File Names and Encodings

When the user is finished selecting files in a GtkFileChooser, your program can get the selected names either as filenames or as URIs. For URIs, the normal escaping rules are applied if the URI contains non-ASCII characters. However, filenames are always returned in the character set specified by the G_FILENAME_ENCODING environment variable. Please see the Glib documentation for more details about this variable.

Adding a Preview Widget

You can add a custom preview widget to a file chooser and then get notification about when the preview needs to be updated. To install a preview widget, use gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget(). Then, connect to the GtkFileChooser::update-preview signal to get notified when you need to update the contents of the preview.

Your callback should use gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_filename() to see what needs previewing. Once you have generated the preview for the corresponding file, you must call gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget_active() with a boolean flag that indicates whether your callback could successfully generate a preview.

{
  GtkImage *preview;

  ...

  preview = gtk_image_new ();

  gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget (my_file_chooser, preview);
  g_signal_connect (my_file_chooser, "update-preview",
		    G_CALLBACK (update_preview_cb), preview);
}

static void
update_preview_cb (GtkFileChooser *file_chooser, gpointer data)
{
  GtkWidget *preview;
  char *filename;
  GdkPixbuf *pixbuf;
  gboolean have_preview;

  preview = GTK_WIDGET (data);
  filename = gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_filename (file_chooser);

  pixbuf = gdk_pixbuf_new_from_file_at_size (filename, 128, 128, NULL);
  have_preview = (pixbuf != NULL);
  g_free (filename);

  gtk_image_set_from_pixbuf (GTK_IMAGE (preview), pixbuf);
  if (pixbuf)
    gdk_pixbuf_unref (pixbuf);

  gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget_active (file_chooser, have_preview);
}
	

Adding Extra Widgets

You can add extra widgets to a file chooser to provide options that are not present in the default design. For example, you can add a toggle button to give the user the option to open a file in read-only mode. You can use gtk_file_chooser_set_extra_widget() to insert additional widgets in a file chooser.

{
  GtkWidget *toggle;

  ...

  toggle = gtk_check_button_new_with_label ("Open file read-only");
  gtk_widget_show (toggle);
  gtk_file_chooser_set_extra_widget (my_file_chooser, toggle);
}
	

Key Bindings

Internally, GTK+ implements a file chooser's graphical user interface with the private GtkFileChooserDefaultClass. This widget has several key bindings and their associated signals. This section describes the available key binding signals.

binding "my-own-gtkfilechooser-bindings" {
	bind "<Alt><Shift>l" {
		"location-popup" ()
	}
	bind "<Alt><Shift>Up" {
		"up-folder" ()
	}
	bind "<Alt><Shift>Down" {
		"down-folder" ()
	}
	bind "<Alt><Shift>Home" {
		"home-folder-folder" ()
	}
}

class "GtkFileChooserDefault" binding "my-own-gtkfilechooser-bindings"
	

          void user_function (GtkFileChooserDefault *chooser,
                              gpointer user_data);
	

          void user_function (GtkFileChooserDefault *chooser,
                              gpointer user_data);
	

          void user_function (GtkFileChooserDefault *chooser,
                              gpointer user_data);
	

          void user_function (GtkFileChooserDefault *chooser,
                              gpointer user_data);
	

GtkFileChooser

typedef struct _GtkFileChooser GtkFileChooser;

enum GtkFileChooserAction

typedef enum
{
  GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_OPEN,
  GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SAVE,
  GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SELECT_FOLDER,
  GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_CREATE_FOLDER
} GtkFileChooserAction;

Describes whether a GtkFileChooser is being used to open existing files or to save to a possibly new file.

GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ERROR

#define GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ERROR (gtk_file_chooser_error_quark ())

Used to get the GError quark for GtkFileChooser errors.

enum GtkFileChooserError

typedef enum {
  GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ERROR_NONEXISTENT,
  GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ERROR_BAD_FILENAME
} GtkFileChooserError;

These identify the various errors that can occur while calling GtkFileChooser functions.

gtk_file_chooser_error_quark ()

GQuark      gtk_file_chooser_error_quark    (void);

Registers an error quark for GtkFileChooser if necessary.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_action ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_set_action     (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             GtkFileChooserAction action);

Sets the type of operation that the chooser is performing; the user interface is adapted to suit the selected action. For example, an option to create a new folder might be shown if the action is GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SAVE but not if the action is GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_OPEN.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_action ()

