We have multiple implementations of a file/folder/icon view engine across different pieces of KDE Software:

• KIO Provides KDirOperator, which is used in the file dialogs and in various sidebars of QWidgets-based KDE apps (Kate, RKWard, k3b, others)
• Dolphin has its own view engine that does basically the same thing, but with divergences in features and appearance
• The Folder View widget has another private implementation of the same concept, again with differences in features and appearance
• Gwenview has its own too, for Browse mode and the Folders pane

We should find a way to unify these such that we only have to maintain one piece of code, and improving it in one place improves it everywhere. See also T9795: Use Places Panel code from KIO instead of private implementation. We should also be make sure that the result is a superset of all of their individual features so we don't lose anything.

Given that Folder View requires QML, it might make sense to implement its front-end in QML (possibly lifting as much code as possible from Folder View) and then embedding that into QWidgets-based apps.