Easy cross platform way to show a file?

[tetsuo29]

Hi all,

Code: Select all

launch document PathToAFolder

... is an easy way to open the folder containing a file in the Finder/Explorer/Linux Desktop.

However, am I missing something obvious? Is there a way to highlight a particular file that is simple and cross platform? (I saw one solution that involved AppleScript, obviously this will only work on the Mac.)

Thanks in advance for any help.

[andrewferguson]

... is an easy way to open the folder containing a file in the Finder/Explorer/Linux Desktop.

From looking at the LiveCode documentation, I believe that the "launch document" command launches the document in the default application, not the Finder/Explorer/Linux Desktop. Is this what you are looking for?

Andrew

[tetsuo29]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for responding. You're correct if the path given to launch document is the path to a file it will open the document with the default application. However, if the path given is the path to a folder, then the Finder/Explorer/Linux Desktop will open a window to that folder. That's what I meant by "launch document PathToAFolder."

However, it just opens that folder and does not highlight any particular file within that folder. It would be nice to be able to do what "Show in Finder" does in Safari or "Open containing folder" does in Firefox. They not only open the folder containing a particular file they also highlight that file so that if there are many files in the folder, the user does not have to go hunting for it themselves.

It'd be awesome to have a command like "highlight file PathToAFile" or "navigateToFile PathToAFile" that would not only open the containing folder but highlight the targeted file for the user and to do it on Mac, Windows, & Linux.

I googled for this and found some old runrev listserv discussions about using AppleScript to make it happen on the Mac. I have not seen any methods for making it happen on Windows or Linux.

[Simon]

Must you use Finder/Explorer?
If not then just make a field and
put the files into fld 1
set the foregroundColor of word 2 of fld 1 to red

Play around with that see if you can get whay you want.

Simon

[tetsuo29]

Hi Simon,

Yes, it's very important to use the Finder/Explorer/[Whatever the equivalent is in Linux]. I don't want to develop my own file browser I want to allow the user to press a button in the interface and be take to the file in whatever native desktop they are using.

The good news is, that I found an AppleScript to do it on the Mac and I was able to develop a VBSCript to do it in Windows. I've 2 out of 3 desired OSes working. So, now the challenge is- can it be done in Linux?

[Klaus]

Hi Tetsuo,

you can also use a shell command on Windows, take a look here:
http://www.daube.ch/share/win03.html

No idea about Linux, sorry.


Best

Klaus

[Thierry]

Hi Tetsuo,

you can also use a shell command on Windows, take a look here:
http://www.daube.ch/share/win03.html

No idea about Linux, sorry.

Hallo Klaus,

Shell comes from Unix, then linux, then...

Regards,

Thierry

[Klaus]

Bonjour mon ami,

sure, but I highly doubt we will find a "Explorer.exe" on *NIX!


Best

Klaus

[Thierry]

Bonjour mon ami,
sure, but I highly doubt we will find a "Explorer.exe" on *NIX!

Are you so sure there is not an open source project for this?
Regards,

Thierry

[Klaus]

Bonjour mon ami,
sure, but I highly doubt we will find a "Explorer.exe" on *NIX!

Are you so sure there is not an open source project for this?
Regards,
Thierry

Now that you say it. There are a LOT of people doing stupid things, so this is definitively possible!
OMG, what a horrible thought!

[SparkOut]

for generic working with various distros:

xdg-open "path to file" will open the file in the default application.
xdg-open "path to folder" will open the containing folder in the default file manager with no selection

On my server at least (Mepis) dolphin has a --select argument so:

dolphin --select "path to file" will open the containing folder in dolphin with the file selected. Maybe other file managers will have a similar option?