Skip to content

Commit

Permalink
README: Add versioned API, PickFolderMultiple, and parent handle (#140)
Browse files Browse the repository at this point in the history
  • Loading branch information
@btzy
btzy committed Jun 23, 2024
1 parent 5552b8d commit 85f528d
Showing 1 changed file with 106 additions and 20 deletions.
126 changes: 106 additions & 20 deletions README.md
View file
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ This library is based on Michael Labbe's Native File Dialog ([mlabbe/nativefiled
Features:

- Lean C API, static library — no C++/ObjC runtime needed
- Supports Windows (MSVC, MinGW, Clang), MacOS (Clang), and Linux (GTK, portal) (GCC, Clang)
- Supports Windows (MSVC, MinGW, Clang), macOS (Clang), and Linux (GTK, portal) (GCC, Clang)
- Zlib licensed
- Friendly names for filters (e.g. `C/C++ Source files (*.c;*.cpp)` instead of `(*.c;*.cpp)`) on platforms that support it
- Automatically append file extension on platforms where users expect it
Expand All @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ Features:
- Consistent UTF-8 support on all platforms
- Native character set (UTF-16 `wchar_t`) support on Windows
- Initialization and de-initialization of platform library (e.g. COM (Windows) / GTK (Linux GTK) / D-Bus (Linux portal)) decoupled from dialog functions, so applications can choose when to initialize/de-initialize
- Multiple file selection support (for file open dialog)
- Multiple selection support (for file open and folder select dialogs)
- Support for Vista's modern `IFileDialog` on Windows
- No third party dependencies
- Modern CMake build system
Expand All @@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ Features added in Native File Dialog Extended:
- Support for setting a default file name
- Native character set (UTF-16 `wchar_t`) support on Windows
- xdg-desktop-portal support on Linux that opens the "native" file chooser (see "Usage" section below)
- Multiple folder selection support
- Initialization and de-initialization of platform library decoupled from file dialog functions
- Modern CMake build system
- Optional C++ wrapper with `unique_ptr` auto-freeing semantics and optional parameters
Expand All @@ -57,14 +58,17 @@ int main(void)

NFD_Init();

nfdchar_t *outPath;
nfdfilteritem_t filterItem[2] = { { "Source code", "c,cpp,cc" }, { "Headers", "h,hpp" } };
nfdresult_t result = NFD_OpenDialog(&outPath, filterItem, 2, NULL);
nfdu8char_t *outPath;
nfdu8filteritem_t filters[2] = { { "Source code", "c,cpp,cc" }, { "Headers", "h,hpp" } };
nfdopendialogu8args_t args = {0};
args.filterList = filters;
args.filterCount = 2;
nfdresult_t result = NFD_OpenDialogU8_With(&outPath, &args);
if (result == NFD_OKAY)
{
puts("Success!");
puts(outPath);
NFD_FreePath(outPath);
NFD_FreePathU8(outPath);
}
else if (result == NFD_CANCEL)
{
Expand All @@ -80,16 +84,18 @@ int main(void)
}
```
See [NFD.h](src/include/nfd.h) for more options.
The `U8`/`u8` in NFDe refer to the API for UTF-8 characters (`char`), which most consumers probably want. An `N`/`n` version is also available, which uses the native character type (`wchar_t` on Windows and `char` on other platforms).
If you are using a platform abstraction framework such as SDL or GLFW, also see the "Usage" section below.
For the full list of arguments that you can set on the `args` struct, see the "All Options" section below.
If you are using a platform abstraction framework such as SDL or GLFW, also see the "Usage with a Platform Abstraction Framework" section below.
