CFileDialog dynamically change filter list

[Dan203]

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

[GCDEF]

Have you tried modifying m_ofn.lpstrFilter?

[Dan203]

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

[ovidiucucu]

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

[Dan203]

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

[VictorN]

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

[Dan203]

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

[VictorN]

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?

[Dan203]

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

[VictorN]

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

[stakon]

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"

[Dan203]

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