One of the things I use a lot on my Windows device (work laptop) is file paths. I save a file somewhere, and then can navigate to it easily and share it with others using the file path. Apple seems to not use file paths at all on iPad, and on Mac, whilst you can use the Go menu, it really isn’t front and centre in Finder.
Today I needed to upload a file from my iPad to a website. I open Files, navigate to the file, validate it is the right one. I then go to the website, click “upload document —> Choose Files” and I have to start all over again - there is no option for me to take the path from the Files app and paste it into the upload screen (which looks like the Files app but embedded in the upload function).
Am I doing something wrong or is this just not something Apple thinks users need? What is the common workflow to this that I am missing?
Try opening two instances of the iOS Files app side by side, source on one side, target on the other. They will stay paired that way until you close one side.
Both macOS and iPadOS use file paths for sure, but iPadOS they are well hidden. But I’m trying to understand what your workflow is in Windows where you use the file paths?
I’m assuming that when on the desktop, you will locate the file, copy the path and then paste that path into the “Choose Files” dialog within your browser. Another option would be to drag the file into the browser. Have you tried using a split screen on the iPad and dragging the file from the Files app to the browser?
In addition, I use the utility OpenInTerminal. This puts a item in the menu bar, and in the window title bar (is that what it is called?) and one of the options offered is “Copy Path”, which, not surprisingly, copies to the clipboard the path of the selected item.
Additionally there seems to be a bit of a miss match with icloud and the file system.
I recently discovered that the finder folder of iCloud Drive doesn’t match with what is present in terminal. 22 Folders in Finder and 4 using ls or tree in terminal… I guess it is just linking to lots of different locations in the user library folder?
I presume this is a design choice rather than a bug on my setup.
This is a result of the way Finder has been implemented to show iCloud Drive as a amalgamation of local and remote files, while ls presents a view of only local files.
I’m not sure if this is relevant to your question, but one big difference between macOS and iOS is that on macOS each app sees the same (shared) file system, whereas on iOS each app sees a file system in which it is the only app.
You can get the Finder to drop this illusion and show the “real” path of some of the folders that Apple “protects” us from by running a command in the terminal. New instances of Finder windows will show a more honest path in their toolbars.
