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.

This means that while you can pass the result of gtk_file_chooser_get_filename() to open() or fopen(), you may not be able to directly set it as the text of a GtkLabel widget unless you convert it first to UTF-8, which all GTK+ widgets expect. You should use g_filename_to_utf8() to convert filenames into strings that can be passed to GTK+ widgets.

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 “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.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33

{
  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)
    g_object_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.

An example for adding extra widgets:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

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);
}

If you want to set more than one extra widget in the file chooser, you can a container such as a GtkBox or a GtkGrid and include your widgets in it. Then, set the container as the whole extra widget.

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 or files are guaranteed to be accessible through the operating systems native 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(),

On some systems non-native files may still be available using the native filesystem via a userspace filesystem (FUSE).

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_SELECT_FOLDER.

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_do_overwrite_confirmation ()

void
gtk_file_chooser_set_do_overwrite_confirmation
                               (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                gboolean do_overwrite_confirmation);

Sets whether a file chooser in GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SAVE mode will present a confirmation dialog if the user types a file name that already exists. This is FALSE by default.

If set to TRUE, the chooser will emit the “confirm-overwrite” signal when appropriate.

If all you need is the stock confirmation dialog, set this property to TRUE. You can override the way confirmation is done by actually handling the “confirm-overwrite” signal; please refer to its documentation for the details.

Since: 2.8

gtk_file_chooser_get_do_overwrite_confirmation ()

gboolean
gtk_file_chooser_get_do_overwrite_confirmation
                               (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Queries whether a file chooser is set to confirm for overwriting when the user types a file name that already exists.

Since: 2.8

gtk_file_chooser_set_create_folders ()

void
gtk_file_chooser_set_create_folders (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                     gboolean create_folders);

Sets whether file choser will offer to create new folders. This is only relevant if the action is not set to be GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_OPEN.

Since: 2.18

gtk_file_chooser_get_create_folders ()

gboolean
gtk_file_chooser_get_create_folders (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets whether file choser will offer to create new folders. See gtk_file_chooser_set_create_folders().

Since: 2.18

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. You can pass “Untitled.doc” or a similarly suitable suggestion for the name .

If you want to preselect a particular existing file, you should use gtk_file_chooser_set_filename() or gtk_file_chooser_set_uri() instead. Please see the documentation for those functions for an example of using gtk_file_chooser_set_current_name() as well.

Since: 2.4

gtk_file_chooser_get_current_name ()

gchar *
gtk_file_chooser_get_current_name (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the current name in the file selector, as entered by the user in the text entry for “Name”.

This is meant to be used in save dialogs, to get the currently typed filename when the file itself does not exist yet. For example, an application that adds a custom extra widget to the file chooser for “file format” may want to change the extension of the typed filename based on the chosen format, say, from “.jpg” to “.png”.

Since: 3.10

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. The filename is returned as an absolute path. 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, by changing to the file’s parent folder and actually selecting the file in list; all other files will be unselected. If the chooser is in GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SAVE mode, the file’s base name will also appear in the dialog’s file name entry.

Note that the file must exist, or nothing will be done except for the directory change.

You should use this function only when implementing a save dialog for which you already have a file name to which the user may save. For example, when the user opens an existing file and then does Save As... to save a copy or a modified version. If you don’t have a file name already — for example, if the user just created a new file and is saving it for the first time, do not call this function. Instead, use something similar to this:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

if (document_is_new)
  {
    // the user just created a new document
    gtk_file_chooser_set_current_name (chooser, "Untitled document");
  }
else
  {
    // the user edited an existing document
    gtk_file_chooser_set_filename (chooser, existing_filename);
  }

In the first case, the file chooser will present the user with useful suggestions as to where to save his new file. In the second case, the file’s existing location is already known, so the file chooser will use it.

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.

In general, you should not use this function. See the section on setting up a file chooser dialog for the rationale behind this.

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().

Note that this is the folder that the file chooser is currently displaying (e.g. "/home/username/Documents"), which is not the same as the currently-selected folder if the chooser is in GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SELECT_FOLDER mode (e.g. "/home/username/Documents/selected-folder/". To get the currently-selected folder in that mode, use gtk_file_chooser_get_uri() as the usual way to get the selection.

