Open containing directory

[CrispinH]

It would be handy to have a context menu (aka right-click) option to open the containing directory of a file. Some file comparisons (eg Word documents) are best done with the appropriate application rather than binary compares.

Crispin

[Ernie]

Re: Open containing directory

Simply add an entry to your "Open With Applications" (Tools -> Options -> Open With).

Click New and enter Explorer for the description and enter explorer.exe "%p" for the command line. Check out the online help for more information on setting up "open with" applications.

Next time you right-click on a file name, the Open With context menu will have this new entry to open the containing folder.

[Lutz]

Re: Open containing directory

Enter explorer.exe /n,/e,,/select,%f to select the file directly. This also works with folders and even if multiple files/folders are selected (opens one Explorer for each selected item).

Greetings Lutz

[markf_2748]

Re: Open containing directory

Lutz's suggestion works nicely but I find that %f must be inside double quotes to locate the file path. Also, the double coma appears to be unecessary. i.e.

explorer.exe /n,/e,/select,"%f"

However, no matter how many files and/or folders are selected, I only get one explorer window to open. Not sure why.

I have wanted this capability for a long time. Thanks.

[Guest]

Re: Open containing directory

With Build 240, this option only seems to work with files, but for directories there is a built-in "Explore" under the Open With menu (I used "Explorer" for the description of Lutz', and "Explorer P" for the previous suggestion, so "Explore" is something different.

Also, my right-click has an "Explorer" item right under "Open With", which seems to give access to many of the right-click options you'd see in Explorer, including "Slect Left Side to Compare" ;-}

/dps

[Lutz]

Re: Open containing directory

Hi Mark,

I'm sure, You didn't check 'multiple instances' in the 'advanced' section of the (Tools -> Options -> Open With) Explorer-Item. For default these properties are hidden.

There are also the options to treat files and/or folders.

Greetings Lutz

[markf_2748]

Re: Open containing directory

Hello Lutz,

Cool, very cool. Checking 'multiple instances' as you suggest [...Edit(explorer.exe)->Advanced] solved the problem. Now I can open multiple explorer windows by selecting multiple files and using the local (RMB) menu "Open With -> Explorer".

However, when I select multiple files I cannot open multiple instances of their associated applications. In fact, when I select multiple files, "Associated App" disappears from the "Open With" local (RMB) menu. Not a great loss, but perhaps it could be nicer.

Thanks.

[Lutz]

Re: Open containing directory

Hi Mark, I have two remarks:

In fact, when I select multiple files, "Associated App" disappears from the "Open With" local (RMB) menu.

Just add a new 'open with'-Item (ie named 'AssoApp') with the command line 'cmd /c start %f' accepting files, folders and multiple instances.

To open multiple files in one instance of an application is not possible yet, but I posted this before and its already on the legendary wish list.

Greetings Lutz

[markf_2748]

Re: Open containing directory

Lutz wrote:


[/quote]
Just add a new 'open with'-Item (ie named 'AssoApp') with the command line 'cmd /c start %f' accepting files, folders and multiple instances.


[/quote]

I could not get the above syntax to work. Perhaps you could post an example Open With Command Line entry.

Lutz wrote:


[/quote]
To open multiple files in one instance of an application is not possible yet


[/quote]

To my surprise, I find that the following "Open With" Command Line opens multiple highlighted *.PDF files in a single instance of Acrobat (no quotes and no %f used):

C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\Acrobat

What I would really like is an "Open With" which will perform this action without having to create a special menu entry for each associated application.
MarkF

[Lutz]

Re: Open containing directory

Hello Mark!

I tried the command line with some folders and (local) word documents only and this worked.

Now I tried some other files and figured out, that UNC-paths (limitation of the cmd-shell) and clearcase elements without execute-rights ('access denied') don't work.

What files did You use?

Nevertheless the selected files must have an associated application (Windows-Explorer/Extras/Folder Settings/File types) otherwise a Windows-'open with' dialog should appear.

The behaviour You mentioned with PDF-files seems to have two reasons: %f might be optional in BC-open with-commands (Scooter?) and Acrobat only opens one instance to show multiple files (some programs are configurable to open new files in an existing or a new instance).

Perhaps someone knows an alternative shell-command (I think BC uses a windows call for the associated application).

Greetings Lutz

[Chris]

Re: Open containing directory

%f might be optional in BC-open with-commands (Scooter?)

Yes, %f is optional. If you only include a path to a program and nothing else, it should just pass the filename.