Re: Dialog for selecting a file to be read-- A solution (16K)
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg18082] Re: Dialog for selecting a file to be read-- A solution (16K)
- From: jns1 <jns1 at madmax.hrl.HAC.COM>
- Date: Tue, 15 Jun 1999 01:43:37 -0400
- Delivery-date: Tue Jun 15 05:46:11 1999
- Organization: LRH
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
There was a thread a month or so ago about how to select files
graphically from a directory for plotting or whatever. If only a single
file is needed, the Input/Get File Path... menu selection was suggested.
I needed a method for selecting multiple files from a given
subdirectory, so I learned about buttons and notebook manipulation,
etc., over the last few days for this purpose. I must say it was not
easy. The examples in the Big Book mostly pertained to applying
expression manipulation to notebook cells.
Anyway, I did manage to come up with something that works. I have
already mucked it up to the point of incomprehensibility for my
particular application, but I have also make a simplified version that
demonstrates the basic idea for a simple case for those interested. It
is only 16K, so here is the notebook below.
I used Mathematica 4 due to the new features of the Partition function.
I am sure there are other ways to do the same thing.
============================dialogSimple.nb======================================
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Cell[CellGroupData[{
Cell["Simple File Dialog", "Subtitle"],
Cell[BoxData[
\(\(\(\(Off[General::"\<spell1\>"]\) \)\(;\)\(\(Off[
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"This is a simple way to select one or more files from a given \
subdirectory. I use it for ",
StyleBox["MultipleListPlot ",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
"'ing data from selected files. The files are displayed in a palette,
one \
file per button. Click on a button to choose the file, which then
appends it \
to a ",
StyleBox["List",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
". This does not allow you to move up and down the directory tree, so
that \
remains to be done. You can either type in the subdirectory or
subdirectories \
where your data resides explicitly, or you can use \"Get File Path...\"
from \
the \"Input\" menu to choose a typical file to identify the
subdirectory. I \
will do the latter here."
}], "Text"],
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FontWeight->"Bold"],
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Cell[TextData[{
"First, a typical (but not necessarily desired) file is chosen using \
Input/Get File Path.... in the next line. This is just a convenient way
to \
specify the subdirectory of interest. It is easier to demonstrate all
this \
using a specific case. Really, you should make everything a function, \
probably of ",
StyleBox["typicalFile ",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
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FontWeight->"Bold"],
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" Then you can invoke this using different ",
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" or ",
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FontWeight->"Bold"],
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}], "Text"],
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Documents:RITData:SB1091:RB109115.IVM\>"\)], "Input"],
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Documents:RITData:SB1091:RB109115.IVM"\)], \
"Output"]
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FontWeight->"Bold"],
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StyleBox["doButton",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
" makes a palette button for a file name using ",
StyleBox["ButtonBox",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
". I didn't know anything about this stuff before writing this either.
It \
is not very well described in the Big Book. The examples their are not
too \
relevant for this purpose. But I managed to figure it out. \nThere will
be \
one button per file in the eventual palette. ",
StyleBox["f",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
" in the next line will represent each file entry in the array ",
StyleBox["shortNames",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
". ",
StyleBox["ButtonEvaluator->\"Local\"",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
" means the Kernel evaluates this, not the mini-kernel built into the
front \
end. Clicking a button will ",
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StyleBox["Union",
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path is restored to the file name by ",
StyleBox["fullL",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
"."
}], "Text"],
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"This creates an ",
StyleBox["Array",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
" which mimics the form of the eventual palette. Read the following
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bottom up. It takes the shortNames list and partitions it into an array
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rows of 5 in length, which makes a nice palette. Then it maps ",
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FontWeight->"Bold"],
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the number of files is not a multiple of 5, to avoid losing any at the
end."
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The palette of buttons will be a cell in a separate, automatically \
created notebook. The following is the cell. I don't really understand
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GridBox and BoxData stuff; I just copied an example in the Big Book.\
\>", \
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RowBox[{"dirCell", "=",
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"This initializes ",
StyleBox["fList",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
" and pops up the notebook of buttons. When you click ",
StyleBox["Done",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
", the file names you selected will be in the list ",
StyleBox["fList",
FontWeight->"Bold"],
" to do with as you wish."
}], "Text"],
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\(fList = {}; NotebookPut[buttonNB];\)], "Input"],
Cell["\<\
There might be a harmless error message output because of the \
different length of the rows of buttons.\
\>", "Text"],
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"I clicked on 3 file name buttons and then ",
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