Feature request - File Browser that works INSIDE Max

Leo Mayberry's icon

Maybe this is something that can happen by version 8, since once again a simple file browser that can be incorporated inside a patch is apparently too much to ask for. Instead, I'll be using those garbagey umenus to construct simple browser features, since I don't want to have to drag files from the edge of one screen to some part of my patch as a means of selecting them. It seems like the new "playlist" functions might be a somewhat useable part of a cludgey file selection interface, but apparently you have to parse them through a dictionary and a bunch of other nonsense to get a message you could send to an actual movie object. I'm seriously considering trying to crowdfund a project to just pay a developer to build a file browser, since I really don't want to have to learn a coding language just to get that functionality inside Max. I highly encourage C74 to spend 1/100th the time it has spent coding file browsing and search functions for the Max frame, and make something that actually works as a browser object INSIDE a patch. Until then, expect a frustrated screed like this with each release.
I have hundreds of files. These playlist objects don't even have scrolling for more then a few files visible at one time. Pretty much useless.

Leo Mayberry's icon

I'll state now that all replies to this message suggesting "workarounds" or pointing me to that old and kind of sketchy javascript browser will be met with scorn.