Open Radar

 
Summary:

For files and packages, Finder provides an Open With… menu command (also available in the Touch Bar) that lets the user choose an app to handle the file. It makes sense to open folders with apps too. Some examples:

- making a new Terminal window in a directory from Finder
- opening a project in a text editor like TextMate or Chocolat
- opening a Git repository in an app like GitUp
- browsing a folder of images in Acorn
- checking the spelling of every file in a folder with my own Magic Spell

However, Finder disables the Open With… command for folders. To open a folder with a particular app we have to drag the folder from the Finder to the app’s icon in the Dock, or use a third party app like Alfred which provides Open With… for folders, showing just apps than can handle opening the public.folder type.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Open a folder in the Finder that contains another folder.
2. Select the folder then go to the File menu
3. Look at the Open With… menu item.

Expected Results:

Open With… to be possible for folders. It should also be possible from the contextual menu, including the one shown for the current folder by right clicking in the background of the Finder window, and from the Touch Bar.

Actual Results:

Open With… is disabled for folders.

Regression:

Notes:

This tends to be most useful for software development tasks — and the Mac is a very popular platform for software development!

I can see the downside that users who don’t use the Terminal will see an Open With… Terminal command for folders and might be baffled.