CFileDialog dynamically change filter list

Is there any way to dynamically update the filter list (i.e. "Save as type") once a CFileDialog is already created?

Here is a brief run down of what I'm trying to do. Our program uses a profile system which allows you to select from a bunch of options and then save them as a file type which you can then select from the save dialog. Right now I accomplish this by simply building the filter list using the profiles before the save dialog is created, which is easy. However my boss has just requested that I add feature which allows users to create a new profile directly from within the save dialog. I have got it all working except that I can't figure out a way to add the newly created profile to the CFileDialogs filter list. Our save dialog is using an derived class with an overlay template for additional UI elements, so I have almost full control over it. But I can't seem to figure out any way to add file types to the filter list dynamically. Does anyone know how to accomplish this?

Thanks,
Dan

Have you tried modifying m_ofn.lpstrFilter?

That's what I do now before the dialog is displayed with DoModal. However I need to update the list after the dialog is already being displayed. There may be some message I can send which reparses the m_ofn.lpstrFilter string, but if there is I don't know what it is.

Dan

You can pick the idea from this Codeguru article: File Open and Save As Dialogs for MFC Applications Using GDI+.

He's doing the same thing I am right now, which is construct the filter list in the DoModal function. What I want to do is change the filter list after the dialog is already being displayed. (i.e. after DoModal)

Dan

Did you try to directly modify the content of cmb1 combobox of the CFileDialog template?

I did, and I can add text to it. However if I actually select the new item the program crashes. Presumably there is something stored in the ItemData or ItemDataPtr the dialog needs, but I'm not sure what it is.

Dan

Well, then why not to check what data other combobox items have?
Another guess: perhaps, all combo items must correspond to m_ofn.lpstrFilter string entries?

I tested the other combo items and found that the ItemData is set to a BSTR with "*.ext", where ext is the file extension. So basically I can do this...

CComboBox *pWndFilesOfTypeCombo = (CComboBox*)GetParent()->GetDlgItem(cmb1);

int index = pWndFilesOfTypeCombo->AddString(_T("Filter (*.ext)"));

CString filter("*.ext");
pWndFilesOfTypeCombo->SetItemData(index, (DWORD)filter.AllocSysString());

And it seems to work.

Thanks for helping me in the right direction.

Dan

You are welcome!
And thank you for the useful information about "ItemData set to a BSTR ..."!

Good day,

I have a similar problem.

I have a CFileDialog used to "Save As..." and i want to get a pointer to the "file_extension"ComboBox to see what the user selected by calling pComboBox->GetCurSel.

How is this accomplished?

Thanx in advance,
stakon


PS.
I know i can get the selected Extension with the various get methods, but i want to have multiple times the same extension in my CFileDialog.

EDIT: I used the code above and it is working well. I hadn't realized that "cmb1" is actually a defined variable name in file "dlgs.h"

You could use something like this...

CComboBox *pWndFilesOfTypeCombo = (CComboBox*)GetParent()->GetDlgItem(cmb1);

int index = pWndFilesOfTypeCombo->GetCurSel();

CString ext;
ext.SetSysString((BSTR)pWndFilesOfTypeCombo->GetItemData(index));

That will get you the index of the selected item and the extension of that selection.

Dan