How to use and customize the Explorer-style CFileDialog by using the OfnKing sample (195034)

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The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Visual C++ 6.0

Download the Ofnking.exe package now.

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Visual C++ .NET

Download the Ofnkingvcnet.exe package now.

Release Date: June 25, 2002

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file. The primary functionality of this sample rests in the CCustomFileDialog class, defined in CustomFileDialog.cpp and CustomFileDialog.h. The custom file dialog box is executed by either clicking CfileDialog, then clicking Go, or by clicking Open on the File menu. Three options are available for choosing what customized file dialog box will be shown: whether it has the Explorer style, whether it has a Custom Template, and whether it allows the user to select multiple files.

The Custom Template version provides a few controls that allow the user to store a list of file names and directories from several different directories. This list comes directly from the listview control on the dialog box, and therefore it is composed only of Display Names. Directory names should be accurate, but file names could potentially be stripped of their extensions (this is based on whether the user has chosen this option in the standard Explorer.)

Below is a listing of the techniques that OfnKing demonstrates:

Obtaining a list of selected files when you use Multi-Select

At the end of CMainFrame::OnDoDialog is a for loop that uses the GetStartPosition() and GetNextPathName() functions to iterate through the multiple file selections and add the names to one of the list controls. Unfortunately, in versions of MFC prior to 4.2, the GetNextPathName() function made some incorrect assumptions. OfnKing provides a fixed version.

Adding to the recent file list

The loop mentioned above also adds the filenames to the recent file list. This is as easy as calling the CWinApp::AddToRecentFileList() function.

Selecting a directory

The CMainFrame::OnDirectorySelect() function demonstrates selecting a directory. It uses SHBrowseForFolder() to read in an initial directory for CFileDialog. This directory is added to one of the panes in the status bar.

Providing a custom template for CFileDialog

With the old-style common file dialog box (that is, non-Explorer), the template used was the WHOLE file dialog box, with all of the standard controls. Now, with Explorer dialog boxes, you provide only the controls you would like to add to the dialog box. Your template is repositioned and resized to fit the standard controls when the CFileDialog window is first created. Or, if you want precise positioning of the standard controls, you can place a static control with an ID of stc32 on your template to indicate where you want the standard controls to be placed. This is the technique OfnKing uses.

Using DDX/DDV with your own controls on CFileDialog

Unfortunately, the Class Wizard code is not complete when matching a custom template to a CFileDialog object. By adding the missing Class Wizard comments, Class Wizard lets you map control and value variables to your own controls and read values into them.

See CCustomFileDialog::DoDataExchange().

Context-sensitive Help support

CCustomFileDialog::OnHelp() is called when the user clicks the standard Help button on the common file dialog box.

CCustomFileDialog::OnContextMenu() is called when the user right-clicks one of the custom controls, such as the select items button. This brings up a menu with the "What's This?" item.

CCustomFileDialog::OnHelpInfo() is called when the WM_HELP message is generated by clicking the ? on the caption bar.

All three of these options make quick use of the WinHelp command.

MakeHelp.bat was modified to map IDC_ to help context IDs, and the standard MFC help support .rtf file was pared down to just a few entries.

Reading directory names from listview

The common file dialog box does not support selection of folders. That is, It is not possible to retrieve the name of a selected folder nor will the common file dialog box return folder names in the OPENFILENAME structure on closing. However, in some cases, it might be handy to get selected folder names as well. One example: a file archival and compression utility might want to allow a user to package up all of the files in one directory by just selecting that directory.

As a demonstration of customization techniques, OfnKing shows how to access the listview control on CfileDialog, and read through the list of Display names to obtain a "complete" list of all selected files and directories. The main functionality for this is in ReadListViewNames().

Because the list obtained consists of display names, the file names obtained may not be complete. Currently, extensions are stripped for certain known file types based on system preferences. However, folder names will probably not be altered. The application of this information is left to the observer.

NOTE: This technique may break with future versions of the common dialog boxes. However, because it just stops working, rather than crashing the program, if the dialog box implementation changes, this method is relatively safe.

Additional notes on the OfnKing sample

The OfnKing sample was originally created using AppWizard, which generated a skeleton application with a set of basic files. Most of the code in this sample that represents a change to the original AppWizard code is marked with the comments "// CHANGE":

The rest of the OfnKing sample contains a summary of what you will find in each of the files that make up your OfnKing application:

CustomFileDialog.cpp
CustomFileDialog.h OfnKing.h OfnKing.cpp OfnKing.rc res\OfnKing.ico res\OfnKing.rc2 OfnKing.clw

For the Main Frame window

MainFrm.h, MainFrm.cpp res\Toolbar.bmp

AppWizard creates one document type and one view

OfnKingDoc.h, OfnKingDoc.cpp - the document OfnKingView.h, OfnKingView.cpp - the view of the document res\OfnKingDoc.ico

Help support

MakeHelp.bat OfnKing.hpj hlp\OfnKing.rtf

Other standard files

StdAfx.h, StdAfx.cpp Resource.h

Other notes

If your application uses MFC in a shared DLL, and your application is in a language other than the operating system's current language, you need to copy the corresponding localized resources Mfc40xxx.dll from the Microsoft Visual C++ CD-ROM onto the system or system32 directory, and rename it to be Mfcloc.dll ("XXX" stands for the language abbreviation; for example, Mfc40deu.dll contains resources translated to German). If you don't do this, some of the UI elements of your application remain in the language of the operating system.