# Screenshots #
![Windows 10](screens/open_win10.png?raw=true#gh-light-mode-only)
![Windows 10](screens/open_win10_dark.png?raw=true#gh-dark-mode-only)
![MacOS 10.13](screens/open_macos_11.0.png?raw=true#gh-light-mode-only)
![MacOS 10.13](screens/open_macos_11.0_dark.png?raw=true#gh-dark-mode-only)
![macOS 10.13](screens/open_macos_11.0.png?raw=true#gh-light-mode-only)
![macOS 10.13](screens/open_macos_11.0_dark.png?raw=true#gh-dark-mode-only)
![GTK3 on Ubuntu 20.04](screens/open_gtk3.png?raw=true#gh-light-mode-only)
![GTK3 on Ubuntu 20.04](screens/open_gtk3_dark.png?raw=true#gh-dark-mode-only)
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -165,24 +171,78 @@ Make sure `libgtk-3-dev` is installed on your system.
#### Portal
Make sure `libdbus-1-dev` is installed on your system.
### MacOS
On MacOS, add `AppKit` and `UniformTypeIdentifiers` to the list of frameworks.
### macOS
On macOS, add `AppKit` and `UniformTypeIdentifiers` to the list of frameworks.
### Windows
On Windows (both MSVC and MinGW), ensure you are building against `ole32.lib`, `uuid.lib`, and `shell32.lib`.
# Usage
See `NFD.h` for API calls. See the `test` directory for example code (both C and C++).
## All Options
To open a dialog, you set options on a struct and then pass that struct to an NFDe function, e.g.:
```C
nfdopendialogu8args_t args = {0};
args.filterList = filters;
args.filterCount = 2;
nfdresult_t result = NFD_OpenDialogU8_With(&outPath, &args);
```

All options are optional and may be set individually (zero initialization sets all options to reasonable defaults), except for `filterList` and `filterCount` which must be either both set or both left unset.

**Future versions of NFDe may add additional options to the end of the arguments struct without bumping the major version number, so to ensure backward API compatibility, you should not assume that the struct has a specific length or number of fields.** You may assume that zero-initialization of the struct will continue to set all options to reasonable defaults, so assigning `{0}` to the struct is acceptable. For those building shared libraries of NFDe, backward ABI compatibility is ensured by an internal version index (`NFD_INTERFACE_VERSION`), which is expected to be transparent to consumers.

**OpenDialog**/**OpenDialogMultiple**:
```C
typedef struct {
const nfdu8filteritem_t* filterList;
nfdfiltersize_t filterCount;
const nfdu8char_t* defaultPath;
nfdwindowhandle_t parentWindow;
} nfdopendialogu8args_t;
```

**SaveDialog**:
```C
typedef struct {
const nfdu8filteritem_t* filterList;
nfdfiltersize_t filterCount;
const nfdu8char_t* defaultPath;
const nfdu8char_t* defaultName;
nfdwindowhandle_t parentWindow;
} nfdsavedialogu8args_t;
```

**PickFolder**/**PickFolderMultiple**:
```C
typedef struct {
const nfdu8char_t* defaultPath;
nfdwindowhandle_t parentWindow;
} nfdpickfolderu8args_t;
```

- `filterList` and `filterCount`: Set these to customize the file filter (it appears as a dropdown menu on Windows and Linux, but simply hides files on macOS). Set `filterList` to a pointer to the start of the array of filter items and `filterCount` to the number of filter items in that array. See the "File Filter Syntax" section below for details.
- `defaultPath`: Set this to the default folder that the dialog should open to (on Windows, if there is a recently used folder, it opens to that folder instead of the folder you pass).
- `defaultName`: (For SaveDialog only) Set this to the file name that should be pre-filled on the dialog.
- `parentWindow`: Set this to the native window handle of the parent of this dialog. See the "Usage with a Platform Abstraction Framework" section for details. It is also possible to pass a handle even if you do not use a platform abstraction framework.

## Examples

See the `test` directory for example code (both C and C++).

If you turned on the option to build the `test` directory (`-DNFD_BUILD_TESTS=ON`), then `build/bin` will contain the compiled test programs.

There is also an SDL2 example, which needs to be enabled separately with `-DNFD_BUILD_SDL2_TESTS=ON`. It requires SDL2 to be installed on your machine.

