Implement "Jump to file" feature (type ahead / type to seek)

Use cases

Use Case 1. Navigate your folder tree fast using the keyboard.

Let's say you want to use only the keyboard to navigate from "/home/user" to "/home/user/development/java/coolproject/src/com/", you kind of know the file path, but don't remember all the folder names.

1. Open nautilus, starting at /home/user
2. Type dev - development is highlighted - press Enter.
3. Type ja - java is highlighted - press Enter.
4. Type cool - coolproject is highlighted - press Enter. ... etc

Doing this with the search functionality alone is painfully slow.

Use Case 2. Find file fast in current directory using keyboard.

1. Open nautilus.
2. Navigate to desired folder.
3. Type first letters of a file.
4. Nautilus jumps to first file that matches by filename prefix immediately.

The alternative is using the current "search in folders and sub-folders" feature, which can take up to multiple seconds for a variety of reasons, some examples, having large sub-folder contents, mounting a network drive, or using slow drives (e.g. CD).

As a power user, I appreciate instantaneous speed if I already now the file name, or file name prefix.

Use Case 3. Find file(s) without disorienting me or changing the view arrangement.

1. Open nautilus.
2. Navigate to desired folder.
3. Type first letters of a file.
4. Nautilus jumps to first file without re-rendering view with files in different folders.

When I work in a folder, I sometimes take an action on multiple files in the same folder, e.g. deleting files one by one, renaming, move them to sub-folders in that same folder. Re-rendering views and changing the folder view to a search view makes this difficult.

Use Case 4. Find and take an action on multiple files 1 by 1 fast.

1. Open nautilus.
2. Navigate to desired folder.
3. Type first letters of file 1.
4. Nautilus navigates to file with typed prefix.
5. Take an action (open, rename, delete, etc).
6. Type first letters of file 2.
7. Take an action.
8. Repeat.

A more specific example, delete all files starting with ab and fa in a folder with 100+ files. I want to jump to first file with prefix ab, select all files with same prefix Ctrl+Down, then jump to first file with prefix fa and repeat. Search functionality is disorienting, because I don't know fast which files starting with fa are in the current folder.

Desired behavior

As a power user, I'd like to type the first letters of a file, and "jump to it" immediately without doing a search.

Benefits of the solution

• Less surprise for computer users that use other file managers. This feature is standard in the industry.
• Happy nautilus users. A lot of people in the GNOME community have been really vocal about wanting this feature in multiple forums and bug trackers (gnome bugzilla, gnome gitlab, ubuntu bugzilla, others).
• Finding files fast when you already know a file name prefix.
• Finding files without being disorienting.
• Navigating through the file system fast.

Possible drawbacks

• Extra code / added complexity

Additional comments

• MS Windows has both "type-ahead" functionality and search functionality, we don't need to kill one to have the other. Both have their purpose to exist.
• Let's keep the noise low, and let's keep this issue technical, otherwise, maintainers will just close this issue like all other similar issues.