| Chapter 2. GNOME Desktop Overview |
2.5 Applications
2.5.c. Choosing a File to Open
The Open File dialog allows you to choose a file to open in an application.
The right-hand pane of the dialog lists files and folders in the current location. You can use the mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard to select a file.
Once a file is selected in the list, perform one of the following actions to open it:
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Click Open.
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Press Return.
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Press Spacebar.
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Double-click the file.
If you open a folder or a location instead of a file, the Open File dialog updates to show the contents of that folder or location.
To change the location shown in the right-hand pane, do one of the following:
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Open a folder that is listed in the current location.
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Open an item in the left-hand pane. This pane lists places such as your Documents folder, your Home Folder, media such as CDs and flashdrives, places on your network, and your bookmarks.
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Click one of the buttons in the path bar above the file listing pane. This shows the hierarchy of folders that contain your current location. Use the arrow buttons to either side of the button bar if the list of folders is too long to fit.
The lower part of the Open File dialog may contain further options specific to the current application.
Filtering the File List
You can restrict the file list to show only files on certain types. To do this, choose a file type from the drop-down list beneath the file list pane. The list of file types depends on the application you are currently using. For example, a graphics application will list different image file formats, and a text editor will list different types of text file.
Find-as-you-type
If you know the name of the file you want to open, begin typing it: the file list will jump to show you files whose names begin with the characters you type. Arrow keys will now select from only these files. The characters you have typed appear in a pop-up window at the base of the file list.
To cancel find-as-you-type, press Esc.
Choosing a folder
You might sometimes need to choose a folder to work with rather than open a file. For example, if you use Archive Manager to extract files from an archive, you need to choose a folder to place the files into. In this case, the files in the current location are greyed out, and pressing Open when a folder is selected will choose that folder.
Open Location
You can type a full or relative path to the file you want to open. Begin typing a full path starting with / to open the Open Location dialog. Otherwise, to open the Open Location dialog either press Ctrl+L or right-click in the right-hand pane and choose Open Location.
Type a path from the current location, or an absolute path beginning with / or ~/. The Location field has the following features to simplify the typing of a full filename:
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A drop-down of possible file and folder names is displayed once you begin typing. Use down arrow and up arrow and Return to choose from the list.
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If the part of the name typed uniquely identifies a file or folder, the name is auto-completed. Press Tab to accept the suggested text. For example, if you type "Do", and the only object in the folder beginning with "Do" is Documents, then the entire name appears in the field.
Opening Remote Locations
You can open files in remote locations by choosing the location from the left panel, or by typing a path to a remote location into the Open Location dialog.
If you require a password to access the remote location, you will be asked for it when you open it.
Adding and Removing Bookmarks
To add the current location to the bookmarks list, press Add, or right-click a folder in the file list and choose Add to Bookmarks. You can add any folder that is listed in the current location by dragging it to the bookmarks list.
To remove a bookmark from the list, select it and press Remove.
| Note: | |
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Changes you make to the bookmarks list also affect the Places menu. For more on bookmarks, see the section called Using Bookmarks For Your Favorite Locations. |
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Showing hidden files
To show hidden files in the file list, right-click in the file list and choose Show Hidden Files. For more on hidden files, see the section called Hiding a File or Folder. (Next: Saving a File)
...........................................................................GNOME Desktop Overview
Table of Contents
2.1 Introduction
2.2. The Desktop
2.3 Windows
2.3.a. Types
of Windows
2.3.b. Manipulating
Windows
2.3.c. Giving
Focus to a Window
2.4. Workspaces
2.4.a. Switching
Between Workspaces
2.4.b. Adding
Workspaces
2.5. Applications (You are here)
2.5.a. Common
Features
2.5.b. Working
With Files
2.5.c. Choosing
a File to Open
2.5.d. Saving
a File