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, by changing to the URI’s parent folder and actually selecting the URI in the list. If the chooser is GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SAVE mode, the URI’s base name will also appear in the dialog’s file name entry.

Note that the URI must exist, or nothing will be done except for the directory change.

You should use this function only when implementing a save dialog for which you already have a file name to which the user may save. For example, when the user opens an existing file and then does Save As... to save a copy or a modified version. If you don’t have a file name already — for example, if the user just created a new file and is saving it for the first time, do not call this function. Instead, use something similar to this:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

if (document_is_new)
  {
    // the user just created a new document
    gtk_file_chooser_set_current_name (chooser, "Untitled document");
  }
else
  {
    // the user edited an existing document
    gtk_file_chooser_set_uri (chooser, existing_uri);
  }

In the first case, the file chooser will present the user with useful suggestions as to where to save his new file. In the second case, the file’s existing location is already known, so the file chooser will use it.

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.

In general, you should not use this function. See the section on setting up a file chooser dialog for the rationale behind this.

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().

Note that this is the folder that the file chooser is currently displaying (e.g. "file:///home/username/Documents"), which is not the same as the currently-selected folder if the chooser is in GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SELECT_FOLDER mode (e.g. "file:///home/username/Documents/selected-folder/". To get the currently-selected folder in that mode, use gtk_file_chooser_get_uri() as the usual way to get the selection.

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 will 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.

Note that the chooser takes ownership of the filter, so you have to ref and sink it if you want to keep a reference.

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

gtk_file_chooser_get_current_folder_file ()

GFile *
gtk_file_chooser_get_current_folder_file
                               (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the current folder of chooser as GFile. See gtk_file_chooser_get_current_folder_uri().

Since: 2.14

gtk_file_chooser_get_file ()

GFile *
gtk_file_chooser_get_file (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

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

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

Since: 2.14

gtk_file_chooser_get_files ()

GSList *
gtk_file_chooser_get_files (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Lists all the selected files and subfolders in the current folder of chooser as GFile. An internal function, see gtk_file_chooser_get_uris().

Since: 2.14

gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_file ()

GFile *
gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_file (GtkFileChooser *chooser);

Gets the GFile that should be previewed in a custom preview Internal function, see gtk_file_chooser_get_preview_uri().

Since: 2.14

gtk_file_chooser_select_file ()

gboolean
gtk_file_chooser_select_file (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                              GFile *file,
                              GError **error);

Selects the file referred to by file . An internal function. See _gtk_file_chooser_select_uri().

Since: 2.14

gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder_file ()

gboolean
gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder_file
                               (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                GFile *file,
                                GError **error);

Sets the current folder for chooser from a GFile. Internal function, see gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder_uri().

Since: 2.14

gtk_file_chooser_set_file ()

gboolean
gtk_file_chooser_set_file (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                           GFile *file,
                           GError **error);

Sets file as the current filename for the file chooser, by changing to the file’s parent folder and actually selecting the file in list. If the chooser is in GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SAVE mode, the file’s base name will also appear in the dialog’s file name entry.

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.

If you are implementing a save dialog, you should use this function if you already have a file name to which the user may save; for example, when the user opens an existing file and then does Save As... If you don’t have a file name already — for example, if the user just created a new file and is saving it for the first time, do not call this function. Instead, use something similar to this:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

if (document_is_new)
  {
    // the user just created a new document
    gtk_file_chooser_set_current_folder_file (chooser, default_file_for_saving);
    gtk_file_chooser_set_current_name (chooser, "Untitled document");
  }
else
  {
    // the user edited an existing document
    gtk_file_chooser_set_file (chooser, existing_file);
  }

Since: 2.14

gtk_file_chooser_unselect_file ()

void
gtk_file_chooser_unselect_file (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
                                GFile *file);

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

Since: 2.14

GtkFileChooser

typedef struct _GtkFileChooser GtkFileChooser;

enum GtkFileChooserAction

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

enum GtkFileChooserConfirmation

Used as a return value of handlers for the “confirm-overwrite” signal of a GtkFileChooser. This value determines whether the file chooser will present the stock confirmation dialog, accept the user’s choice of a filename, or let the user choose another filename.

