files-community / files-community/Files

Feature: Auto open the only sub-folder recursively

Open
#17,782 3 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
Dominant language
C#
Stars
45.4k
Forks
2.9k
Avg merge
19h 1m
Merged PRs (30d)
60

Description

### What feature or improvement do you think would benefit Files?

If you often access Java-like project, you must have met many deep sub-folders in folders (such as `src/main/java/com/example/package/sub-package`).
Many IDEs (including VS Code, IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm...) and GitHub Web Preview have a function to automatically open the only sub-folders.
For example, when you open `src`, you won't just stay in `src` folder. Instead, you directly jump to `src/main/java` because:
- `main` is the only sub-folder in `src`
- `java` is the only sub-folder in `main` (Yes, this function is recursive.)
- but there are multiple sub-folders or no sub-folders in `java`
However, it is disappointing that no file manager (neither explorer.exe nor any 3rd-party software as I know) support this useful functionality.
So why shouldn't we support it?

### Requirements

- This proposal will need a option in Settings to enable this function.
- No other GUI change needed.
- Some internal code need to be edited.

### Files Version

4.0.11.0

### Windows Version

10.0.26200.6584

### Comments

Someone may ask: when enabling this function, how should I locate in middle sub-folder(such as `src/main` in `src/main/java`)?
Well, it doesn't matter.
First, it is clear that you access final leaf folders more often than middle folders.
Second, you can just click in Address Row to locate any ancestor folders of current directory. (unless it's so deep that some ancestor must be folded in Adderss Row) This is supported in explorer.exe from Windows Vista. Can't you still using Windows XP in 2025 when Windows 10 has been end of life? Even if so, I have never heard of any plan for Files to support Windows XP. (lol)
(Some content is translated by Google. There might be some mistake in my poor English.)

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Assessment

This issue has not been assessed yet.

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.