
D.5 Modifying the Display List
There are several attributes that allow the client to modify the display of files in a file
chooser. A file chooser’s default values comply with the OPEN LOOK Application File
Choosing Specification. Note that the File Choosing Specification requires the client to pro-
vide an appropriate human interface to revert to the default behavior if the client changes the
default behavior (for example, the application should provide a toggle that turns off the dis-
play of dot files if the application displays dot files.)
D.5.1 Dot Files
Since most dot files are created by applications and not directly by the user, the file chooser
does not show dot files by default (also, user testing has shown that dot files often confuse
end-users). If an application needs to show dot files in the file list display, the attribute
FILE_CHOOSER_SHOW_DOT_FILES toggles their display.
D.5.2 Abbreviated View
Some applications may only need to show those files that are relevant to the application. In
this case, files that are not openable may be removed from the file list, rather than being
displayed as grayed out items. This functionality may be turned on by setting the
FILE_CHOOSER_ABBREV_VIEW
attribute to TRUE. Warning: use of this attribute is recom-
mended only for applications that expect very technical users who will understand that files
not being displayed is not a problem.
D.6 File Chooser Customization ...