How to use OpenFileDialog to select a folder

Question

How to use OpenFileDialog to select folders   I was going to use the following project  https   github com scottwis OpenFileOrFolderDialog  However  I faced one problem  It uses the GetOpenFileName function and OPENFILENAME structure  And OPENFILENAME has the member named templateID  It s the identifier for dialog template  And the project contains the res1 rc file and the templated dialog init  too  But I couldn t figure out how to attach this file to my C  project   Is there a better way to use an OpenFileDialog to select folders

User · Answer

Here is another solution  that has all the source available in a single  simple ZIP file   It presents the OpenFileDialog with additional windows flags that makes it work like the Windows 7  Folder Selection dialog     Per the website  it is public domain   There   s no license as such as you are free to take and do with the code what you will     Article   NET Win 7-style folder select dialog  http   www lyquidity com devblog  p 136  Source code  http   s3downloads lyquidity com FolderSelectDialog FolderSelectDialog zip   Archive org links    Article  https   web archive org web 20180823181552 http   www lyquidity com devblog  p 136 Source code  https   web archive org web 20180823181632 http   s3downloads lyquidity com FolderSelectDialog FolderSelectDialog zip

User · Answer

Sounds to me like you re just after the FolderBrowserDialog

User · Answer

Take a look at the Ookii Dialogs libraries which has an implementation of a folder browser dialog for Windows Forms and WPF respectively        Ookii Dialogs WinForms      https   github com augustoproiete ookii-dialogs-winforms        Ookii Dialogs Wpf      https   github com augustoproiete ookii-dialogs-wpf

User · Answer

this should be the most obvious and straight forward way   using  var dialog   new System Windows Forms FolderBrowserDialog          System Windows Forms DialogResult result   dialog ShowDialog        if result    System Windows Forms DialogResult OK             selectedFolder   dialog SelectedPath

User · Answer

As a note for future users who would like to avoid using FolderBrowserDialog  Microsoft once released an API called the WindowsAPICodePack that had a helpful dialog called CommonOpenFileDialog  that could be set into a IsFolderPicker mode  The API is available from Microsoft as a NuGet package   This is all I needed to install and use the CommonOpenFileDialog   NuGet handled the dependencies   Install-Package Microsoft WindowsAPICodePack-Shell   For the include line   using Microsoft WindowsAPICodePack Dialogs    Usage   CommonOpenFileDialog dialog   new CommonOpenFileDialog    dialog InitialDirectory    C   Users   dialog IsFolderPicker   true  if  dialog ShowDialog      CommonFileDialogResult Ok        MessageBox Show  You selected      dialog FileName

User · Answer

Strange that so much answers votes  but no one add the following code as an answer  using  var opnDlg   new OpenFileDialog      ANY dialog          opnDlg Filter    quot Png Files    png    png quot         opnDlg Filter    quot Excel Files    xls    xlsx    xls   xlsx CSV Files    csv    csv quot       if  opnDlg ShowDialog      DialogResult OK                  opnDlg SelectedPath -- your result

