QL-Win / QL-Win/QuickLook

Enable preview without first selecting the file

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Dominant language
C#
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Description

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Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
A clear and concise description of what the problem is. Ex. I'm always frustrated when [...]

To use the QuickLook preview, I have to first select the file in Explorer, and then press Spacebar. But me, like many, have enabled single-click to open files, not single-click to select and double-click to open. Selecting is done by hovering over the file, when a check-box appears and then click that to select. And only then I can press Spacebar to preview. However, it would be very helpful if when a folder is open, I can press Spacebar, and the first file is automatically previewed in QuickLook.

Describe the solution you'd like
A clear and concise description of what you want to happen.

When a folder is opened in Explorer or Files, pressing Spacebar (or an alternative key combo like Ctrl+Spacebar) will preview the first file in that folder, without the need to select the file first. Other files can then be navigated to in the preview window as usual.

Describe alternatives you've considered
A clear and concise description of any alternative solutions or features you've considered.

Selecting the file first is the only other alternative but for people who have enabled 'single click to open file' this is a much more cumbersome process involving 2 or 3 clicks before the Quicklook preview feature can be used.

Additional context
Add any other context or screenshots about the feature request here.

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating the existing Spacebar path that opens QuickLook for a selected file, then inspect how the open Explorer folder and its first file could be identified. Done means pressing Spacebar in an open folder previews its first file without prior selection, while preserving normal navigation and existing behavior.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
csharp
Domain
desktop
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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