FileBrowse and Save

[Rory]

Is it possible to save a file through a dialog using the FileBrowse and save?
I have created a very simple dialog to test this and have been able to get the "Save As" window to open but the file does not save. What am I missing?
Here is the script:

Dialog>Dialog1
Caption=Dialog1
Width=166
Height=135
Top=CENTER
Left=CENTER
Edit=msEdit1,16,16,121,
Button=Save As,40,56,75,25,4
FileBrowse=Save As,msEdit1,Text Documents (*.txt)|*.txt|All Files|*.*,save,C:\,test.txt
EndDialog>Dialog1

Show>Dialog1,r

[Zechf]

Hello Rory,

The purpose of the dialog command is to display dialog boxes but it won't really do active things. So your program is calling a dialog box named "Save As" but is not actually saving the file. You need to catch the name of the file in MsEdit1 (just to make sure the user hasn't changed it while in the Save As window). Then you'll have to use the CopyFile> command to do the job.

Good Luck

[Marcus Tettmar]

A dialog is an interface for a user to use. The user clicks the button which opens the Save As dialog. The user then chooses a location and clicks ok. All the save as dialog does is return the user's choice (the path and chosen file name) to the script. It's up to the programmer what then to do with it.

[Rory]

Thanks for the replies.
I have another question now.

If I try to set the Default file name to a variable of the msEdit, the file name does not carry over into the "Save As" window.
If I hard code a file name in at the end of the FileBrowse line that file name is carried over the the "Save As" window.

Why doesnt the variable work?


Dialog>Dialog1
Caption=Dialog1
Width=166
Height=135
Top=CENTER
Left=CENTER
Edit=msEdit1,16,16,121,
Button=Save As,40,56,75,25,4
FileBrowse=Save As,msEdit1,Text Documents (*.txt)|*.txt|All Files|*.*,save,C:\,%Dialog1.msEdit1%
EndDialog>Dialog1

Show>Dialog1,r
MessageModal>%Dialog1.msEdit1%

[JRL]

From help text for "FileBrowse" under "Dialog", what would appear to be the obvious solution to this issue:

initialdir and filename allow the browse box to default to a directory and/or filename. To set initialdir and/or filename at run time set dialogName.TextObjectName.fbinit=initialdir,filename

I've tried multiple ways to make this work but I have not been successful.

As Rory has found, hardcoding the directory and filename at the end of the FileBrowse line will put the requested information into the Save As window. But I agree with him that there does not seem to be any way to use a variable to cause the Save As window to use a specific directory requesting a specific file.

An obvious workaround would be to dynamically create a script containing the dialog then call that script using the macro command. But it sure seems like the instuction for FileBrowse is telling us that this shouldn't be necessary.

Later,
Dick

Edit-1
Thought I'd show one iteration of Rory's script as I've modified it attempting to make this work.

Code: Select all

Let>Dialog1.msEdit1.fbinit=C:\,newfilename.txt
Dialog>Dialog1
   Caption=File Name
   Width=166
   Height=135
   Top=CENTER
   Left=CENTER
   Edit=msEdit1,16,16,121,
   Button=Save As,96,72,59,25,4
   Button=Ok,8,72,57,25,3
   Default=Ok
   FileBrowse=Save As,msEdit1,Text Documents (*.txt)|*.txt|All Files|*.*,save,,
EndDialog>Dialog1

Show>Dialog1

Label>start
Wait>0.01
GDA>dialog1,r1
If>r1=2,finish
If>r1=3,process
If>r1=4,process
Goto>start

SRT>process
MessageModal>%Dialog1.msEdit1%
//Do stuff
ResetDialogAction>dialog1
END>process

Label>finish

[Marcus Tettmar]

You're all confusing me. What are you trying to do?

You want to set the filename of the filebrowse at run time? Do this:

Let>Dialog1.msEdit1.fbinit=C:\,newfilename.txt
ResetDialogAction>dialog1

Just like you would set the value of any other dialog object.

[Rory]

What I would like to do it to place a file name into an edit box in the dialog as a variable. This would only be a file name without the address. That way a person can click on the Save As button and have the file name placed into the file name box on the Save As window. I know a person can type the file name in on the Save As window, but with the Dialog that I am creating, it would be nice to have everything infront of the user before clicking the Save As button.


Is everyone confused now?

Rory

[JRL]

I'm most dangerous when I think I get it

from Marcus' last explanation, try this.

