Filter

Returns or sets the file-type list of the Open and Save As dialogs.

Syntax: object.Filter [ = string ]

object
required An object expression that evaluates to a cDialog.
string
A String of pairs, each a description and a pattern, separated by |: description|pattern|description|pattern. The default is an empty string, which is a list with no pairs. With an empty filter the dialog has no file-type list: there is no Files of type box.

Remarks

The syntax is that of the Filter property of VB6’s CommonDialog control. A pattern is a file name pattern with wildcards, such as *.txt. Several patterns of one pair are separated by semicolons: *.jpg;*.jpeg.

ShowOpen and ShowSave replace every | with a null character and add one more null character at the end, which is the layout of the lpstrFilter member of OPENFILENAME. The file-type list holds the descriptions in the order of the pairs, and the first pair is selected when the dialog opens (nFilterIndex is 1). The class does not report the pair that the user chooses. ShowBrowseForFolder ignores the property.

The class does not check the string. A | inside a description or a pattern starts a new element, and moves every later element one place, so the pairs no longer fit. AddFilter and the four Set...Filters methods build the string in pairs, unless an argument of AddFilter contains a |.

Example 

Dim dlg As New cDialog
dlg.Filter = "Text Files (*.txt)|*.txt|All Files (*.*)|*.*"
Debug.Print dlg.Filter   ' Text Files (*.txt)|*.txt|All Files (*.*)|*.*

Dim parts() As String
parts = Split(dlg.Filter, "|")
Debug.Print UBound(parts) + 1   ' 4

This example offers two kinds of file in the Open dialog.

Dim dlg As New cDialog
dlg.Filter = "Pictures (*.png;*.jpg)|*.png;*.jpg|All Files (*.*)|*.*"
Debug.Print dlg.ShowOpen()

See Also