Library tutorials & articles

Common Dialog Control

Using the Colour Dialog

You can use the set colour dialog to allow the user to select a system color. Below are the most common parameters you will need to set before displaying the Open Dialog Box.

Parameter Changes...
DialogTitle the Title displayed in the Dialog Box
Color the selected color
Flags custom settings such as disable custom color button.
CancelError whether an error occurs when the dialog box is cancelled.

The following code displays a colour dialog. When the user clicks OK, it sets the forms background colour to the one selected.

' Sets the Dialog Title to Save File
CommonDialog1.DialogTitle = "Select Colour"

CommonDialog1.CancelError = True
' Set flags - enabled the Custom Color button
CommonDialog1.Flags = cdlCCFullOpen
' Enables error handling to catch cancel error
On Error Resume Next
' display the set colour dialog box
CommonDialog1.ShowColor

If Err Then
    ' This code runs if the dialog was cancelled
    Msgbox "Dialog Cancelled"
    Exit Sub
End If
' Sets Form1 background color to the selected colour
Form1.Backcolor = CommonDialog1.Color

Comments

  1. 23 Jul 2009 at 05:53

    As far as I know. This is a licensed control from Microsoft, which requires a license file (*.lpk) file generated using the LPK Tool from Microsoft.

    When I run the above code, it shows an error as *object cannot be found 'CommonDialog1' *.

    As a result, I slightly modified the code as:

    Set CommonDialog1 = CreateObject("MSComDlg.CommonDialog")
    
    ' Sets the File List box to Word documents and Excel documents
    CommonDialog1.Filter = "Word Documents (*.doc)|*.doc|Excel Spreadsheets (*.xls)|*.xls"
    
    ' Set the default files type to Word Documents
    CommonDialog1.FilterIndex = 1
    
    ' Sets the flags - File must exist and Hide Read only
    CommonDialog1.Flags = cdlOFNFileMustExist + cdlOFNHideReadOnly
    
    ' Set dialog box so an error occurs if the dialogbox is cancelled
    CommonDialog1.CancelError = True
    
    ' Enables error handling to catch cancel error
    On Error Resume Next
    ' display the dialog box
    CommonDialog1.ShowOpen
    If Err Then
        ' This code runs if the dialog was cancelled
        Msgbox "Dialog Cancelled"
        'Exit Sub
    End If
    ' Displays a message box.
    Msgbox "You selected " & CommonDialog1.FileName
    

    Aftewards, it shows an error as: Class is not licensed for use.

    Any Idea why its happening. Thanks.

  2. 17 Dec 2008 at 12:50
    Check out this. looks bit clear [http://www.kanbal.com/index.php?/C/file-open-dialog-box-in-c.html](http://www.kanbal.com/index.php?/C/file-open-dialog-box-in-c.html) regards kannan Chandrasekaran
  3. 17 Dec 2008 at 12:49
    Check out this. looks bit clear http://www.kanbal.com/index.php?/C/file-open-dialog-box-in-c.html regards kannan Chandrasekaran
  4. 20 Feb 2007 at 20:28
    I know what you're thinking about. I have exactly the same problem. I don't know how to make Common Dialog Box show such window: http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/7206/selectdirectorytt2.jpg
  5. 26 Jul 2006 at 09:57

    Dear Sir

    Thanks for you help and I like you way that you got it, but my questation is Can I use Common Dialog without use File Type? because I need only open folder without select file "Only Folder Path"

  6. 20 Apr 2004 at 19:45

    Using the FileName (path) and FileTitle (filename) properties of the dialog control,

    Code:

    Dim FilePathOnly As String


    FilePathOnly = Left(FileName, Len(FileName) - Len(FileTitle))
    'or
    FilePathOnly = Left(FileName, InStrRev(FileName, "\"))


    'or if you use a scripting runtime
    Dim fso As FileSystemObject


    FilePathOnly = fso.GetPath(FileName)

  7. 24 Dec 2003 at 07:58

    Code:
    OpenPath = App.Path & "\templates\"


    OpenFileWName = TreeView1.SelectedItem


    If OpenFileWName = OpenPath Then
    MsgBox "You can not select a directory.  Please select a template file."
    Else
    frmMain.RichTextBox1.LoadFile OpenPath + OpenWFileName
    'Unload Me
    End If



    And it should be as simple as that


    Any idea on my problem? I posted it on here as darkwolf

  8. 20 Dec 2003 at 17:20

    is there a way of getting just the path of the file this way, without the file name in it?
    E.G. if i open
    C:\Windows\Wini.ini
    can i get the program to read just
    C:\Windows
    from that?

  9. 24 Sep 2002 at 01:47
    Thanks.

    I have decided to do it a different way though.  I am now using a Tree view to list all files in the directory.  It allows a much better interface for what I am trying to accomplish.

    I do have a new problem though.  The main function of the form (frmNewTemplate) is to open a file an put the contents into a rich textbox on the main form (frmMain) but it doesn't seem to be working.  If I put a RichTextBox on the frmNewTemplate it is able to open the file and put it into the RichTextBox correctly but when I change it to be placed into the frmMain it doesn't update the RichTextBox.

    Do have any ideas on how to pass the information from frmNewTemplate to frmMain?

    I have included the code below.  Again it works until the part of updating frmMain.

    Code:


    OpenPath = App.Path & "\templates\"

    OpenFileWName = TreeView1.SelectedItem

    If OpenFileWName = OpenPath Then
    MsgBox "You can not select a directory.  Please select a template file."
    Else
    Open OpenPath & OpenFileWName For Input As #1
       Do Until EOF(1)
       Line Input #1, lineoftext$
           If frmMain.RichTextBox1.Text = "" Then
           alltext$ = lineoftext$
           Else
           alltext$ = alltext$ & vbCrLf & lineoftext$
           End If
       frmMain.RichTextBox1.Text = alltext$
       Loop
    Close #1

    'Unload Me
    End If



    Thank you in advance for any help that you or anyone else may provide.

    Joel Strellner
  10. 24 Sep 2002 at 00:25
    if you are using the common dialog control in your app then you can set the initdir property to the folder you want the dialog to default to.

    I think you may need to check the file selected to ensure that it was chosen from the path that your trying to restrict to.

  11. 23 Sep 2002 at 18:28
    Is there a way to make it display files in a preselected directory?  In a program I am making I would like for people to only open a file in a certain directory.  I do not want the common dialog to default to their desktop but to a folder in the applications folder.

    Thank you,
    Joel Strellner
  12. 01 Jan 1999 at 00:00

    This thread is for discussions of Common Dialog Control.

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