* Copy the below content to *scratch* buffer on an emacs -Q session and follow the steps. *
(require 'ido)
(setq ido-use-filename-at-point 'guess)
(ido-mode 1)
;; STEP 2: Test that when you put the point over the below link and do `M-x ido-find-file', it does not try to open that particular file
;; ${HOME}/.emacs.d/init.el
;; Change the above link to ${HOME}/.emacs or the where you save your emacs config file for the sake of this example
It did not work because the following call order returns nil by default (before the below fix in STEP 3)
ido-find-file > ido-file-internal > ffap-guesser > ffap-file-at-point > ffap-string-at-point
;; STEP 3:
;; Patch `ffap-string-at-point-mode-alist' to support file paths with curly braces:
(require 'ffap)
;; Delete from `ffap-string-at-point-mode-alist' all elements whose `car' is `file'
(setq ffap-string-at-point-mode-alist
(assq-delete-all 'file ffap-string-at-point-mode-alist))
;; and then add a new list `(file ..)' that supports the curly braces.
(add-to-list 'ffap-string-at-point-mode-alist
'(file "--:\\\\$\\{\\}+<>@-Z_[:alpha:]~*?" "<@" "@>;.,!:"))
;; STEP 4: Repeat STEP 2. Now when you do `M-x ido-find-file` over that path, emacs will try to open the file in that path (it auto expands the environment variable $HOME)
Let me know if you also can repeat these steps.