Compiled examples (including the SDL2 example) are also uploaded as artefacts to GitHub Actions, and may be downloaded from there.

## File Filter Syntax

Files can be filtered by file extension groups:

```C
nfdfilteritem_t filterItem[2] = { { "Source code", "c,cpp,cc" }, { "Headers", "h,hpp" } };
nfdu8filteritem_t filters[2] = { { "Source code", "c,cpp,cc" }, { "Headers", "h,hpp" } };
```
A file filter is a pair of strings comprising the friendly name and the specification (multiple file extensions are comma-separated).
Expand All @@ -191,7 +251,7 @@ A list of file filters can be passed as an argument when invoking the library.
A wildcard filter is always added to every dialog.
*Note: On MacOS, the file dialogs do not have friendly names and there is no way to switch between filters, so the filter specifications are combined (e.g. "c,cpp,cc,h,hpp"). The filter specification is also never explicitly shown to the user. This is usual MacOS behaviour and users expect it.*
*Note: On macOS, the file dialogs do not have friendly names and there is no way to switch between filters, so the filter specifications are combined (e.g. "c,cpp,cc,h,hpp"). The filter specification is also never explicitly shown to the user. This is usual macOS behaviour and users expect it.*
*Note 2: You must ensure that the specification string is non-empty and that every file extension has at least one character. Otherwise, bad things might ensue (i.e. undefined behaviour).*
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -234,7 +294,33 @@ Macros that might be defined by `nfd.h`:
## Usage with a Platform Abstraction Framework
NFDe is known to work with SDL2 and GLFW, and should also work with other platform abstraction framworks. However, you should initialize NFDe _after_ initializing the framework, and probably should deinitialize NFDe _before_ deinitializing the framework. This is because some frameworks expect to be initialized on a "clean slate", and they may configure the system in a different way from NFDe. `NFD_Init` is generally very careful not to disrupt the existing configuration unless necessary, and `NFD_Quit` restores the configuration back exactly to what it was before initialization.
NFDe is known to work with SDL2 and GLFW, and should also work with other platform abstraction framworks. This section explains how to use NFDe properly with such frameworks.
### Parent window handle
The `parentWindow` argument allows the user to give the dialog a parent.
If using SDL2, include `<nfd_sdl2.h>` and call the following function to set the parent window handle:
```C
NFD_GetNativeWindowFromSDLWindow(sdlWindow /* SDL_Window* */, &args.parentWindow);
```

If using GLFW3, define the appropriate `GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_*` macros described on the [GLFW native access page](https://www.glfw.org/docs/latest/group__native.html), and then include `<nfd_glfw3.h>` and call the following function to set the parent window handle:
```C
NFD_GetNativeWindowFromGLFWWindow(glfwWindow /* GLFWwindow* */, &args.parentWindow);
```
If you are using another platform abstraction framework, or not using any such framework, you can set `args.parentWindow` manually.
Win32 (Windows), Cocoa (macOS), and X11 (Linux) windows are supported. Passing a Wayland (Linux) window currently does nothing (i.e. the dialog acts as if it has no parent), but support is likely to be added in the future.
#### Why pass a parent window handle?
To make a window (in this case the file dialog) stay above another window, we need to declare the bottom window as the parent of the top window. This keeps the dialog window from disappearing behind the parent window if the user clicks on the parent window while the dialog is open. Keeping the dialog above the window that invoked it is the expected behaviour on all supported operating systems, and so passing the parent window handle is recommended if possible.
### Initialization order
You should initialize NFDe _after_ initializing the framework, and probably should deinitialize NFDe _before_ deinitializing the framework. This is because some frameworks expect to be initialized on a "clean slate", and they may configure the system in a different way from NFDe. `NFD_Init` is generally very careful not to disrupt the existing configuration unless necessary, and `NFD_Quit` restores the configuration back exactly to what it was before initialization.
