Make "Tap note link" show the destination note in context, readily scrolled into view

[GfEW]

• I have searched for existing issues that may be the same as or related to mine.

The Problem

You can follow links to other notes (in the same or other notebooks) just fine, but they will immediately enter edit mode, showing only the destination note's details with no context. Often though, you rather want to see the notes branch rooted at the destination note instead, as if you chose "open" from the swipe context menu at that note.

As of 1.8.28, the best workaround (that I can see) requires you to (1) tap the link to open the destination note details (even if you're not interested in them), (2) tap the containing notebook's name in the path navigation area just above that note's title, (3) search in that notebook for the very note you've just closed, (4) swipe that note to see the swipe context menu, and (5) there, choose "open".

Suggested Solution

Allow to see the destination note branch by long-pressing the link to that note.[...]

Taking up @decadent's suggestion below, I think the proper solution is:
Tap note link to view that note in context.

The destination note should be

• readily exposed: the note's lineage and the note's own contents expanded (like with "Open" from swipe menu), the note's offsprings and all unrelated branches collaped
• readily scrolled into view: preferrably at a consistent viewport location (e. g. top line), so you can immediately tap that place to edit it if you wish, without prior seeking/scrolling
• readily focussed, so you can immediately press Enter to edit it if you wish, without prior arrow keying/tabbing around.

This change would vastly improve the speed and ease of navigating, especially between complex, interlinked notes, thereby allowing a nearly browser-like cross-note link flow where you can tap to follow a link in note 1 to view note 2 and there, without further ado, tap to follow a link to note 3 etc.

Considered Alternatives:

• If there was a long-press context menu to note links, it could include an option to "view" the destination note in context. This would already allow a substantial speedup over the convoluted workaround procedure.
  However, having to long-press a link, only to then tap again to view the destination, would still constitute a rather clumsy default navigation flow, certainly falling short of the speed and ease plain taps can provide. If we agree that viewing the destination note in context (easily followed by a single tap to edit), rather than editing it without context (and with no simple remedy to see that context, either), is the most common action you want to perform on a note link, I don't really see a reason not to navigate across notes by plain taps instead.
• Long-presses at note links don't currently do anything special, so they could also be used to immediately show the destination. However smooth-navigation-wise, that approach would still be inferior to the simple "tap to view" solution, and furthermore, it would introduce unwanted UI paradigm inconsistencies that conflict with possible long-press menu plans.

EDIT 2024-11-15:

Updated title and main solution according to discussion below.

EDIT 2024-11-24:

Improved exposure status of the destination note.

[decadent]

I propose instead that a single tap on a link to a note leads to the notebook, with that note scrolled into view. I.e. the action for a note link is to view the note, not edit it. As GfEW says, one often wants to see the note in context before doing anything about it.

The main reason I propose this is because I think links should have a context menu that would allow sharing the link to other apps — and this change could conflict with that, at least on the UI level: having two radically different effects for the same action depending on the link type is not good. (I plan to look into hacking the sharing thing together myself, but I'm a noob at Android programming.)

Another reason is that navigating via long-press isn't a common UI paradigm.

[GfEW]

@decadent

I propose instead that a single tap on a link to a note leads to the notebook, with that note scrolled into view
[...]
links should have a context menu
[...]
navigating via long-press isn't a common UI paradigm
[...]

I actually agree with all three of those points.

That is, of all options discussed so far, changing the default (simple tap) action to "view the linked note in its notebook context" makes most sense. If you really want to edit that note, all that it takes is another tap at it, as it's readily in sight.

I've updated my OP accordingly.

Thanks for improving my improvement suggestion. :-)