PowerScript Reference
PowerScript Functions

Description

Displays the system's Open File dialog box and allows the user to select a file or enter a file name.

Syntax

GetFileOpenName ( title, pathname, filename {, extension {, filter { , initdir { , aFlag } } } } )
GetFileOpenName ( title, pathname, filename[ ] {, extension {, filter { , initdir { , aFlag } } } } )

description,*. ext

"Graphic Files (*.bmp;*.gif;*.jpg;*.jpeg),
*.bmp;*.gif;*.jpg;*.jpeg"

"All Files (*.*),*.*"

Return value

Integer.

Returns 1 if it succeeds, 0 if the user clicks the Cancel button or Windows cancels the display, and -1 if an error occurs. If any argument's value is null, GetFileOpenName returns null.

Usage

If you specify a DOS-style file extension and the user enters a file name with no extension, PowerBuilder appends the default extension to the file name. If you specify a file mask to act as a filter, PowerBuilder displays only files that match the mask.

If you specify a string for the filename argument, the user can select only one file. The pathname argument contains the path name and the file name, for example C:\temp\test.txt.

If you specify a string array for the filename argument, the user can select more than one file. If the user selects multiple files, the pathname argument contains the path only, for example C:\temp. If the user selects a single file, its name is appended to the pathname argument, for example C:\temp\test.txt.

You use the filter argument to limit the types of files displayed in the list box and to let the user know what those limits are. For example, to display the description Text Files (*.TXT) and only files with the extension .TXT, specify the following for filter:

"Text Files (*.TXT),*.TXT"

To specify more than one file extension in filter, enter multiple descriptions and extension combinations and separate them with commas. For example:

"PIF files, *.PIF, Batch files, *.BAT"

The dialog boxes presented by GetFileOpenName and GetFileSaveName are system dialog boxes. They provide standard system behavior, including control over the current directory. When users change the drive, directory, or folder in the dialog box, they change the current directory or folder. The newly selected directory or folder becomes the default for file operations until they exit the application, unless the optional initdir argument is passed.

The aFlag argument is used to pass one or more options that determine the appearance of the dialog box. For each option, the value of the flag is 2^(index -1), where index is an integer associated with each option as shown in the following table. You can pass multiple options by passing an aggregate flag, calculated by adding the values of the individual flags.

If you do not pass an aFlag, the Explorer-style open file dialog box is used. If you do pass a flag, the old-style dialog box is used by default. Some options do not apply when the Explorer-style dialog box is used. For those that do apply, add the option value for using the Explorer-style dialog box (2) to the value of the option if you want to display an Explorer-style dialog box.

For example, passing the flag 32768 (2^15) to the GetFileSaveName function opens the old-style dialog box with the Read Only check box selected by default. Passing the flag 32770 opens the Explorer-style dialog box with the Read Only check box selected by default.

Examples

The following example displays a Select File dialog box that allows multiple selection. The file types are TXT, DOC, and all files, and the initial directory is C:\Program Files\Appeon. The option flag 18 specifies that the Explorer-style dialog box is used (2^1 = 2), and the Read Only check box is hidden (2^4 = 16). The selected filenames are displayed in a MultiLineEdit control.

If the user selects a single file, the docpath variable contains both the path and the file name. The example contains an IF clause to allow for this.

string docpath, docname[]
integer i, li_cnt, li_rtn, li_filenum


li_rtn = GetFileOpenName("Select File", &
   docpath, docname[], "DOC", &
   + "Text Files (*.TXT),*.TXT," &
   + "Doc Files (*.DOC),*.DOC," &
   + "All Files (*.*), *.*", &
   "C:\Program Files\Appeon", 18)

mle_selected.text = ""
IF li_rtn < 1 THEN return
li_cnt = Upperbound(docname)

// if only one file is picked, docpath contains the 
// path and file name
if li_cnt = 1 then
   mle_selected.text = string(docpath)
else

// if multiple files are picked, docpath contains the 
// path only - concatenate docpath and docname
   for i=1 to li_cnt
      mle_selected.text += string(docpath) &
         + "\" +(string(docname[i]))+"~r~n"
   next
end if

In the following example, the dialog box has the title Open and displays text files, batch files, and INI files in the Files of Type drop-down list. The initial directory is d:\temp. The option flag 512 specifies that the old-style dialog box is used and the Network button is hidden (2^9 = 512).

// instance variables
// string is_filename, is_fullname
int   li_fileid

if GetFileOpenName ("Open", is_fullname, is_filename, &
   "txt", "Text Files (*.txt),*.txt,INI Files " &
   + "(*.ini), *.ini,Batch Files (*.bat),*.bat", &
   "d:\temp", 512) < 1 then return

li_fileid = FileOpen (is_fullname, StreamMode!)
FileRead (li_fileid, mle_notepad.text)
FileClose (li_fileid)   

See also

DirList

DirSelect

GetFileSaveName

GetFolder