User · Answer

Here is a pure C  version that should work with all versions of  NET  including  NET Core   NET 5  WPF  Winforms  etc   and uses Windows Vista  and higher  IFileDialog interface with the FOS PICKFOLDERS options so it has the nice folder picker Windows standard UI  I have also added WPF s Window type support but this is optional  usage  var dlg   new FolderPicker    dlg InputPath     quot c  windows system32 quot   if  dlg ShowDialog      true        MessageBox Show dlg ResultPath      code      using System      using System Diagnostics      using System Runtime InteropServices      using System Runtime InteropServices ComTypes      using System Windows     for WPF support     using System Windows Interop      for WPF support      public class FolderPicker               public virtual string ResultPath   get  protected set            public virtual string ResultName   get  protected set            public virtual string InputPath   get  set            public virtual bool ForceFileSystem   get  set            public virtual string Title   get  set            public virtual string OkButtonLabel   get  set            public virtual string FileNameLabel   get  set             protected virtual int SetOptions int options                        if  ForceFileSystem                                options     int FOS FOS FORCEFILESYSTEM                            return options                        for WPF support         public bool  ShowDialog Window owner   null  bool throwOnError   false                        owner     Application Current MainWindow              return ShowDialog owner    null   new WindowInteropHelper owner  Handle   IntPtr Zero  throwOnError                         for all  NET         public virtual bool  ShowDialog IntPtr owner  bool throwOnError   false                        var dialog    IFileOpenDialog new FileOpenDialog                if   string IsNullOrEmpty InputPath                                 if  CheckHr SHCreateItemFromParsingName InputPath  null  typeof IShellItem  GUID  out var item   throwOnError     0                      return null                   dialog SetFolder item                              var options   FOS FOS PICKFOLDERS              options    FOS SetOptions  int options               dialog SetOptions options                if  Title    null                                dialog SetTitle Title                              if  OkButtonLabel    null                                dialog SetOkButtonLabel OkButtonLabel                              if  FileNameLabel    null                                dialog SetFileName FileNameLabel                              if  owner    IntPtr Zero                                owner   Process GetCurrentProcess   MainWindowHandle                  if  owner    IntPtr Zero                                        owner   GetDesktopWindow                                                 var hr   dialog Show owner               if  hr    ERROR CANCELLED                  return null               if  CheckHr hr  throwOnError     0                  return null               if  CheckHr dialog GetResult out var result   throwOnError     0                  return null               if  CheckHr result GetDisplayName SIGDN SIGDN DESKTOPABSOLUTEPARSING  out var path   throwOnError     0                  return null               ResultPath   path               if  CheckHr result GetDisplayName SIGDN SIGDN DESKTOPABSOLUTEEDITING  out path   false     0                                ResultName   path                            return true                     private static int CheckHr int hr  bool throwOnError                        if  hr    0                                if  throwOnError                      Marshal ThrowExceptionForHR hr                             return hr                      DllImport  quot shell32 quot            private static extern int SHCreateItemFromParsingName  MarshalAs UnmanagedType LPWStr   string pszPath  IBindCtx pbc   MarshalAs UnmanagedType LPStruct   Guid riid  out IShellItem ppv             DllImport  quot user32 quot            private static extern IntPtr GetDesktopWindow      pragma warning disable IDE1006    Naming Styles         private const int ERROR CANCELLED   unchecked  int 0x800704C7    pragma warning restore IDE1006    Naming Styles           ComImport  Guid  quot DC1C5A9C-E88A-4dde-A5A1-60F82A20AEF7 quot       CLSID FileOpenDialog         private class FileOpenDialog                               ComImport  Guid  quot 42f85136-db7e-439c-85f1-e4075d135fc8 quot    InterfaceType ComInterfaceType InterfaceIsIUnknown           private interface IFileOpenDialog                        PreserveSig  int Show IntPtr parent      IModalWindow              PreserveSig  int SetFileTypes        not fully defined              PreserveSig  int SetFileTypeIndex int iFileType                PreserveSig  int GetFileTypeIndex out int piFileType                PreserveSig  int Advise       not fully defined              PreserveSig  int Unadvise                 PreserveSig  int SetOptions FOS fos                PreserveSig  int GetOptions out FOS pfos                PreserveSig  int SetDefaultFolder IShellItem psi                PreserveSig  int SetFolder IShellItem psi                PreserveSig  int GetFolder out IShellItem ppsi                PreserveSig  int GetCurrentSelection out IShellItem ppsi                PreserveSig  int SetFileName  MarshalAs UnmanagedType LPWStr   string pszName                PreserveSig  int GetFileName  MarshalAs UnmanagedType LPWStr   out string pszName                PreserveSig  int SetTitle  MarshalAs UnmanagedType LPWStr   string pszTitle                PreserveSig  int SetOkButtonLabel  MarshalAs UnmanagedType LPWStr   string pszText                PreserveSig  int SetFileNameLabel  MarshalAs UnmanagedType LPWStr   string pszLabel                PreserveSig  int GetResult out IShellItem ppsi                PreserveSig  int AddPlace IShellItem psi  int alignment                PreserveSig  int SetDefaultExtension  MarshalAs UnmanagedType LPWStr   string pszDefaultExtension                PreserveSig  int Close int hr                PreserveSig  int SetClientGuid        not fully defined              PreserveSig  int ClearClientData                 PreserveSig  int SetFilter  MarshalAs UnmanagedType IUnknown   object pFilter                PreserveSig  int GetResults  MarshalAs UnmanagedType IUnknown   out object ppenum                PreserveSig  int GetSelectedItems  MarshalAs UnmanagedType IUnknown   out object ppsai                       ComImport  Guid  quot 43826D1E-E718-42EE-BC55-A1E261C37BFE quot    InterfaceType ComInterfaceType InterfaceIsIUnknown           private interface IShellItem                        PreserveSig  int BindToHandler       not fully defined              PreserveSig  int GetParent       not fully defined              PreserveSig  int GetDisplayName SIGDN sigdnName   MarshalAs UnmanagedType LPWStr   out string ppszName                PreserveSig  int GetAttributes        not fully defined              PreserveSig  int Compare        not fully defined                     pragma warning disable CA1712    Do not prefix enum values with type name         private enum SIGDN   uint                       SIGDN DESKTOPABSOLUTEEDITING   0x8004c000              SIGDN DESKTOPABSOLUTEPARSING   0x80028000              SIGDN FILESYSPATH   0x80058000              SIGDN NORMALDISPLAY   0              SIGDN PARENTRELATIVE   0x80080001              SIGDN PARENTRELATIVEEDITING   0x80031001              SIGDN PARENTRELATIVEFORADDRESSBAR   0x8007c001              SIGDN PARENTRELATIVEPARSING   0x80018001              SIGDN URL   0x80068000                     Flags          private enum FOS                       FOS OVERWRITEPROMPT   0x2              FOS STRICTFILETYPES   0x4              FOS NOCHANGEDIR   0x8              FOS PICKFOLDERS   0x20              FOS FORCEFILESYSTEM   0x40              FOS ALLNONSTORAGEITEMS   0x80              FOS NOVALIDATE   0x100              FOS ALLOWMULTISELECT   0x200              FOS PATHMUSTEXIST   0x800              FOS FILEMUSTEXIST   0x1000              FOS CREATEPROMPT   0x2000              FOS SHAREAWARE   0x4000              FOS NOREADONLYRETURN   0x8000              FOS NOTESTFILECREATE   0x10000              FOS HIDEMRUPLACES   0x20000              FOS HIDEPINNEDPLACES   0x40000              FOS NODEREFERENCELINKS   0x100000              FOS OKBUTTONNEEDSINTERACTION   0x200000              FOS DONTADDTORECENT   0x2000000              FOS FORCESHOWHIDDEN   0x10000000              FOS DEFAULTNOMINIMODE   0x20000000              FOS FORCEPREVIEWPANEON   0x40000000              FOS SUPPORTSTREAMABLEITEMS   unchecked  int 0x80000000                     pragma warning restore CA1712    Do not prefix enum values with type name        result

