Problem file browsing on OSX - How to use a filter function?

Here's how I do it in xtools, You can replace f.strf("%e") with whatever function you use to extract a file extension.

This expects a Windows-style file selection string and returns that or a filter function if it's on a Mac.

isWindows = function() {

  return $.os.match(/windows/i);

};

Stdlib.createFileSelect = function(str) {
  if (isWindows()) {
    return str;
  }

  if (!str.constructor == String) {
    return str;
  }

  var exts = [];
  var rex = /\*\.(\*|[\w]+)(.*)/;
  var m;
  while (m = rex.exec(str)) {
    exts.push(m[1].toLowerCase());
    str = m[2];
  }

  function macSelect(f) {
    var name = decodeURI(f.absoluteURI).toLowerCase();
    var _exts = macSelect.exts;

    // alert(name);

    while (f.alias) {
      try {
        f = f.resolve();
      } catch (e) {
        f = null;
      }

      if (f == null) {
        return false;
      }
    }

    if (f instanceof Folder) {
      return true;
    }
    var fext = f.strf("%e").toLowerCase();

    for (var i = 0; i < _exts.length; i++) {
      var ext = _exts;
      if (ext == '*') {
        return true;
      }
      if (fext == ext) {
        return true;       
      }
  }
    return false;
  }

  macSelect.exts = exts;
  return macSelect;
};

I'll make a separate thread about the grey-out problem as the original question has been answered already. I marked your response as the correct answer Matias.

I added an extra parameter to promptFile() - sending in the old path to the file (oldPath variable), then

var path = new File(oldPath);

var f = path.openDialog("Select your file", filter)

openDialog doesn't work so I changed it to openDlg. The old path is opened up and the filter is correct (Windows) but I am not able to actually save a new file. Makes sense since it's the openDlg and not the saveDlg.

But when using saveDlg the starting file name is the filter! Also if I specify a name I get an error message saying: "myName. The file name is not valid" - this is regardless of how I write it!
Also tried saveDialog() - which doesn't allow me to specify a path in advance - and I get exactly the same kind of error. The file name is not valid.

Thanks.

That looks overly complicated for something that should be so simple.

I did try your code though Matias and it works. But how can I change it to work with old paths?

This is my current code:

function browser2(objType, ext, fullPath){
    if (objType == "file"){
        var path = new File(fullPath);
        if(File.fs != "Windows") ext = function(){return true}; // OSX wai u do diz?
        var dialog = path.openDlg(dialogMessage, ext);
        while (dialog.alias){
            dialog = dialog.resolve().saveDlg(dialogMessage);
        }
    }else if (objType == "folder"){
        var path = new Folder(fullPath);
        var dialog = path.selectDlg(dialogMessage);
        while (dialog.alias){
            dialog = dialog.resolve.selectDlg(dialogMessage);
        }
    }
}

On Windows this works exactly as it should. I tell the function if I want to browse for a file or a folder. I can also provide an old path and the dialog will start browsing from that point. The openDlg and selectDlg -methods respects the path to the object.

On OSX the dialog ALWAYS browser for folders ONLY and always from the last browsing point made on the system. The path to the object doesn't even seem to matter for the openDlg and selectDlg methods - Why?

In xtools, I do it like this:

Stdlib.createFileSelect = function(str) {
  if (isWindows()) {
    return str;
  }
  if (!str.constructor == String) {
    return str;
  }
  var exts = [];
  var rex = /\*\.(\*|[\w]+)(.*)/;
  var m;
  while (m = rex.exec(str)) {
    exts.push(m[1].toLowerCase());
    str = m[2];
  }
  function macSelect(f) {
    var name = decodeURI(f.absoluteURI).toLowerCase();
    var _exts = macSelect.exts;
    // alert(name);
    while (f.alias) {
      try {
        f = f.resolve();
      } catch (e) {
        f = null;
      }
      if (f == null) {
        return false;
      }
    }
    if (f instanceof Folder) {
      return true;
    }
    var fext = f.strf("%e").toLowerCase();
    for (var i = 0; i < _exts.length; i++) {
      var ext = _exts;
      if (ext == '*') {
        return true;
      }
      if (fext == ext) {
        return true;        
      }
      // if (name.match(RegExp("\\." + ext + "$", "i")) != null) {
      //   return true;
      // }
    }
    return false;
  }
  macSelect.exts = exts;
  return macSelect;
};

This way, you can use a Windows file filter and it converts it to a Mac file filter. I've used this for years in multiple projects.