Feature req: Add a method to open a local file path in the user's native file explorer

[tyler-foster]

User Story

As a user, I want to be able to swiftly navigate to a file's location in my native file explorer, should that file be available on a local file system.

Context

In implementing FMS multifile support, one of the challenges we have encountered is the expectation that users should be able to select specific programs that they can then use to open a file directly from BFF. This appears to be difficult when using programs that users typically use to launch multifiles, e.g. using Zen to open a .sldy file.

Instead of implementing custom logic for handling the opening of specific file types using specific applications, we could instead provide functionality that allows the user to open their native file explorer directly to the location of a locally-available file. From there, they can open the file the way they typically would from their native file system.

Details

• The option to do this would only be available in the desktop version of the app.
• While not necessarily restricted to internal usage, this would primarily benefit our internal users.
• This feature could potentially only be available if the path to the selected file exists on the user's file system (i.e. it won't appear if the /allen drive is not mounted).

Questions

• Is this already a feature? If so, I have no idea where, and the UX around the feature should be improved.
• How exactly should this be implemented?
  • As a separate context menu item in the file list and a separate button in the file details pane?
  • As an addition to the "Open with >" context menu item / dropdown? E.g. "Open with >" -> "Native file browser"?
    • Would users even understand the term "native file browser"? What wording should be used for this if not?

[tyler-foster]

Little proof of concept commit here

[SeanLeRoy]

Is this a feature for desktop users then? This is available to users that add their native file browser as an application to BFF.

[tyler-foster]

Is this a feature for desktop users then?

Yeah.

This is available to users that add their native file browser as an application to BFF.

Figures, but in other words I'm proposing we make that option available to new users by default without making them go through the app picking process.