GtkFileChooserAction gtk_file_chooser_get_action
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the type of operation that the file chooser is performing; see gtk_file_chooser_set_action().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_local_only ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_set_local_only (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             gboolean local_only);

Sets whether only local files can be selected in the file selector. If local_only is TRUE (the default), then the selected file are files are guaranteed to be accessible through the operating systems native file file system and therefore the application only needs to worry about the filename functions in GtkFileChooser, like gtk_file_chooser_get_filename(), rather than the URI functions like gtk_file_chooser_get_uri(),

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_local_only ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_get_local_only (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets whether only local files can be selected in the file selector. See gtk_file_chooser_set_local_only()

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_select_multiple ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_set_select_multiple
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             gboolean select_multiple);

Sets whether multiple files can be selected in the file selector. This is only relevant if the action is set to be GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_OPEN or GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SAVE. It cannot be set with either of the folder actions.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_select_multiple ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_get_select_multiple
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets whether multiple files can be selected in the file selector. See gtk_file_chooser_set_select_multiple().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_show_hidden ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_set_show_hidden
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             gboolean show_hidden);

Sets whether hidden files and folders are displayed in the file selector.

Since 2.6

gtk_file_chooser_get_show_hidden ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_get_show_hidden
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets whether hidden files and folders are displayed in the file selector. See gtk_file_chooser_set_show_hidden().

Since 2.6

gtk_file_chooser_set_current_name ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_set_current_name
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const gchar *name);

Sets the current name in the file selector, as if entered by the user. Note that the name passed in here is a UTF-8 string rather than a filename. This function is meant for such uses as a suggested name in a "Save As..." dialog.

If you want to preselect a particular existing file, you should use gtk_file_chooser_set_filename() instead.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_filename ()

gchar*      gtk_file_chooser_get_filename   (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the filename for the currently selected file in the file selector. If multiple files are selected, one of the filenames will be returned at random.

If the file chooser is in folder mode, this function returns the selected folder.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_filename ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_set_filename   (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const char *filename);

Sets filename as the current filename for the file chooser; If the file name isn't in the current folder of chooser, then the current folder of chooser will be changed to the folder containing filename. This is equivalent to a sequence of gtk_file_chooser_unselect_all() followed by gtk_file_chooser_select_filename().

Note that the file must exist, or nothing will be done except for the directory change. To pre-enter a filename for the user, as in a save-as dialog, use gtk_file_chooser_set_current_name()

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_select_filename ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_select_filename
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const char *filename);

Selects a filename. If the file name isn't in the current folder of chooser, then the current folder of chooser will be changed to the folder containing filename.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_unselect_filename ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_unselect_filename
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const char *filename);

Unselects a currently selected filename. If the filename is not in the current directory, does not exist, or is otherwise not currently selected, does nothing.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_select_all ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_select_all     (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Selects all the files in the current folder of a file chooser.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_unselect_all ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_unselect_all   (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Unselects all the files in the current folder of a file chooser.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_filenames ()

GSList*     gtk_file_chooser_get_filenames  (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Lists all the selected files and subfolders in the current folder of chooser. The returned names are full absolute paths. If files in the current folder cannot be represented as local filenames they will be ignored. (See gtk_file_chooser_get_uris())

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const gchar *filename);

Sets the current folder for chooser from a local filename. The user will be shown the full contents of the current folder, plus user interface elements for navigating to other folders.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_current_folder ()

gchar*      gtk_file_chooser_get_current_folder
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the current folder of chooser as a local filename. See gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_uri ()

gchar*      gtk_file_chooser_get_uri        (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the URI for the currently selected file in the file selector. If multiple files are selected, one of the filenames will be returned at random.

If the file chooser is in folder mode, this function returns the selected folder.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_uri ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_set_uri        (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const char *uri);

Sets the file referred to by uri as the current file for the file chooser; If the file name isn't in the current folder of chooser, then the current folder of chooser will be changed to the folder containing uri. This is equivalent to a sequence of gtk_file_chooser_unselect_all() followed by gtk_file_chooser_select_uri().

