.NET Windows Forms in a Nutshell

Name

FileDialog

Synopsis

This CommonDialog class is the abstract base for OpenFileDialog and SaveFileDialog objects.

The AddExtension property determines whether the DefaultExt (file extension) is automatically added to the end of the filename if no extension is present.

There are two properties, CheckFileExists and CheckPathExists, which when true, cause the dialog to test whether a path or file exists and display a warning if not.

The DereferenceLinks property tells the dialog whether it should display shortcuts as the underlying .lnk file (false) or link to the referenced file.

The standard file dialogs can filter the displayed list of files. The Filter string can be set, and the FilterIndex determines which filter from that string is currently selected. For some reason, no one I know can ever remember the exact format of a filter string, so here is an example in case you suffer from the same affliction. "Text files (*.txt)|*.TXT|Image Files (*.BMP;*.JPG;*.GIF)|*.BMP;*.JPG;*.GIF|All files (*.*)|*.*"

The InitialDirectory can be specified, and you can also set a property called RestoreDirectory to determine whether the system will reset the current directory back to where it was initially, if the dialog is closed.

Finally, to retrieve the selected file or files, you can use the FileName and FileNames properties.

public abstract class FileDialog : CommonDialog {

// Protected Static Fields

   protected static readonly object EventFileOk;  // =System.Object

                  // Public Instance Properties public ...