Do I Have to Type a URL to Access Any Non-Native File?

There is some concern that URL naming could be awkward due to having to type the colons and multiple slashes typical of URL syntax. However, in an application context, as with Web browsers, users can operate within a naming context and use relative names. For instance, most URLs embedded in HTML documents use short, relative URLs. Similarly, when a user is selecting a file from a dialog window that contains the list of files in a directory, the "base" URL is the directory being displayed and the user can type, or click on, a relative name. Relative paths can also be used to name files in any subdirectory and the use of ".." components can be used to name files in parent directories. A full URL must be entered only to select a file on a different server or to name a file with a different URL scheme. For a description of relative naming using URLs see RFC 1808.