Note that the file must exist, or nothing will be done except for the directory change. To pre-enter a filename for the user, as in a save-as dialog, use gtk_file_chooser_set_current_name()

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_select_uri ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_select_uri     (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const char *uri);

Selects the file to by uri. If the URI doesn't refer to a file in the current folder of chooser, then the current folder of chooser will be changed to the folder containing filename.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_unselect_uri ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_unselect_uri   (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const char *uri);

Unselects the file referred to by uri. If the file is not in the current directory, does not exist, or is otherwise not currently selected, does nothing.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_uris ()

GSList*     gtk_file_chooser_get_uris       (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Lists all the selected files and subfolders in the current folder of chooser. The returned names are full absolute URIs.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder_uri ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder_uri
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const gchar *uri);

Sets the current folder for chooser from an URI. The user will be shown the full contents of the current folder, plus user interface elements for navigating to other folders.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_current_folder_uri ()

gchar*      gtk_file_chooser_get_current_folder_uri
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the current folder of chooser as an URI. See gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder_uri().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             GtkWidget *preview_widget);

Sets an application-supplied widget to use to display a custom preview of the currently selected file. To implement a preview, after setting the preview widget, you connect to the ::update-preview signal, and call gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_filename() or gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_uri() on each change. If you can display a preview of the new file, update your widget and set the preview active using gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget_active(). Otherwise, set the preview inactive.

When there is no application-supplied preview widget, or the application-supplied preview widget is not active, the file chooser may display an internally generated preview of the current file or it may display no preview at all.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_widget ()

GtkWidget*  gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_widget
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the current preview widget; see gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget_active ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget_active
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             gboolean active);

Sets whether the preview widget set by gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget() should be shown for the current filename. When active is set to false, the file chooser may display an internally generated preview of the current file or it may display no preview at all. See gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget() for more details.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_widget_active ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_widget_active
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets whether the preview widget set by gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget() should be shown for the current filename. See gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget_active().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_use_preview_label ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_set_use_preview_label
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             gboolean use_label);

Sets whether the file chooser should display a stock label with the name of the file that is being previewed; the default is TRUE. Applications that want to draw the whole preview area themselves should set this to FALSE and display the name themselves in their preview widget.

See also: gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget()

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_use_preview_label ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_get_use_preview_label
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets whether a stock label should be drawn with the name of the previewed file. See gtk_file_chooser_set_use_preview_label().

gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_filename ()

char*       gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_filename
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the filename that should be previewed in a custom preview widget. See gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_uri ()

char*       gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_uri
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the URI that should be previewed in a custom preview widget. See gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_extra_widget ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_set_extra_widget
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             GtkWidget *extra_widget);

Sets an application-supplied widget to provide extra options to the user.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_extra_widget ()

GtkWidget*  gtk_file_chooser_get_extra_widget
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the current preview widget; see gtk_file_chooser_set_extra_widget().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_add_filter ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_add_filter     (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             GtkFileFilter *filter);

Adds filter to the list of filters that the user can select between. When a filter is selected, only files that are passed by that filter are displayed.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_remove_filter ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_remove_filter  (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             GtkFileFilter *filter);

Removes filter from the list of filters that the user can select between.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_list_filters ()

GSList*     gtk_file_chooser_list_filters   (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Lists the current set of user-selectable filters; see gtk_file_chooser_add_filter(), gtk_file_chooser_remove_filter().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_set_filter ()

void        gtk_file_chooser_set_filter     (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             GtkFileFilter *filter);

Sets the current filter; only the files that pass the filter will be displayed. If the user-selectable list of filters is non-empty, then the filter should be one of the filters in that list. Setting the current filter when the list of filters is empty is useful if you want to restrict the displayed set of files without letting the user change it.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_filter ()

GtkFileFilter* gtk_file_chooser_get_filter  (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the current filter; see gtk_file_chooser_set_filter().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_add_shortcut_folder ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_add_shortcut_folder
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const char *folder,
                                             GError **error);

Adds a folder to be displayed with the shortcut folders in a file chooser. Note that shortcut folders do not get saved, as they are provided by the application. For example, you can use this to add a "/usr/share/mydrawprogram/Clipart" folder to the volume list.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_remove_shortcut_folder ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_remove_shortcut_folder
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const char *folder,
                                             GError **error);

Removes a folder from a file chooser's list of shortcut folders.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_list_shortcut_folders ()

GSList*     gtk_file_chooser_list_shortcut_folders
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Queries the list of shortcut folders in the file chooser, as set by gtk_file_chooser_add_shortcut_folder().

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_add_shortcut_folder_uri ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_add_shortcut_folder_uri
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const char *uri,
                                             GError **error);

Adds a folder URI to be displayed with the shortcut folders in a file chooser. Note that shortcut folders do not get saved, as they are provided by the application. For example, you can use this to add a "file:///usr/share/mydrawprogram/Clipart" folder to the volume list.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_remove_shortcut_folder_uri ()

gboolean    gtk_file_chooser_remove_shortcut_folder_uri
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                             const char *uri,
                                             GError **error);

Removes a folder URI from a file chooser's list of shortcut folders.