An example with SDL2:
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -270,15 +356,15 @@ To use the portal implementation, add `-DNFD_PORTAL=ON` to the build command.
### What is a portal?
Unlike Windows and MacOS, Linux does not have a file chooser baked into the operating system. Linux applications that want a file chooser usually link with a library that provides one (such as GTK, as in the Linux screenshot above). This is a mostly acceptable solution that many applications use, but may make the file chooser look foreign on non-GTK distros.
Unlike Windows and macOS, Linux does not have a file chooser baked into the operating system. Linux applications that want a file chooser usually link with a library that provides one (such as GTK, as in the Linux screenshot above). This is a mostly acceptable solution that many applications use, but may make the file chooser look foreign on non-GTK distros.
Flatpak was introduced in 2015, and with it came a standardized interface to open a file chooser. Applications using this interface did not need to come with a file chooser, and could use the one provided by Flatpak. This interface became known as the desktop portal, and its use expanded to non-Flatpak applications. Now, most major desktop Linux distros come with the desktop portal installed, with file choosers that fit the theme of the distro. Users can also install a different portal backend if desired. There are currently two known backends: GTK and KDE. (XFCE does not currently seem to have a portal backend.)
## Platform-specific Quirks
### MacOS
### macOS
- If the MacOS deployment target is ≥ 11.0, the [allowedContentTypes](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit/nssavepanel/3566857-allowedcontenttypes?language=objc) property of NSSavePanel is used instead of the deprecated [allowedFileTypes](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit/nssavepanel/1534419-allowedfiletypes?language=objc) property for file filters. Thus, if you are filtering by a custom file extension specific to your application, you will need to define the data type in your `Info.plist` file as per the [Apple documentation](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uniformtypeidentifiers/defining_file_and_data_types_for_your_app). (It is possible to force NFDe to use allowedFileTypes by adding `-DNFD_USE_ALLOWEDCONTENTTYPES_IF_AVAILABLE=OFF` to your CMake build command, but this is not recommended. If you need to support older MacOS versions, you should be setting the correct deployment target instead.)
- If the macOS deployment target is ≥ 11.0, the [allowedContentTypes](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit/nssavepanel/3566857-allowedcontenttypes?language=objc) property of NSSavePanel is used instead of the deprecated [allowedFileTypes](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit/nssavepanel/1534419-allowedfiletypes?language=objc) property for file filters. Thus, if you are filtering by a custom file extension specific to your application, you will need to define the data type in your `Info.plist` file as per the [Apple documentation](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uniformtypeidentifiers/defining_file_and_data_types_for_your_app). (It is possible to force NFDe to use allowedFileTypes by adding `-DNFD_USE_ALLOWEDCONTENTTYPES_IF_AVAILABLE=OFF` to your CMake build command, but this is not recommended. If you need to support older macOS versions, you should be setting the correct deployment target instead.)
# Known Limitations #
Expand All @@ -287,7 +373,7 @@ Flatpak was introduced in 2015, and with it came a standardized interface to ope
- GTK dialogs don't set the existing window as parent, so if users click the existing window while the dialog is open then the dialog will go behind it. GTK writes a warning to stdout or stderr about this.
- Portal dialogs (the alternative to GTK on Linux) don't support a default path. Any default path you supply will be ignored.
- This library is not compatible with the original Native File Dialog library. Things might break if you use both in the same project. (There are no plans to support this; you have to use one or the other.)
- This library does not explicitly dispatch calls to the UI thread. This may lead to crashes if you call functions from other threads when the platform does not support it (e.g. MacOS). Users are generally expected to call NFDe from an appropriate UI thread (i.e. the thread performing the UI event loop).
- This library does not explicitly dispatch calls to the UI thread. This may lead to crashes if you call functions from other threads when the platform does not support it (e.g. macOS). Users are generally expected to call NFDe from an appropriate UI thread (i.e. the thread performing the UI event loop).
# Reporting Bugs #
Expand Down

0 comments on commit 85f528d

Please sign in to comment.