answer file with type

Typecommand
DictionaryLCS
LibraryLiveCode Script
Syntax
answer file[s] <prompt> [with <defaultPath>] [with type <types> [or type <types> ...]] [titled <windowTitle>] [as sheet]
Summary

Displays a standard file dialog for the user to select a file.

Introduced2.6
Changes

The answer file ... with type ... form was introduced in version 2.6.

OSmac, windows, linux
Platformsdesktop
Parameters
NameTypeDescription
prompt

If you specify empty, no prompt appears.

defaultPath

The name and location of the folder whose contents are listed when the dialog box appears. If no defaultPath is specified, the dialog box lists the contents of the last folder you used with a file dialog box.

types

Use the types parameter to specify which files should appear and be available for selection. Each set of types is a return-delimited list of values of the form "tag|extensions|filetypes".

windowTitle

The windowTitle, if specified, appears in the title bar of the dialog box. If no windowTitle is given, the title bar is blank. (This parameter has no effect on Mac OS systems, because Mac OS file dialog boxes don't have a title bar.)

Example
answer file "Select a file to delete:"
answer files "Select the files you wish to process:"
answer file "Input:" with "/Macintosh HD/"
answer file (field "Prompt") with type "LiveCode Stacks|rev|RSTK"
answer files "Select the images you wish to view:" with type "JPEG Images|jpg|JPEG"
Values
NameTypeDescription
It

The absolute file path of the file the user chose is placed in the it variable. If the answer files form is used, a return-delimited list of such paths is placed in the it variable. If the user cancels the dialog, the it variable is set to empty.

The result

If types are specified, the result function will return the tag of the corresponding type selected from the supplied drop-down list.

RelatedCommand: answer file
Glossary: command, property, variable, handler, file dialog box, file path, modal dialog box, dialog box
Keyword: file, it
Securitydisk
Description

Use the answer file command when a handler needs the file path of a file before continuing.

The dialog box displayed is the same one most programs use for the "Open" command in the File menu.

Important: The answer file command does not open the file. It only displays the dialog box and retrieves the path to the file the user specifies.

If more than one type is specified, a drop-down list containing the tags will be displayed allowing the user to select which types of files to display. (This list is always displayed on Windows systems).

If the as sheet form is used, the dialog box appears as a sheet on OS X systems. On other systems, the as sheet form has no effect and the dialog box appears normally. Attempting to open a sheet from within another sheet displays the second stack as a modal dialog box instead. To give a dialog box a prompt when using the as sheet form a non-empty title must be provided. This will cause the prompt to appear in the same place it would if as sheet was not being used.

If the systemFileSelector property is set to false, LiveCode's built-in dialog box is used instead of the operating system's standard file dialog.

Tagsfile system