Just sharing something neat I learned today about Linux…

In Windows, I used to do this a lot:
– Be at a command prompt, in some directory, e.g.: C:\my files\more files
– When I need to see that same folder in the Windows GUI, I’d type: start . (note the period, meaning “this directory”)
– The Windows file manager would open in a new window, focused on that same folder as the path.

I realized today I didn’t know how to do that in Linux (I’m on Ubuntu) so I searched around and found the xdg-open command.

The man page for xdg-open says:

xdg-open opens a file or URL in the user’s preferred application. If a URL is provided the URL will be opened in the user’s preferred web browser.

At any terminal prompt, I type something like:

xdg-open .

or xdg-open ~/Documents

And boom! A new KDE Dolphin files window appears, focused on that path.

or this works too, but with a browser:

xdg-open http://eff.org

Rock and/or roll!

  • Jumuta
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    11 months ago

    that’s cool

    I’ve always just done

    dolphin .
    

    but that’s nifty to know!

    • atzanteol
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      11 months ago

      xdg-open will check mime types and open files with preferred applications as well. So ‘xdg-open foo.ods’ will launch libre office for example.