Dragging File / Folder from Files window into Open / Save dialog window should open the folder.
Use cases
On other platforms, a workflow is supported where a user can drag a folder or file from a file manager window into a File Dialog pop-up ( for file save or open ) and either:
- File drag - The containing folder will be opened and file highlighted/selected
- Folder drag - The folder will be opened
In both cases, the dialog pop-up will remain open after the drag event until a user clicks Open / Save.
Currently (as of Gnome 40, but tried searching through closed issues), this workflow doesn't appear to be supported and wanted to propose it.
Desired behavior
User should be able to:
1 - Have a Files window open on one side, an Open or Save dialog open on the other side of the screen. 2 - Drag a file or folder from the files window onto an open area of the dialog window. 3 - Release (drop) the file / folder on the dialog window 4 - Observe containing folder is opened in the dialog window, and file is selected if a file was dropped in.
Benefits of the solution
I've come from another platform (macos) where this workflow carried a number of user benefits:
-
Facilitates workflow of searching and opening a folder (either through the Activities 'search' menu, or launcher apps like Kupfer), then
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Facilitates workflow of third-party 'shelf' apps (e.g. www.yoink.app ) to allow for files to be added from another workspace, dragged onto the 'shelf', then dragged into the Open / Save dialog in another workspace.
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This would also complement the following issues relating to:
- drag/drop window foregrounding: gnome-shell#4837
- drag/drop of items between workspaces: gnome-shell#4836
These above workflows can help a user save time when trying to save to a folder that is rather deep in a hierarchy. Currently a user has to navigate towards that manually, or rely on the search option within the dialog which may only facilitate a single level of depth.
Possible drawbacks
There may be a minor drawback due to how the current file open/save dialog does not contain navigation buttons so a user may get lost if they dragged in a folder to open then wanted to revert back.