Hi @jhall9 - actually, within the last year we added a new feature that allows you do to just that!
Introducing: the open() block. Check it out in action here: https://studio.code.org/projects/applab/pqdXRVMfu8QWW3-L1DO9FIh2RFQqWEG9O9qmQeRynyY/view
Cheers!
~ Hannah