Usage Description¶

To use FileDialog, simply create your FileDialog objects during initialization (or at least before a Show). When you wish to display the FileDialog, invoke the 'Show' method on the FileDialog object; The method will return either a file name, a path name, or undef. undef is returned only if the user pressed the Cancel button.

Example Code¶

The following code creates a FileDialog and calls it. Note that perl5.002gamma is required.

 #!/usr/bin/perl -w
 use Tk;
 use Tk::FileDialog;
 use strict;
 my($main) = MainWindow->new;
 my($Horiz) = 1;
 my($fname);
 my($LoadDialog) = $main->FileDialog(-Title =>'This is my title',
                                    -Create => 0);
 print "Using FileDialog Version ",$LoadDialog->Version,"\n";
 $LoadDialog->configure(-FPat => '*pl',
                       -ShowAll => 'NO');
 $main->Entry(-textvariable => \$fname)
        ->pack(-expand => 1,
               -fill => 'x');
 $main->Button(-text => 'Kick me!',
              -command => sub {
                  $fname = $LoadDialog->Show(-Horiz => $Horiz);
                  if (!defined($fname)) {
                      $fname = "Fine,Cancel, but no Chdir anymore!!!";
                      $LoadDialog->configure(-Chdir =>'NO');
                  }
              })
        ->pack(-expand => 1,
               -fill => 'x');
 $main->Checkbutton(-text => 'Horizontal',
                   -variable => \$Horiz)
        ->pack(-expand => 1,
               -fill => 'x');
 $main->Button(-text => 'Exit',
              -command => sub {
                  $main->destroy;
              })
        ->pack(-expand => 1,
               -fill => 'x');
 MainLoop;
 print "Exit Stage right!\n";
 exit;

Show¶

Displays the file dialog box for the user to operate. Additional configuration items may be passed in at Show-time In other words, this code snippet:

  $fd->Show(-Title => 'Ooooh, Preeeeeety!');

is the same as this code snippet:

  $fd->configure(-Title => 'Ooooh, Preeeeeety!');
  $fd->Show;

Version¶

Returns the current Version of FileDialog

Flags¶

Flags may be configured with either 1,'true', or 'yes' for 1, or 0, 'false', or 'no' for 0. Any portion of 'true', 'yes', 'false', or 'no' may be used, and case does not matter.

-Chdir

Enable the user to change directories. The default is 1. If disabled, the directory list box will not be shown.

-Create

Enable the user to specify a file that does not exist. If not enabled, and the user specifies a non-existent file, a dialog box will be shown informing the user of the error (This Dialog Box is configurable via the EDlg* switches, below).

default: 1

-ShowAll

Determines whether hidden files (.*) are displayed in the File and Directory Listboxes. The default is 0. The Show All Checkbox reflects the setting of this switch.

-DisableShowAll

Disables the ability of the user to change the status of the ShowAll flag. The default is 0 (the user is by default allowed to change the status).

-Grab

Enables the File Dialog to do an application Grab when displayed. The default is 1.

-Horiz

True sets the File List box to be to the right of the Directory List Box. If 0, the File List box will be below the Directory List box. The default is 1.

-SelDir

If True, enables selection of a directory rather than a file, and disables the actions of the File List Box. The default is 0.

Special¶

-FPat

Sets the default file selection pattern. The default is '*'. Only files matching this pattern will be displayed in the File List Box.

-Geometry

Sets the geometry of the File Dialog. Setting the size is a dangerous thing to do. If not configured, or set to '', the File Dialog will be centered.

-SelHook

SelHook is configured with a reference to a routine that will be called when a file is chosen. The file is called with a sole parameter of the full path and file name of the file chosen. If the Create flag is disabled (and the user is not allowed to specify new files), the file will be known to exist at the time that SelHook is called. Note that SelHook will also be called with directories if the SelDir Flag is enabled, and that the FileDialog box will still be displayed. The FileDialog box should not be destroyed from within the SelHook routine, although it may generally be configured.

SelHook routines return 0 to reject the selection and allow the user to reselect, and any other value to accept the selection. If a SelHook routine returns non-zero, the FileDialog will immediately be withdrawn, and the file will be returned to the caller.

There may be only one SelHook routine active at any time. Configuring the SelHook routine replaces any existing SelHook routine. Configuring the SelHook routine with 0 removes the SelHook routine. The default SelHook routine is undef.

Strings¶

The following two switches may be used to set default variables, and to get final values after the Show method has returned (but has not been explicitly destroyed by the caller)

-File

The file selected, or the default file. The default is ''.

-Path

The path of the selected file, or the initial path. The default is $ENV{'HOME'}.

Labels and Captions¶

For support of internationalization, the text on any of the subwidgets may be changed.

-Title

The Title of the dialog box. The default is 'Select File:'.

-DirLBCaption

The Caption above the Directory List Box. The default is 'Directories'.

-FileLBCaption

The Caption above the File List Box. The default is 'Files'.

-FileEntryLabel

The label to the left of the File Entry. The Default is 'Filename:'.

-PathEntryLabel

The label to the left of the Path Entry. The default is 'Pathname:'.

-FltEntryLabel

The label to the left of the Filter entry. The default is 'Filter:'.

-ShowAllLabel

The text of the Show All Checkbutton. The default is 'Show All'.

Button Text¶

For support of internationalization, the text on the three buttons may be changed.

-OKButtonLabel

The text for the OK button. The default is 'OK'.

-RescanButtonLabel

The text for the Rescan button. The default is 'Rescan'.

-CancelButtonLabel

The text for the Cancel button. The default is 'Cancel'.

Error Dialog Switches¶

If the Create switch is set to 0, and the user specifies a file that does not exist, a dialog box will be displayed informing the user of the error. These switches allow some configuration of that dialog box.

-EDlgTitle

The title of the Error Dialog Box. The default is 'File does not exist!'.

-EDlgText

The message of the Error Dialog Box. The variables $path, $file, and $filename (the full path and filename of the selected file) are available. The default is "You must specify an existing file.\n(\$filename not found)"