tinyfiledialogs (pure C)

NOTE This is not official repo, check out original author's work at the link below.

• tinyfiledialogs in SourceForge

Forked 2025-04-10.

• Tray-popup InputBox PasswordBox MessageBox Notification Beep ColorPicker OpenFileDialog SaveFileDialog SelectFolderDialog
• ASCII UTF-8 (and also MBCS & UTF-16 for Windows)
• Native dialog library for Windows MAC OSX GTK+ QT CONSOLE X Wayland
• SSH: automatic switch to console mode / X forwarding / waypipe

void tinyfd_beep();

int tinyfd_notifyPopup(
    char const * aTitle , // NULL or ""
    char const * aMessage , // NULL or "" may contain \n \t
    char const * aIconType ); // "info" "warning" "error"

int tinyfd_messageBox(
    char const * aTitle ,
    char const * aMessage , 
    char const * aDialogType , // "ok" "okcancel" "yesno" "yesnocancel"
    char const * aIconType ,
    int aDefaultButton );
        // 0 for cancel/no , 1 for ok/yes , 2 for no in yesnocancel

char const * tinyfd_inputBox(
    char const * aTitle , 
    char const * aMessage ,
    char const * aDefaultInput ); // NULL for a passwordBox, "" for an inputbox
        // returns NULL on cancel

char const * tinyfd_saveFileDialog(
    char const * aTitle , 
    char const * aDefaultPathAndOrFile , // NULL or "" , ends with / to set only a directory
    int aNumOfFilterPatterns , // 0 (1 in the following example)
    char const * const * aFilterPatterns , // NULL or char const * lFilterPatterns[1]={"*.txt"};
    char const * aSingleFilterDescription ); // NULL or "text files"
        // returns NULL on cancel

char const * tinyfd_openFileDialog(
    char const * aTitle , 
    char const * aDefaultPathAndOrFile , 
    int aNumOfFilterPatterns ,
    char const * const * aFilterPatterns , 
    char const * aSingleFilterDescription , // NULL or "image files"
    int aAllowMultipleSelects ); // 0
        // in case of multiple files, the separator is |
        // returns NULL on cancel

char const * tinyfd_selectFolderDialog(
    char const * aTitle , 
    char const * aDefaultPath ); // NULL or ""
        // returns NULL on cancel

char const * tinyfd_colorChooser(
    char const * aTitle , 
    char const * aDefaultHexRGB , // NULL or "#FF0000‚Ç¥
    unsigned char const aDefaultRGB[3] , // unsigned char lDefaultRGB[3] = { 0 , 128 , 255 };
    unsigned char aoResultRGB[3] ); // unsigned char lResultRGB[3];
        // returns the hexcolor as a string "#FF0000"
        // aoResultRGB also contains the result
        // aDefaultRGB is used only if aDefaultHexRGB is NULL
        // aDefaultRGB and aoResultRGB can be the same array
        // returns NULL on cancel

Note

• This is not for iOS nor Android (it works in termux and iSH though).
• File and path names are tested before return, they should be valid.
• Do not use " and ' as the dialogs will be display with a warning instead of the title, message, etc...
• There's one file FilterPatterns only, it may contain several patterns.
• If no filter description is provided, the FilterPatterns will become the description.
• You can query the type of dialog that will be used (pass tinyfd_query as aTitle)
• Mutiple selects are not possible in console mode.
• String memory is preallocated statically for all the returned values.
• tinyfd_forceConsole=1; at run time, forces dialogs into console mode.
• tinyfd_allowCursesDialogs=1; : for curses dialogs you must set

Note for Windows

• Windows is fully supported from XP to 11 (maybe even older versions)
• On Windows, console mode is not implemented for wchar_T UTF-16.
• On Windows, for curses dialogs console mode, dialog.exe should be copied somewhere on your executable path
  • Update 2025-04: or you could just use scoop install main/cdialog instead.
• On Windows link against Comdlg32.lib and Ole32.lib (on Windows the no linking claim is a lie).
  • Update 2025-04: actually it's no need to specify linking those library now in CMake/VS2022/Windows.
• C# & LUA via dll in this folder of original repo

Build on Windows

• I use CMake to build from VS2022 with C++ projects. It worked as intended.
  • Motive for this work is for using CPM.cmake or FetchContent to integrate this library in CMake projects.
    • Including files is an archaic method, won't do that ever again.
    • vcpkg is cumbersome, you have to make your own port' registries, haven't tried so I don't really care.
• Untested on other platform as OSX, Linux or BSD, may try WSL though.

TODO

• Finish the C++ wrapper in tfd.hpp. As now there are 2 of the most important wrapped, which is tfd::openFile and tfd::openFolder.
• Make tfd::openFolder using newer Win32 API to pick folder, since it's terrible with current GUI.
• Give people options to choose backend, either from CLI options or a config struct.
  • Since we also has zenity and tkinter in Windows as File Picker. There are several more.
  • Could also try wrapping pwsh call since it's also having a lot of premade modules.
    • Browser picker? Could also be an option.
• Rework console since Windows Terminal is really capable now.
• More curated TUI? Since curses on Windows is lost cause.