Since 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_list_shortcut_folder_uris ()

GSList*     gtk_file_chooser_list_shortcut_folder_uris
                                            (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Queries the list of shortcut folders in the file chooser, as set by gtk_file_chooser_add_shortcut_folder_uri().

Since 2.4

The "action" property

  "action"               GtkFileChooserAction  : Read / Write

The type of operation that the file selector is performing.

Default value: GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_OPEN

The "extra-widget" property

  "extra-widget"         GtkWidget             : Read / Write

Application supplied widget for extra options.

The "file-system-backend" property

  "file-system-backend"  gchararray            : Write / Construct Only

Name of file system backend to use.

Default value: NULL

The "filter" property

  "filter"               GtkFileFilter         : Read / Write

The current filter for selecting which files are displayed.

The "local-only" property

  "local-only"           gboolean              : Read / Write

Whether the selected file(s) should be limited to local file: URLs.

Default value: TRUE

The "preview-widget" property

  "preview-widget"       GtkWidget             : Read / Write

Application supplied widget for custom previews.

The "preview-widget-active" property

  "preview-widget-active" gboolean              : Read / Write

Whether the application supplied widget for custom previews should be shown.

Default value: TRUE

The "select-multiple" property

  "select-multiple"      gboolean              : Read / Write

Whether to allow multiple files to be selected.

Default value: FALSE

The "show-hidden" property

  "show-hidden"          gboolean              : Read / Write

Whether the hidden files and folders should be displayed.

Default value: FALSE

The "use-preview-label" property

  "use-preview-label"    gboolean              : Read / Write

Whether to display a stock label with the name of the previewed file.

Default value: TRUE

The "current-folder-changed" signal

void        user_function                  (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                            gpointer user_data);

This signal is emitted when the current folder in a GtkFileChooser changes. This can happen due to the user performing some action that changes folders, such as selecting a bookmark or visiting a folder on the file list. It can also happen as a result of calling a function to explicitly change the current folder in a file chooser.

Normally you do not need to connect to this signal, unless you need to keep track of which folder a file chooser is showing.

See also: gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder(), gtk_file_chooser_get_current_folder(), gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder_uri(), gtk_file_chooser_get_current_folder_uri().

The "file-activated" signal

void        user_function                  (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                            gpointer user_data);

This signal is emitted when the user "activates" a file in the file chooser. This can happen by double-clicking on a file in the file list, or by pressing Enter.

Normally you do not need to connect to this signal. It is used internally by GtkFileChooserDialog to know when to activate the default button in the dialog.

See also: gtk_file_chooser_get_filename(), gtk_file_chooser_get_filenames(), gtk_file_chooser_get_uri(), gtk_file_chooser_get_uris().

The "selection-changed" signal

void        user_function                  (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                            gpointer user_data);

This signal is emitted when there is a change in the set of selected files in a GtkFileChooser. This can happen when the user modifies the selection with the mouse or the keyboard, or when explicitly calling functions to change the selection.

Normally you do not need to connect to this signal, as it is easier to wait for the file chooser to finish running, and then to get the list of selected files using the functions mentioned below.

See also: gtk_file_chooser_select_filename(), gtk_file_chooser_unselect_filename(), gtk_file_chooser_get_filename(), gtk_file_chooser_get_filenames(), gtk_file_chooser_select_uri(), gtk_file_chooser_unselect_uri(), gtk_file_chooser_get_uri(), gtk_file_chooser_get_uris().

The "update-preview" signal

void        user_function                  (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                            gpointer user_data);

This signal is emitted when the preview in a file chooser should be regenerated. For example, this can happen when the currently selected file changes. You should use this signal if you want your file chooser to have a preview widget.

Once you have installed a preview widget with gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget(), you should update it when this signal is emitted. You can use the functions gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_filename() or gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_uri() to get the name of the file to preview. Your widget may not be able to preview all kinds of files; your callback must call gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_wiget_active() to inform the file chooser about whether the preview was generated successfully or not.

Please see the example code in the section called “Adding a Preview Widget”.

See also: gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget(), gtk_file_chooser_set_preview_widget_active(), gtk_file_chooser_set_use_preview_label(), gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_filename(), gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_uri().