I agree with this; this is a very severe issue and should be solved. The number of people likely renaming folders unknowingly (thinking it is an alias) and affecting a whole business is large.
It's 2021 and this hasn't yet been fixed....
In communication with ESRI custoemr care, they responded with this:
"
Just a recap of the call, you were needing assistance with renaming folder connection in ArcGIS Pro without having it reflected on the original folder path. In other words, you would like to have an alias for the folders in the folder connection for better reference.
For your information, ArcGIS Pro does not support that ability at the moment. However, please be informed that there is an existing Enhancement related to the issue we discussed, and the details are as follows:
- Enhancement details: ENH-000123977 – Request to have an ability to create an alias. For favourites in ArcGIS Pro or/and have options to view the full path location.
- Current status: In Product Plan
As this is currently in Esri's product plan, you can track the progress of the product development in the My Esri page:
My Esri > My Organization > Support > Search for the ENH-000123977."