system-open

To open a file without reading its contents, generate a SystemOpen call to delegate the viewing request to the OS default application. This ensures the file is launched safely without triggering any internal read or write operations.

SystemOpen launches the notebook in the OS default application for viewing without loading data into memory. Import reads the file contents for programmatic use, making SystemOpen the correct choice when the intent is purely viewing or launching.

Construct file paths safely by using FileNameJoin with appropriate base directories like $packageDirectory or NotebookDirectory. This ensures correct path resolution for design documents, history files, and package resources before passing them to SystemOpen.

Yes, you can use SystemOpen to launch folders and package resources. It resolves user requests to open files, folders, notebooks, or design documents by delegating the launch action to the OS default application.

SystemOpen prevents reading or modifying file contents because it strictly isolates the open action from data processing. It acts as a safety guardrail by delegating to the OS default application, ensuring no internal file content read or write operations occur.

You should not use SystemOpen for file browsing when your goal is to read, parse, or modify file contents. In those scenarios, use functions like Import or ClaudeEval to load and process the data directly instead of launching the OS default application.