User · Answer

There is a hackish solution using OpenFileDialog where ValidateNames and CheckFileExists are both set to false and FileName is given a mock value to indicate that a directory is selected    I say hack because it is confusing to users about how to select a folder  They need to be in the desired folder and then just press Open while file name says  Folder Selection       This is based on Select file or folder from the same dialog by Denis Stankovski   OpenFileDialog folderBrowser   new OpenFileDialog       Set validate names and check file exists to false otherwise windows will    not let you select  Folder Selection   folderBrowser ValidateNames   false  folderBrowser CheckFileExists   false  folderBrowser CheckPathExists   true     Always default to Folder Selection  folderBrowser FileName    Folder Selection    if  folderBrowser ShowDialog      DialogResult OK        string folderPath   Path GetDirectoryName folderBrowser FileName

User · Answer

Basically you need the FolderBrowserDialog class      Prompts the user to select a folder  This class cannot be inherited    Example   using var fbd   new FolderBrowserDialog          DialogResult result   fbd ShowDialog         if  result    DialogResult OK  amp  amp   string IsNullOrWhiteSpace fbd SelectedPath                 string   files   Directory GetFiles fbd SelectedPath            System Windows Forms MessageBox Show  Files found      files Length ToString     Message              If you work in WPF you have to add the reference to System Windows Forms   you also have to add using System IO for Directory class

[c#] How to use OpenFileDialog to select a folder?

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