in reply to Tk DirSelect Buttons

The documentation at Tk::DirSelect is rather sparse, and does seem to be missing making this critical bit of information explicit (which is silly, because that's the whole point of the module). The module has no real tests, and no example scripts. The documentation does have one useful feature: it recommends trying Tk::chooseDirectory, "which uses native system dialogs where available" and comes with Tk starting in v804 (current version is 804.034). The chooseDirectory documentation has an example... I'd probably head down that route, if I were you.

However, the variable naming in the DirSelect SYNOPSIS implies that $ds->Show() returns the directory. The following test script shows that's the case (and compares using DirSelect vs chooseDirectory).

use warnings;
use strict;

use Tk;

my $mw = MainWindow->new();

foreach my $fn ( \&use_chooseDirectory, \&use_DirSelect ) {
    my $dir = $fn->();
    if (!defined $dir) {
        warn 'No directory selected';
    } else {
        warn "Selected $dir";
    }
}

sub use_chooseDirectory
{
    my $dir = $mw->chooseDirectory(-initialdir => '~',
                                   -title => 'Choose a directory');
    return $dir;
}

sub use_DirSelect
{
    use Tk::DirSelect;
    my $ds = $mw->DirSelect();
    my $dir = $ds->Show();
    return $dir;
}

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edit: sorry, forgot to say, this is just showing how to use the resulting directory: it's just a string returned from the Show method. You don't need to associate a method with it. Notice in my code that I never do the MainLoop. If I did, I would have hooked the call to use_DirSelect() to some button or control in the MainWindow (like 'File > Change Directory'); I would have done the same for use_chooseDirectory() as well. AFAICT, there's no real need to change the button text (and that would tend to confuse people, I think.

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Re^2: Tk DirSelect Buttons
by Anonymous Monk on Apr 19, 2018 at 14:41 UTC
    Thank you. You were right $dir does give the value of the selected directory when OK is used and nothing when Cancel is used!
    I have been using chooseDirectory but the problem is that I cannot change its size and want it to be bigger.
[reply]
      the problem is that I cannot change its size and want it to be bigger

      Why don't you try a different widget? Look at this example, it allows you to make the window and font as big as you want. Tk://DirTree 

      #!/usr/bin/perl
use warnings;
use strict;
use Tk;
require Tk::DirTree;
require Tk::Adjuster;
require Tk::TList;

# an example that has been floating around the monastery for years

# The initial directory
my $initial_dir = '/';

# The main window...
my $main = new MainWindow( -title => 'Exploreeeeeer :o)' );

# A frame for the tree, adjuster and tlist
my $tree_adj_tablist = $main->Frame();
$tree_adj_tablist->pack(
    -expand => 'yes',
    -fill   => 'both',
    -side   => 'top'
);

# A scrolled directory tree
my $tree = $tree_adj_tablist->Scrolled(
    'DirTree',
    -width            => 155,
    -height           => 55,
    -scrollbars       => 'osoe',
    -background       => 'White',
    -selectmode       => 'single',
    -selectbackground => 'DarkBlue',
    -selectforeground => 'White',
    -showhidden       => 1,
    -directory        => $initial_dir
);
$tree->pack(
    -expand => 'yes',
    -fill   => 'both',
    -padx   => 2,
    -pady   => 2,
    -side   => 'left'
);

# An adjuster
my $adjuster = $tree_adj_tablist->Adjuster(
    -widget => $tree,
    -side   => 'left'
);
$adjuster->pack( -side => 'left', -fill => 'y' );

# A scrolled tab_list widget
my $tab_list = $tree_adj_tablist->Scrolled(
    'TList',
    -background => 'White',
    -orient     => 'vertical',
    -selectmode => 'extended',
    -scrollbars => 'os'
);
$tab_list->pack(
    -expand => 'yes',
    -fill   => 'both',
    -padx   => 2,
    -pady   => 2,
    -side   => 'right'
);

# A Quit button (will be suppressed???...)
my $quit = $main->Button(
    -text      => 'Quit',
    -underline => 0,
    -width     => 6,
    -command   => sub { exit }
);
$quit->pack( -side => 'right', -padx => 10, -pady => 10 );

# Configuring tree and tab_list widgets...
$tree->configure( -browsecmd => sub { list_dir( $tab_list, @_ ); } );

# We list the content of the initial dir inside the tab_list
list_dir( $tab_list, $initial_dir );

MainLoop();

#---------------------------------------------------------------------
+-------

# Displays Dirs and files in TList widget
sub list_dir {
    my ( $tab_list, $path ) = @_;

    # Erase the TList content
    $tab_list->delete( 0, 'end' );

    opendir MY_DIR, $path or return;

    foreach my $file ( sort readdir(MY_DIR) ) {

        # Do not display '.' and '..'
        next if ( $file eq '.' or $file eq '..' );

        # Insert the files in the TList
        $tab_list->insert( 'end', -text => $file );
    }
    closedir MY_DIR;
}

      [download]
      I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth. ..... an animated JAPH
[reply]
[d/l]
        Thank you.
        I have run this and can see that I can add more buttons and no doubt get any directory selected.
[reply]

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