IPyFileChooser

Common errors

• Failed to load model class 'VBoxModel' from module '@jupyter-widgets/controls' (or widget simply not displaying).

  cause Jupyter Notebook/Lab extensions for ipywidgets are not correctly installed or enabled, or JupyterLab needs a rebuild.
  fix For Jupyter Notebook: `jupyter nbextension enable --py --sys-prefix widgetsnbextension`. For JupyterLab: `jupyter labextension install @jupyter-widgets/jupyterlab-manager` and then `jupyter lab build`. In Docker environments, building JupyterLab within the Dockerfile often solves this.

• AttributeError: 'FileChooser' object has no attribute 'use_dir_icons'

  cause Attempting to use the `use_dir_icons` property which was removed in `v0.6.0`.
  fix Use `dir_icon` and `dir_icon_append` instead. Example: `fc.dir_icon = '📁'` and `fc.dir_icon_append = True` to customize folder icons.

• FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/non_existent_path'

  cause The `default_path`, `sandbox_path`, or other path provided to `FileChooser` does not exist or is not accessible by the Jupyter kernel's user.
  fix Verify that the specified path exists and has appropriate read/write permissions for the user running the Jupyter kernel. Use `os.path.exists()` to check programmatically before initializing `FileChooser`.

Warnings

• breaking In `v0.6.0`, the `use_dir_icons` property was replaced by `dir_icon` and `dir_icon_append` for customizing folder icons. Direct usage of `use_dir_icons` will result in an `AttributeError`.
  Fix: Update your code to use `fc.dir_icon = 'icon_string'` (e.g., '📁') and `fc.dir_icon_append = True/False` instead of `use_dir_icons`.
• gotcha For the widget to display correctly in Jupyter environments (Notebook or Lab), `ipywidgets` extensions must be properly enabled. In JupyterLab, a rebuild might be necessary after installation.
  Fix: Ensure `ipywidgets` is installed and extensions are enabled. For Jupyter Notebook: `jupyter nbextension enable --py --sys-prefix widgetsnbextension`. For JupyterLab: `jupyter labextension install @jupyter-widgets/jupyterlab-manager` followed by `jupyter lab build`. In Docker contexts, building JupyterLab inside the Dockerfile is often essential.
• gotcha Since `v0.4.4`, `filter_pattern` values are treated as case-insensitive. This behavior might differ from expectations on case-sensitive file systems if strict case matching is desired.
  Fix: Be aware that `filter_pattern` will match regardless of case. If strict case-sensitive filtering is required, apply an additional programmatic filter after `fc.selected_filename` has been retrieved.
• deprecated If using `ipywidgets.interact` with `ipyfilechooser`, the interact functionality might not update as expected due to significant changes in `ipywidgets` since `ipyfilechooser`'s last major updates.
  Fix: Consider using `ipywidgets.interactive_output` or manually connecting a callback function using `fc.register_callback(my_function)` or `fc.observe(my_function, names='selected')` for more robust interaction.

Install

• pip install ipyfilechooser PyPI
• conda install -c conda-forge ipyfilechooser Conda-forge

Imports

• FileChooser

  from ipyfilechooser import FileChooser

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to initialize and display the `FileChooser` widget in a Jupyter environment. It sets a default path, applies a file filter, and shows how to access the selected file properties. An example of registering a callback function for dynamic responses to user selections is also included.

import os
from ipyfilechooser import FileChooser
from IPython.display import display

# Get the current working directory as the default path
current_dir = os.getcwd()

# Create and display a FileChooser widget
# You can specify a default path, filename, and filter patterns
fc = FileChooser(current_dir, title='Choose a file:')
fc.filter_pattern = ['*.txt', '*.csv'] # Example: filter for text and CSV files
display(fc)

# To access the selected path and filename after user interaction
# For example, after a button click or callback
# print(f"Selected Path: {fc.selected_path}")
# print(f"Selected Filename: {fc.selected_filename}")
# print(f"Full Selected File: {fc.selected}")

# Example of using a callback function
def on_selection_change(chooser):
    print(f"Callback triggered! Selected: {chooser.selected}")

fc.register_callback(on_selection_change)