Library tutorials & articles

Common Dialog Control

Using the Control

To show one of the dialog boxes contained in the Common Dialog control, you need to use the following syntax:

CommonDialog1.DialogBox

Where DialogBox is one of the following methods (the methods in italic are not covered in this article):

Method Action
ShowSave Displays the Save Dialog
ShowOpen Displays the Open Dialog
ShowPrinter Displays the Print Dialog
ShowColor Displays the Colour Dialog
ShowHelp Displays the Help Dialog
ShowFont Displays the Font Dialog

As you can see, it is very easy to user the Common Dialog Control. However, in order to use the control to its full potential, you need to set a few parameters before showing the dialog. These parameters will be different, depending on which dialog you want to show. The next few sections describe them.

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Comments

  1. 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

  2. 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"

  3. 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)

  4. 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

  5. 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?

  6. 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

  7. 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.


  8. 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

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