diff --git a/src/ts_source/fileutils.ts b/src/ts_source/fileutils.ts
index b94105e..b65b7a2 100644
--- a/src/ts_source/fileutils.ts
+++ b/src/ts_source/fileutils.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 let path = require('path')
 
 let fs = require('fs');
-
+let shell = require('electron').shell;
 let fileExtensionToImage: object;
 
 export class Configurator {
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ export class DocumentDirectory {
      * you *must* provide an absolute file path here
      */
     constructor(filePath: string) {
-        this.root = new DirectoryNode(filePath);
+        this.root = new DirectoryNode(filePath, null);
     }
 
     root: DirectoryNode;
@@ -97,21 +97,23 @@ export class DocumentDirectory {
 
 export class FileNode {
     filePath: string;
+    parent: FileNode;
 
-    constructor(filePath: string) {
+    constructor(filePath: string, parent: FileNode) {
         this.filePath = filePath;
+        this.parent = parent;
     }
 
     open() {
-
+        shell.open(this.filePath);
     }
 }
 
 export class DirectoryNode extends FileNode {
     children: FileNode[] = [];
 
-    constructor(filePath: string) {
-        super(filePath);
+    constructor(filePath: string, parent: FileNode) {
+        super(filePath, parent);
         if (fs.existsSync(filePath)) {
             let stats = fs.lstatSync(filePath);
             if (stats.isDirectory()) {
@@ -120,27 +122,37 @@ export class DirectoryNode extends FileNode {
                     let childPath = path.join(filePath, contents[i]);
                     let childStats = fs.lstatSync(childPath);
                     if (childStats.isDirectory()) {
-                        this.children.push(new DirectoryNode(childPath));
+                        this.children.push(new DirectoryNode(childPath, this));
                     } else {
-                        this.children.push(new DocumentNode(childPath));
+                        this.children.push(new DocumentNode(childPath, this));
                     }
                 }
             } else {
-                throw Error(`attempted to scan non-directory: ${filePath}`);
+                throw new DirectoryIsActuallyFileError(filePath);
             }
         } else {
-            throw Error(`attempted to load document directory for non-existing directory: ${filePath}`);
+            throw new DirectoryDoesNotExistError(filePath);
         }
     }
 
 }
 
 export class DocumentNode extends FileNode {
+    constructor(filePath: string, parent: FileNode) {
+        super(filePath, parent);
+    }
 
+}
+
+export class DirectoryIsActuallyFileError extends Error {
     constructor(filePath: string) {
-        super(filePath);
+        super(`attempted to scan non-directory: ${filePath}`);
     }
-
 }
 
+export class DirectoryDoesNotExistError extends Error {
+    constructor(filePath: string) {
+        super(`attempted to load document directory for non-existing directory: ${filePath}`);
+    }
+}
 
diff --git a/tests/fileutils-test.ts b/tests/fileutils-test.ts
index f652681..04bcfa2 100644
--- a/tests/fileutils-test.ts
+++ b/tests/fileutils-test.ts
@@ -1,17 +1,29 @@
-import {DocumentDirectory} from "../src/ts_source/fileutils";
+import {DirectoryIsActuallyFileError, DocumentDirectory} from "../src/ts_source/fileutils";
 
 const path = require('path');
+const chai = require('chai');
 
-describe('fileutils', ()=>{
+describe('fileutils', () => {
+    it('DocumentDirectory Constructor fail-on-not-exist', testDocumentDirectoryFailNoExist)
     it('DocumentDirectory Constructor fail-on-file', testDocumentDirectoryFailFile)
     it('documentDirectoryConstructor', testDocumentDirectoryConstructor);
 });
 
-function testDocumentDirectoryFailFile(){
-    let directoryPath = path.join(__dirname, "../src/assets/documents");
+function testDocumentDirectoryFailNoExist() {
+    let directoryPath = path.join(__dirname, "../src/assets/documents/madeup");
+    chai.expect(() => {
+        new DocumentDirectory(directoryPath)
+    }).to.throw(Error)
+}
+
+function testDocumentDirectoryFailFile() {
+    let directoryPath = path.join(__dirname, "../src/assets/documents/Test.Word.Dock.docx");
+    chai.expect(() => {
+        new DocumentDirectory(directoryPath)
+    }).to.throw(Error)
 }
 
-function testDocumentDirectoryConstructor(){
+function testDocumentDirectoryConstructor() {
     let directoryPath = path.join(__dirname, "../src/assets/documents");
     let documents = new DocumentDirectory(directoryPath);
     let firstChild = documents.root.children[0];