FilePicker and FolderPicker

[bianca fenice]

App Inventor lacks of FilePicker and FolderPicker controls.

AI has an image picker but I think it is needed from most app devs some controls to browse and select a folder  or (one or multiple) files with the possibility to set filters (ex.: the window to select files can be setted up to show and allow picking of only files with some extensions like txt pdf doc csv file to load the content into the application (into a text box or into a list or into the TinyDB database for example or into a variable.

Unfortunately in this moment this feature is not present and it is not possible to select any external item because there isn't a file or folder picker control / component with filesystem browsing feature build in it.

So please add a file picker component as soon as possible to make appinventor more powerful than ever.

I know that is possible to get files by using external file explorer apps, if the device has installed such kind of app but most of times a lot of users don't even know that they need an external app. In this way our AI apps should not work properly.

The problem will be solved if a file and a folder picker will be present in AI for AI devs.

This will make AI a more complete IDE allowing AI devs to develop a larger kind of apps.

Thanks in advance.

[Taifun]

You have some great suggestions! However the App Inventor team is very small and there is a large to do list.

But you can help! App Inventor is an open source project.  Read about the project and get the source code here:  http://appinventor.mit.edu/appinventor-sources/ 

There is a developer forum here:  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/app-inventor-open-source-dev .

And: the App Inventor Extensions are currently in testing, more information see the announcement here https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mitappinventortest/Ip2AX036d0U/5NJlAEbFCgAJ

You are welcome to contribute!

Taifun

---

Trying to push the limits of App Inventor! Snippets and Tutorials from Pura Vida Apps by Taifun.