Sort folders and files together in file dialogs
Currently, no matter how I sort the file dialog, it always puts folders first. This makes some tasks cumbersome. For instance, I usually keep my file dialog sorted by date, so my current latest work will at the top. But it's not at the top, there are a bunch of old folders at the top, and I sometimes have to scroll to locate my latest file.
Likewise, when installing an addon, the newly downloaded file should be at the top of the list, but I have to scroll past all my folders (and I have a lot of folders) to get to it.
Really, it would be lovely to be able to bring up an OS-native file browser, in order to use other features which Blender lacks, like text-editing shortcuts in the filename field, locating files by typing the first few letters, etc. But I guess that's a slightly different feature request.
4 Comments
Using the existing built-in filter would help. Uncheck "FOLDERS" in the filter, now you will only see files. Clicking the filter button will show/hide folders with a click.
Has been discussed more than once by developers; would require more overhead to deal with each operating system's own methods of UI construction, and possibly become more problematic over time as an OS changes things about their UI code.
Things could be far worse - for example, Adobe or Office 365 file managers.
Thanks. I don't want to hide folders, though, I just want them to be sorted together with files. Right now if I sort by date, a folder I created in 2012 is above a file I created this morning, because folders are clumped together at the top.
Ah, so you don't want files sorted to the top - you wish to see files AND folders all intermingled, sorted by date (or name).
Filtering folders first is default Windows behavior and I wouldn't want Blender not to follow that, it is very useful.