File Browser

The File Browser control consists of a text box for a file path and a browse button that opens a standard IBM® SPSS® Statistics dialog to open or save a file. The File Browser control has the following properties:

Identifier. The unique identifier for the control. This is the identifier to use when referencing the control in the syntax template.

Title. An optional title that appears with the control. For multi-line titles or long titles, click the ellipsis (...) button and enter your title in the Title Property dialog.

Title Position. Specifies the position of the title relative to the control. Values are Top and Left where Top is the default.

ToolTip. Optional ToolTip text that appears when the user hovers over the control.

Mnemonic Key. An optional character in the title to use as a keyboard shortcut to the control. The character appears underlined in the title. The shortcut is activated by pressing Alt+[mnemonic key]. The Mnemonic Key property is not supported on Mac.

File System Operation. Specifies whether the dialog launched by the browse button is appropriate for opening files or for saving files. A value of Open indicates that the browse dialog validates the existence of the specified file. A value of Save indicates that the browse dialog does not validate the existence of the specified file.

Browser Type. Specifies whether the browse dialog is used to select a file (Locate File) or to select a folder (Locate Folder).

File Filter. Click the ellipsis (...) button to open the File Filter dialog box, which allows you to specify the available file types for the open or save dialog. By default, all file types are allowed. Note that you can also open the File Filter dialog by double-clicking the File Browser control on the canvas.

File System Type. In distributed analysis mode, this specifies whether the open or save dialog browses the file system on which IBM SPSS Statistics Server is running or the file system of your local computer. Select Server to browse the file system of the server or Client to browse the file system of your local computer. The property has no effect in local analysis mode.

Required for execution. Specifies whether a value is required in this control in order for execution to proceed. If True is specified, the OK and Paste buttons will be disabled until a value is specified for this control. If False is specified, the absence of a value in this control has no effect on the state of the OK and Paste buttons. The default is False.

Default. The default value of the control.

Syntax. Specifies the command syntax that is generated by this control at run time and can be inserted in the syntax template.

• You can specify any valid command syntax. For multi-line syntax or long syntax, click the ellipsis (...) button and enter your syntax in the Syntax Property dialog.

• The value %%ThisValue%% specifies the run time value of the text box, which is the file path, specified manually or populated by the browse dialog. This is the default.
• If the Syntax property includes %%ThisValue%% and the run time value of the text box is empty, then the file browser control does not generate any command syntax.

Enabling Rule. Specifies a rule that determines when the current control is enabled. Click the ellipsis (...) button to open the Enabling Rule dialog box and specify the rule. The Enabling Rule property is visible only when other controls that can be used to specify an enabling rule exist on the canvas.