Universal file selector with Emacs

Universal file selector with Emacs

[spamfilteraccount]

After posting this thread


http://groups.google.com/group/gnu.emacs.help/browse_thread/thread/92edc0961ed32e8f/5ff6fcfdeaf7cdaa#5ff6fcfdeaf7cdaa

the thought occurred to me this didnt' have to be globalff specific.

One could create a separate library which when invoked would simple pop
up an emacs frame with gnuclient, read a file name with a configurable
method and then send the file name to the active application.

This way any Emacs file selection method could be used (traditional
completion, globalff, Icicles, etc) to select a file to open in any
application. Emacs file selection is far more powerful and efficent
than the usual file open dialogs provided by GUIs in these days, so it
could be a nice improvement over them.

If anyone feels like creating this file selection frontend package
(which should be pretty small and simple I think) then here you can
find an initial implementaion if you search for the word
"experimental": 

   http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/emacs/globalff.el

Re: Universal file selector with Emacs

[Mathias Dahl]

"spamfilteraccount@gmail.com" <spamfilteraccount@gmail.com> writes:

> One could create a separate library which when invoked would simple
> pop up an emacs frame with gnuclient, read a file name with a
> configurable method and then send the file name to the active
> application.

This occured to me too, after reading your post :)

I use a small hack that uses `file-cache', which works great for me as
I most of the time want a file from a static list of files. It never
occured to me that I could use this from other apps. I am using
the great PowerPro utility under Windows and I am sure I can use that
to paste the path to any app I want.

Thanks for the idea! I will check your "experimental" code.

Re: Universal file selector with Emacs

[spamfilteraccount]

Mathias Dahl wrote:
>
> I am using
> the great PowerPro utility under Windows and I am sure I can use that
> to paste the path to any app I want.

On Windows AutoHotkey can also be used. And it's GPL.