Since: 2.8

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

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

The “action” property

  “action”                   GtkFileChooserAction

The type of operation that the file selector is performing.

Flags: Read / Write

Default value: GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_OPEN

The “create-folders” property

  “create-folders”           gboolean

Whether a file chooser not in GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_OPEN mode will offer the user to create new folders.

Flags: Read / Write

Default value: TRUE

Since: 2.18

The “do-overwrite-confirmation” property

  “do-overwrite-confirmation” gboolean

Whether a file chooser in GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SAVE mode will present an overwrite confirmation dialog if the user selects a file name that already exists.

Flags: Read / Write

Default value: FALSE

Since: 2.8

The “extra-widget” property

  “extra-widget”             GtkWidget *

Application supplied widget for extra options.

Flags: Read / Write

The “filter” property

  “filter”                   GtkFileFilter *

The current filter for selecting which files are displayed.

Flags: Read / Write

The “local-only” property

  “local-only”               gboolean

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

Flags: Read / Write

Default value: TRUE

The “preview-widget” property

  “preview-widget”           GtkWidget *

Application supplied widget for custom previews.

Flags: Read / Write

The “preview-widget-active” property

  “preview-widget-active”    gboolean

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

Flags: Read / Write

Default value: TRUE

The “select-multiple” property

  “select-multiple”          gboolean

Whether to allow multiple files to be selected.

Flags: Read / Write

Default value: FALSE

The “show-hidden” property

  “show-hidden”              gboolean

Whether the hidden files and folders should be displayed.

Flags: Read / Write

Default value: FALSE

The “use-preview-label” property

  “use-preview-label”        gboolean

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

Flags: Read / Write

Default value: TRUE

The “confirm-overwrite” signal

GtkFileChooserConfirmation
user_function (GtkFileChooser *chooser,
               gpointer        user_data)

This signal gets emitted whenever it is appropriate to present a confirmation dialog when the user has selected a file name that already exists. The signal only gets emitted when the file chooser is in GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_SAVE mode.

Most applications just need to turn on the “do-overwrite-confirmation” property (or call the gtk_file_chooser_set_do_overwrite_confirmation() function), and they will automatically get a stock confirmation dialog. Applications which need to customize this behavior should do that, and also connect to the “confirm-overwrite” signal.

A signal handler for this signal must return a GtkFileChooserConfirmation value, which indicates the action to take. If the handler determines that the user wants to select a different filename, it should return GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_CONFIRMATION_SELECT_AGAIN. If it determines that the user is satisfied with his choice of file name, it should return GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_CONFIRMATION_ACCEPT_FILENAME. On the other hand, if it determines that the stock confirmation dialog should be used, it should return GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_CONFIRMATION_CONFIRM. The following example illustrates this.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29

static GtkFileChooserConfirmation
confirm_overwrite_callback (GtkFileChooser *chooser, gpointer data)
{
  char *uri;

  uri = gtk_file_chooser_get_uri (chooser);

  if (is_uri_read_only (uri))
    {
      if (user_wants_to_replace_read_only_file (uri))
        return GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_CONFIRMATION_ACCEPT_FILENAME;
      else
        return GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_CONFIRMATION_SELECT_AGAIN;
    } else
      return GTK_FILE_CHOOSER_CONFIRMATION_CONFIRM; // fall back to the default dialog
}

...

chooser = gtk_file_chooser_dialog_new (...);

gtk_file_chooser_set_do_overwrite_confirmation (GTK_FILE_CHOOSER (dialog), TRUE);
g_signal_connect (chooser, "confirm-overwrite",
                  G_CALLBACK (confirm_overwrite_callback), NULL);

if (gtk_dialog_run (chooser) == GTK_RESPONSE_ACCEPT)
        save_to_file (gtk_file_chooser_get_filename (GTK_FILE_CHOOSER (chooser));

gtk_widget_destroy (chooser);

Flags: Run Last

Since: 2.8

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().

Flags: Run Last

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().

Flags: Run Last

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().

Flags: Run Last

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_widget_active() to inform the file chooser about whether the preview was generated successfully or not.

Please see the example code in Using 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().

Flags: Run Last