File Open from Windows Network - WORKAROUND

[wysocki]

I'm new to Gimp coming from Photoshop 5.5 on Windows. I edit a lot of images stored in many folders on shared network drives. I was in disbelief when I went to open some files there and tried to use the open file dialog. Searching the web provided no solutions.

I need a solution since there's no way to access a network share by just the URI (mapping a network share opens doors to malware infections spreading). I've tried setting up a symbolic link to the network drive with MKLINK but Gimp ignores it. And the same problem then comes up when doing a save as - you can't put it to a network folder. I found only one way to workaround this issue:

1. Place a jpg file in the root of your network share.
   
2. Open-location to the file.
   
3. Open-file and reopen the same file.
   
4. Open-file again and and you will now be in that root network folder where you can navigate!
   
5. Now you can select some of the folders and add them to the "Places" in the left column for quick access (and rename them).
   
6. And with access to these folders, you can get to the root folder from the navigation breadcrumbs at the top of the panel.
   

But REALLY!?
How are Windows users with networks using this software? Don't Linux people have networks?

[rich2005]

Quote:How are Windows users with networks using this software? Don't Linux people have networks?

Have to accept your comment about Windows...

In linux, my NAS is listed in the File -> Open dialogue.

   

or  File -> Open Location (but then I do not have the Windows malware concern)

   

and another way is browse to the file, right click, open with Gimp.

[Ofnuts]

(02-28-2022, 10:37 PM)wysocki Wrote: Don't Linux people have networks?

The network shares in Linux  appear in the general directory tree, they don't require special handling by applications. I assume OSX behaves the same (it is also a Unix derivative).

In Windows, you can have your shares as drives (of course, you can't have much more than twenty of these, but this should be enough) and then Gimp will have no problem accessing them (even if that can be a bit slow at times). Now, if you think that malware doesn't know were to find the URI of recently used shares, you could be misguided.

[PixLab]

(03-01-2022, 08:36 PM)Ofnuts Wrote: Now, if you think that malware doesn't know were to find the URI of recently used shares, you could be misguided.

I can't agree more with Ofnuts

(02-28-2022, 10:37 PM)wysocki Wrote: (mapping a network share opens doors to malware infections spreading).

Malwares can scan networks...
Just one example:
The Trickbot malware has been upgraded with a network reconnaissance module designed to survey local networks after infecting a victim's computer .../... Trickbot uses the network scanner module to map the victims' networks and send home information on any devices with open ports.
Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/se...g-masscan/

[Shimon]

(02-28-2022, 10:37 PM)wysocki Wrote: I'm new to Gimp coming from Photoshop 5.5 on Windows. I edit a lot of images stored in many folders on shared network drives. I was in disbelief when I went to open some files there and tried to use the open file dialog. Searching the web provided no solutions.

I need a solution since there's no way to access a network share by just the URI (mapping a network share opens doors to malware infections spreading). I've tried setting up a symbolic link to the network drive with MKLINK but Gimp ignores it. And the same problem then comes up when doing a save as - you can't put it to a network folder. I found only one way to workaround this issue:

1. Place a jpg file in the root of your network share.
   
2. Open-location to the file.
   
3. Open-file and reopen the same file.
   
4. Open-file again and and you will now be in that root network folder where you can navigate!
   
5. Now you can select some of the folders and add them to the "Places" in the left column for quick access (and rename them).
   
6. And with access to these folders, you can get to the root folder from the navigation breadcrumbs at the top of the panel.
   

But REALLY!?
How are Windows users with networks using this software? Don't Linux people have networks?

Yes, I've always been surprised by the absence of an easy network path in the OPEN dialogue. Your solution worked fine - thanks!

[robo]

To simplify the work around:
Open windows file explorer, navigate to any image file on the network share of interest, right click and select "Open with> GIMP".
This essentially brings you to step 5

[sr_johnson]

(02-28-2022, 10:37 PM)wysocki Wrote: I'm new to Gimp coming from Photoshop 5.5 on Windows. I edit a lot of images stored in many folders on shared network drives. I was in disbelief when I went to open some files there and tried to use the open file dialog. Searching the web provided no solutions.

I need a solution since there's no way to access a network share by just the URI (mapping a network share opens doors to malware infections spreading). I've tried setting up a symbolic link to the network drive with MKLINK but Gimp ignores it. And the same problem then comes up when doing a save as - you can't put it to a network folder. I found only one way to workaround this issue:

1. Place a jpg file in the root of your network share.
   
2. Open-location to the file.
   
3. Open-file and reopen the same file.
   
4. Open-file again and and you will now be in that root network folder where you can navigate!
   
5. Now you can select some of the folders and add them to the "Places" in the left column for quick access (and rename them).
   
6. And with access to these folders, you can get to the root folder from the navigation breadcrumbs at the top of the panel.
   

But REALLY!?
How are Windows users with networks using this software? Don't Linux people have networks?

Map a network drive, it will show up in tree browser in gimp