Question

In Vista, I have been using an IFileSaveDialog to let users pick a “save-as” folder. Users export a folder of images, say, and need to choose a new or existing target folder.

Briefly, the code goes like this:

IFileSaveDialog* dialog; // created
dialog->SetOptions(FOS_PICKFOLDERS);
dialog->Show(NULL);
dialog->GetResult(&shellItem)

In Windows 7, the FOS_PICKFOLDERS option appears to have been disallowed (and is marked as such in the API). The return value on the SetOptions call is E_INVALIDARG. If I use a IFileOpenDialog, I’m allowed to set the folders option, but the user is prompted with an error when choosing a nonexistent folder (despite my setting flags suggesting not to do this).

Is there an alternate way to get the new IFileDialog to act as a “save folder” dialog?

[To head off some comments, the SHBrowseForFolder API still exists, but is still not an acceptable solution for our UI deciders.]

Answer 1

The reason for this can be found in the documentation:

FOS_PICKFOLDERS: Present the Open dialog offering a choice of folders rather than files.

Using FOS_PICKFOLDERS for "save" was never supposed to be supported – but Vista didn’t enforce it. Use IFileOpenDialog instead and you’re good to go.
You are picking an existing folder (not specifying a folder to create), so open was always the correct choice.