I can't believe I have to ask this, but the answer will save me from having to write code around this problem. We have a scientific data submission web form. Users usually organize their data into subfolders. When I created the interface, I just added a multi-file select list to the form. Simple, right? I was testing on a mac, on which it's extremely easy to select multiple files, even if they are in different subfolders. You just go to list view and option-click the parent folder to expand all subfolders, then click and command-click to select what files you want.
I have a user on windows who asked me to write code to search subfolders for his data submissions. I didn't understand what the problem was, so I had him send me a screen recording of what he was doing. Apparently, the multi-file picker on Windows only shows you one folder at a time (without the ability to expand sub-folders in place)? And anytime he navigated to another subfolder, it cleared his selections in the previous folder.
I figured that Windows HAD to have a way to do this, so I worked with him to try exploring the file picker's interface. I've never been a Windows user. If I ever sit down at a Windows machine, I don't know my way around, so I didn't know how to advise him, so we were just feeling our way around in the dark and couldn't figure it out.
I am attaching the screen recording he sent that shows when he selects files, then goes to a subfolder and back, his first selections are cleared.
Please, how do you select files from multiple subfolders on Windows so that I don't have to re-invent the wheel? There's got to be a simple solution, right?
