shifter will be more time consuming than making one for the friction shifter.
I put interrupter brakes on my daughters touring bike and they work better than the drop bar levers. She prefers them as well because they are easier to access and use. Unfortunately I don't have space on the bars for anymore things. Bag mount, phone mount and computer take it up. I had something on the stem, but the cable hits the top tube when turning. I am unable to reorient the cable exit from the shifter to accommodate the top tube.
One more thing, I have that long tail on the clamp plate to serve as a bump stop for the QR lever. Upon putting the wheel in there is no need to visually center the rim between the brake pads. Just pull the wheel back to the top and clamp it tight. I have a spacer on the other side that serves the same purpose.