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"Reveal Source" or "Go to data source location" from TOC context menu

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10-25-2022 02:25 PM
Status: Open
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wayfaringrob
Honored Contributor

I would really appreciate an easy way to reveal a layer's location in the catalog view from the TOC. Right now, you have to either go to view, catalog view, and then travel there the long way, or maybe right click, properties, source, copy that, close out, and then view, catalog view, paste...

Why do I want this? Oftentimes I want to delete something entirely, and have to do the above steps to go find it and get rid of it if I don't have ArcCatalog open to my source(s). Other times I want to rename, move, or adjust fields at the gdb level. Or, I want to see what else is available in the same place I found it. It would also be nice, for web layers, to open up its source location, such as the item detail page (AGO) or REST endpoint in a browser.

Is the TOC context menu getting busy? Yes. But could it be reorganized, and perhaps buttons combined into items that serve as both clickable items and disclosure menus? Also yes. (ex. I could see labeling settings going into one disclosure menu: hovering reveals conversion and other new options, clicking opens properties, and clicking to the left in a checkbox area turns them on or off). That's one way I can think of to make room for the feature I'm requesting while keeping things organized and intuitive. Lastly, I haven't used Windows 11, but I like the general direction they're going with their context menus (even if they are missing some key items) -- collapsing some 'quick access' items into icons at the top, namely. There's room for innovation there.

rburkebsrc_2-1666732677148.png

Windows usually calls this feature "Open file location" and macOS "Show in Enclosing Folder," "Show in Finder," or "Reveal in Finder."

1 Comment
CordulaGöke

In ArcMap you could at least have the Data source view in the TOC and then copy the path to the folders. Now as you describe, you have to go through a dataset property.