How do I obtain the full path string for my file?

Question

Many Mac applications are particularly bad at guessing what folder I want to grab a file from.  As a result, I waste a great deal of time fishing all through my directory tree in order to put and take my files in and from the right location.  It does seem to be better is some applications but still the nuisance is an issue.  Of course in Windows this can happen too except there I have a workaround to help out the foolish applications.  I can copy the full literal path to the clipboard from Explorer.  Then when the file access dialog comes up I can paste the full literal path ahead of the filename and snap to the correct folder.  On my mac, I have had mixed success approximating this strategy.  Sometimes, if the target folder isn't empty, I can use the Finder to browse to the target folder and open the Get Info dialog for a file and copy the full path from within that dialog.  This does not work though when the folder is empty and Mac does not support the create new text file on the fly feature.  Furthermore, I have noticed some strange behavior even when I do have the full path copied.  One such example is using TextEdit, pasting this full path has resulted in the application using the full path as a really long filename for the new file which still resides in the folder the application incorrectly assumed.
There is a list box in most Mac file access dialogs with _some_ of the recent folders I accessed listed for quick selection but nine times out for ten the folder I just came from isn't among them.  That detail really surprises me.  Do regular Mac users have habits that prevent problems like this, or is there a better way to _bank_ a literal folder location I know I'll need to use soon and often, or do I just need to get used to fishing for folders during file access?

Answer 1

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. Most of us are users here.
Create folders and drag those 'frequently used' folders to the left-hand FAVORITES column/sidebar in Finder.
Then just drag your files to the destination folders, or click on them to select them as destinations from your applications.
When you no longer need these folders, right-click to remove them from the FAVORITES sidebar.
They'll still be in the original location where they were created, just no longer visible in the sidebar.
Another thing to note is that the full path of your current destination is shown at the bottom of the screen in Finder. In this case Macintosh HD, Users, (Home folder name), Desktop.