Code: Select all

Let>filename=newfilename.txt
Let>directory=c:\
Let>Dialog1.msEdit1=%directory%%filename%
Dialog>Dialog1
   Caption=Save As
   Width=166
   Height=135
   Top=CENTER
   Left=CENTER
   Edit=msEdit1,16,16,121,
   Button=Save As,96,72,59,25,4
   Button=Ok,8,72,57,25,3
   Default=Ok
   fbinit=C:\,newfilename.txt
   FileBrowse=Save As,msEdit1,Text Documents (*.txt)|*.txt|All Files|*.*,save,,
EndDialog>Dialog1

Show>Dialog1
Let>Dialog1.msEdit1.fbinit=%directory%,%filename%
ResetDialogAction>dialog1
Closedialog>dialog1
Show>Dialog1
Label>start
Wait>0.01
GDA>dialog1,r1
If>r1=2,finish
If>r1=3,process
If>r1=4,process
Goto>start

SRT>process
MessageModal>%Dialog1.msEdit1%
//Do stuff
ResetDialogAction>dialog1
END>process

Label>finish

[Marcus Tettmar]

1. Erm, why show and close the dialog again? What's wrong with:

Code: Select all

Show>Dialog1
GetDialogAction>Dialog1,r
Let>Dialog1.msEdit1.fbinit=c:\,newfilename.txt
ResetDialogAction>Dialog1

2. But, since this example sets it on startup why not just do:

Code: Select all

Dialog>Dialog1
   Caption=Save As
   Width=166
   Height=135
   Top=CENTER
   Left=CENTER
   Edit=msEdit1,16,16,121,
   Button=Save As,96,72,59,25,4
   Button=Ok,8,72,57,25,3
   Default=Ok
   FileBrowse=Save As,msEdit1,Text Documents (*.txt)|*.txt|All Files|*.*,save,c:\,newfilename.txt
EndDialog>Dialog1

Show>Dialog1

Label>start
Wait>0.01
GDA>dialog1,r1
If>r1=2,finish
If>r1=3,process
If>r1=4,process
Goto>start

SRT>process
MessageModal>%Dialog1.msEdit1%
//Do stuff
ResetDialogAction>dialog1
END>process

Label>finish

Am I missing the problem here?

[Rory]

What is the reason for associating the FileBrowse with msEdit when msEdit does not carry over into the Save As window?

Rory

[JRL]

1. Erm, why show and close the dialog again?

No reason... Thought it had to be done to reset the dialog but I must have been wrong.

Am I missing the problem here?

For me the problem was not understnading how to use "Dialog1.msEdit1.fbinit". I get it now.

Thank you Marcus...

[JRL]

What is the reason for associating the FileBrowse with msEdit when msEdit does not carry over into the Save As window?

I believe that its the other way around. The filebrowse requires msedit to have someplace to store the selection. If you check the value of "dialog1.msedit1" you'll find it contains the selected file name.

[JRL]

This might be dangerous because it might be exploiting a flaw but I discovered some time ago that you can define an invisible edit box in a dialog like this:

Edit=msEdit1,

Note the comma at the end is needed.

The purpose this could serve would be to help remove dialog user confusion. As Rory stated, what good is the edit box if the user is going to browse for a filename and the edit box contents won't carry over into the browse window? The edit box is necessary because it captures the file selection and passes it on to a variable that can be used later in the script. But nobody really needs to see it.

The following script is a revision of the above script and demonstrates how an invisible edit box might be used: I removed the extraneous code pointed out by Marcus. I also added code to rewrite the value of Dialog1.msEdit1.fbinit so that each time a new directory\file is selected it is remembered the next time browse is selected.

Code: Select all

Let>filename=newfilename.txt
Let>directory=c:\
Dialog>Dialog1
   Caption=Select File
   Width=166
   Height=94
   Top=CENTER
   Left=CENTER
   Edit=msEdit1,
   Button=Browse,88,24,59,25,4
   Button=Ok,8,24,59,25,3
   FileBrowse=Browse,msEdit1,Text Documents (*.txt)|*.txt|All Files|*.*,save,,
EndDialog>Dialog1

Show>Dialog1
Let>Dialog1.msEdit1.fbinit=%directory%,%filename%
ResetDialogAction>dialog1
Label>start
Wait>0.01
GDA>dialog1,r1
If>r1=2,finish
If>r1=3,process
Goto>start

SRT>process
If>%Dialog1.msEdit1%=
  Let>Dialog1.msEdit1=No File Selected
EndIf
MessageModal>%Dialog1.msEdit1%
If>%Dialog1.msEdit1%=No File Selected
  //do nothing
Else
  Separate>%Dialog1.msEdit1%,\,var
  Let>filename=var_%var_count%
  sub>var_count,1
  Let>counter=0
  Let>directory=
  Repeat>counter
    add>counter,1
	Let>value=var_%counter%
	concat>directory,%value%\
  Until>counter=var_count
  Let>Dialog1.msEdit1.fbinit=%directory%,%filename%
EndIf
ResetDialogAction>dialog1
//Do stuff
END>process

Label>finish