Enter doesn't open found item

[Ash]

After searching for a file in a directory I pressed Enter to open the item but it doesn't work. After pressing Enter search dialog closes and almost all found items are selected.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

I do not think pressing Enter in the Search window should open the file. You may be searching for it for a different reason (rename, delete ...). You only have to press Enter twice to open it.

[Ash (ash1991)]

It seems you didn't read the description carefully. "After pressing Enter search dialog closes and almost all found items are selected."

I did more investigation and there is a weird behavior:

1. If the item selected when you press Enter is a folder it is opened(exactly the opposite of what you said!)
2. If you navigate between several items and press Enter on a file(not dir), from time to time several items are selected instead of just the one you intended

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

I think there is ambiguity in the word "open" - I was using it in the sense of "open in another application". Perhaps you meant "navigate to"? I agree that pressing Enter on a found folder navigates to it but this is the intended behaviour.

I can confirm that if the search box cursor is moved over several items so that they are selected one at a time in the view, then when Enter is pressed, several appear selected in the view (including possibly some not covered by the cursor). This is a separate bug from the "Enter doesn't open found item" one. Please could you create a separate report for that.

Please could you also clarify the nature of the "Enter doesn't open found item" bug, including what you believe the expected behaviour to be, both for folders and normal files when Enter is pressed in the search box.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

Thanks for taking the trouble to report these issues, by the way.

[Ash (ash1991)]

> I think there is ambiguity in the word "open" ...

I think there should be no difference if we want to navigate to a folder(open the item in pantheon-files itself) or open a file in another application. As you said one might just want to rename or delete a directory.(The behavior you proposed-selecting the item- should be the same for both situations, IMO)

BTW, the behavior in nautilus for type-ahead feature is to open the item(either dir or file). However, I think what you suggested makes more sense.

I have reported a new issue regarding the wierd behavior at LP#1500086

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

So what would you like to happen when Enter is pressed on a folder in the search box? Navigate to that folder in the same Files window, open another Files window at that folder or open the folder with the default application for folders (which on my computer is a different file manager but might be Terminal or something like a disk analyser?

What about if you press Enter on a normal file in the search box?

By search box I mean the popup list of files that appears when you type directly or press Ctrl-F and type.

[Ash (ash1991)]

I think Enter should behave like this:

1. open dirs using the current file manager and in current file window and current tab.(even if the current file manager is not the default one)

2. open files using the default application

BTW, this is the behavior of nautilus for it's type-ahead feature.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

OK, I'll run that by the design team.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

The project leader was of the opinion that the current behaviour (open a folder in the current view or just select/scroll to a normal file) is desired and I agree. Therefore I'll mark this as "Won't fix".

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

In a branch currently under development, it is proposed that there be a facility to activate search results using modified key or button presses. Currently proposed is <Alt>Enter or any button press other than the primary one. This will open the file under the search result cursor using the default app (or showing a choose app dialog if not default app can be found).