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[Feature request] Provide an API to set the directory for the next FileOpen / FileSave #401
Description
This issue stems from the discussion on the forum: https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/27270/set-current-directory-to-default-if-no-real-file-is-open
I'd like to have an API to set the directory that will be used on the next launch of the "Open File" or "Save File" dialog. This should overwrite the value that is internally tracked and set by Notepad++ because e.g. of the setting "Default Open/Save file Directory".
This should allow for me to better handle the following situation:
- The setting "Default Open/Save file Directory" is set to "Follow current document"
- I have a tab with new contents (not yet saved as a file)
- In another tab, I have a file from a network folder, which is the active tab now.
- I close the tab with the network file. Only the untitled tab remains
- Now I want to save this untitled tab to a "standard" folder. The standard folder is the one used after Notepad++ is started without any files. It's "Desktop" for me.
As of now, when I press Ctrl+S in the step 5, the dialog opens in the network directory. I'd like it to open in the "Standard" directory. But this should only be for untitled tabs. For real files, the dialog should still open in the directory of the file.
Disclaimer: I also submitted this as an issue in Notepad++ for the case that this feature is better implemented there.
Activity
alankilborn commentedon Nov 28, 2025
Not a reasonable feature for PythonScript, IMO.
fml2 commentedon Nov 29, 2025
Maybe just an API for opening the dialog in the folder passed in as a parameter?
alankilborn commentedon Nov 29, 2025
Not needed. You can do your own "save" dialog in Python code, customizing it however you want.
fml2 commentedon Nov 29, 2025
I thought that all the GUI actions have to happen under the umbrella of the main application (Notepad++) so that the GUI does not get confused. I'm not a GUI expert but heard that there are some gotchas.
Do you have an example of a Python script opening dialogs from within NP++ by any chance? If that works, I agree that exxtending the plugin or NP++ is not necessary.
alankilborn commentedon Nov 29, 2025
THIS library can do it.
chcg commentedon Dec 1, 2025
I think to work on this it would require an extension of N++ plugin API. Unlikely that this feature gets implemented by me but if someone volunteers I would be open to integrate it.
alankilborn commentedon Dec 1, 2025
@chcg No need for that; I'll write this person a script to show how to do it.
alankilborn commentedon Dec 5, 2025
There's actually already a script I wrote for something like this, HERE.