IDEA: mod to Windows FileOpen and FileSave dialogs to select folder(s)

[MilesAhead]

I don't know about you guys but I really hate those "browse for folder" dialogs in Windows.  I know they jinxed the standard FileOpen and FileSave Windows dialogs to make it tough to subclass/inherit the behavior but I'm wondering if there's a way to mod them right through the controls using AutoIt or some other mechanism?

That clicking on the plus signs until you get down to the folder at the bottom of the tree has to go!!
Plus if you could mod the FileOpen and FileSave then you could use the PlacesBar features for often selected folders(or the folder just above, where you keep a lot of working folders etc..)

[tomos]

if i understand correctly there's a bunch of programmes that help there
see
Revisiting (XfilesDialog, File-Ex, Direct Folders)
and
CFDButton - GOE Challenge 2007 Entry

Superboyac has a brand new post about Direct Folders on his blog this week
http://aram.dcmembers.com/software/direct-folders/

I use FileBox eXtender myself
I would love to get one that replaces the default folders (shown as icons) on the left - I think ObjectDock does that but at a (too expensive to me for what it does) price

[MilesAhead]

I'm thinking more from the programmer's point of view.  Something so you could pop up a folder select box for the user.  The Shell Browse Folder thing is the worst.  The standard file open dialog has all the features but they deliberately hosed it so you can't just add an option to select folders rather than files.  Don't ask me why.

Probably the closest I've seen is JVCL folder picker but it's limited to starting with a disk drive.  There's no options for selecting anything between Desktop and Computer.  The top level is just a bunch of drive letters.

[shayne.micchia]

I have tried dozens of Dialog Box Enhancers and found this one is both elegant and powerful.

DirectFolders
http://www.codesector.com/directfolders.php

If you can find version 3.3 its better, 3.5 has a few bugs and nags.

If you can't just let me know and I will post a link to v3.3

Shayne

[MilesAhead]

Thanks for the reply.  I'm really looking for a programming component that presents the user with a dialog that looks like FileOpen or FileSave but allows folder selection.  For some reason a decision was made to prevent the Windows dialogs from being subclassed.  Otherwise you could just start with that and add enhancements using any number of programming languages.

The only one I saw that actually looked like what I'm talking about was a commercial control and they wanted like $300 for it. Kind of a lot to pay when you're likely to be giving away the application that uses it.

Hard to believe but even with all the Aero exploding windows and effects the old ShBrowseForFolder() is still all we have.