- Qt 6.11
- Qt Quick Controls
- Qt Quick Controls Examples
- File System Explorer
- Qt 6.11.0 Reference Documentation

# File System Explorer

A desktop QML app utilizing customized Qt Quick Controls to display text files from a filesystem.

The File System Explorer example uses a modern layout that consists of three major components: an icon-based Sidebar to the left, a resizable TreeView displaying the file system from a QFileSystemModel, and the TextArea displaying the selected text files. Customized quick controls and frameless windows, with specialized window decorations, ensure a common look and feel across all operating systems. When launching this application from the command-line, you can provide an initial directory as a parameter. This initial directory will be used by the TreeView to set the starting point for displaying the directory structure.

#### Running the Example

To run the example from Qt Creator, open the Welcome mode and select the example from Examples. For more information, see Qt Creator: Tutorial: Build and run.

#### Modern layout and structure

To begin with, the example provides the colors throughout a singleton QML object. This is to ensure structured control over the application's appearance.

     pragma Singleton

     QtObject {
         readonly property color background: "#292828"
         readonly property color surface1: "#171819"
         readonly property color surface2: "#090A0C"
         readonly property color text: "#D4BE98"
         readonly property color textFile: "#E1D2B7"
         readonly property color disabledText: "#2C313A"
         readonly property color selection: "#4B4A4A"
         readonly property color active: "#292828"
         readonly property color inactive: "#383737"
         readonly property color folder: "#383737"
         readonly property color icon: "#383737"
         readonly property color iconIndicator: "#D5B35D"
         readonly property color color1: "#A7B464"
         readonly property color color2: "#D3869B"
     }

The example uses the `FramelessWindowHint` flag inside the ApplicationWindow to create a customized decoration, as opposed to relying on the operating system's window decoration. In order to achieve an equivalent interaction with the window, the example overrides the `contentItem` property of the customized MenuBar and displays information text and interaction possibilities for dragging or closing the application. Inline Components simplify this process.

                 component InteractionButton: Rectangle {
                     id: interactionButton

                     signal action()
                     property alias hovered: hoverHandler.hovered

                     Layout.fillHeight: true
                     Layout.preferredWidth: height

                     color: hovered ? Colors.background : "transparent"
                     HoverHandler {
                         id: hoverHandler
                     }
                     TapHandler {
                         id: tapHandler
                         onTapped: interactionButton.action()
                     }
                 }

                 InteractionButton {
                     id: minimize

                     onAction: root.dragWindow.showMinimized()
                     Rectangle {
                         anchors.centerIn: parent
                         color: parent.hovered ? Colors.iconIndicator : Colors.icon
                         height: 2
                         width: parent.height - 14
                     }
                 }

                 InteractionButton {
                     id: maximize
         ...

The Sidebar on the left includes checkable navigation buttons on top and one-shot buttons on the bottom. A ButtonGroup and a container are used to ensure that only one entry is active at any given time. It is then possible to provide different views using a property alias for the current position, along with a StackLayout.

This technique lets you extend the functionality by adding another button and the corresponding element inside the StackLayout.

                     StackLayout {
                         anchors.fill: parent
                         currentIndex: sidebar.currentTabIndex

                         // Shows the help text.
                         Text {
                             text: qsTr("This example shows how to use and visualize the file system.\n\n"
                                      + "Customized Qt Quick Components have been used to achieve this look.\n\n"
                                      + "You can edit the files but they won't be changed on the file system.\n\n"
                                      + "Click on the folder icon to the left to get started.")
                             wrapMode: TextArea.Wrap
                             color: Colors.text
                         }

                         // Shows the files on the file system.
                         FileSystemView {
                             id: fileSystemView
                             color: Colors.surface1
                             onFileClicked: path => root.currentFilePath = path
                         }
                     }

The StackLayout includes, besides some information text, the FileSystemView. This custom component displays files and folders and populates it with data from a C++ model. You can then select the files and read them accordingly.

     QString FileSystemModel::readFile(const QString &filePath)
     {
         // Don't issue errors for an empty path, as the initial binding
         // will result in an empty path, and that's OK.
         if (filePath.isEmpty())
             return {};

         QFile file(filePath);

         if (file.size() >= 2'000'000)
             return tr("File size is too big.\nYou can read files up to %1 MB.").arg(2);

         static const QMimeDatabase db;
         const QMimeType mime = db.mimeTypeForFile(QFileInfo(file));

         // Check if the mimetype is supported and return the content.
         const auto mimeTypesForFile = mime.parentMimeTypes();
         for (const auto &m : mimeTypesForFile) {
             if (m.contains("text", Qt::CaseInsensitive)
                     || mime.comment().contains("text", Qt::CaseInsensitive)) {
                 if (!file.open(QIODevice::ReadOnly | QIODevice::Text))
                     return tr("Error opening the File!");

                 QTextStream stream(&file);
                 return stream.readAll();
             }
         }
         return tr("Filetype not supported!");
     }

Right-clicking a folder in the TreeView opens a popup `Menu`, which allows control over the `rootIndex` property of the TreeView.

                 MyMenu {
                     id: contextMenu
                     Action {
                         text: qsTr("Set as root index")
                         onTriggered: {
                             fileSystemTreeView.rootIndex = fileSystemTreeView.index(treeDelegate.row, 0)
                         }
                     }
                     Action {
                         text: qsTr("Reset root index")
                         onTriggered: fileSystemTreeView.rootIndex = undefined
                     }
                 }
             }

SplitView lets you dynamically share the space between the StackLayout and the editor. The editor contains the TextArea that displays the opened file and provides all the functionality needed to edit text files. Additionally, the editor provides line numbers, which can be toggled on and off in the `Menu`.

                 Editor {
                     id: editor
                     showLineNumbers: root.showLineNumbers
                     currentFilePath: root.currentFilePath
                     SplitView.fillWidth: true
                     SplitView.fillHeight: true
                 }

#### Custom components

For a better understanding of the customization process, investigate the Customizing a Control article first. This example uses reusable and customized components.

For instance, the `MyMenu` component customizes Menu's `background` property, its delegate's `contentItem`, and the `background` properties.

     // Copyright (C) 2023 The Qt Company Ltd.
     // SPDX-License-Identifier: LicenseRef-Qt-Commercial OR BSD-3-Clause

     import QtQuick
     import QtQuick.Controls.Basic
     import FileSystemModule

     Menu {
         id: root

         delegate: MenuItem {
             id: menuItem
             contentItem: Item {
                 Text {
                     anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
                     anchors.left: parent.left
                     anchors.leftMargin: 5

                     text: menuItem.text
                     color: enabled ? Colors.text : Colors.disabledText
                 }
                 Rectangle {
                     id: indicator

                     anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
                     anchors.right: parent.right
                     width: 6
                     height: parent.height

                     visible: menuItem.highlighted
                     color: Colors.color2
                 }
             }
             background: Rectangle {
                 implicitWidth: 210
                 implicitHeight: 35
                 color: menuItem.highlighted ? Colors.active : "transparent"
             }
         }
         background: Rectangle {
             implicitWidth: 210
             implicitHeight: 35
             color: Colors.surface2
         }
     }

Another example is the customization of the ScrollIndicator inside the `FileSystemView`, which uses customized animations. Here, the example overrides the `contentItem`.

             ScrollIndicator.vertical: ScrollIndicator {
                 active: true
                 implicitWidth: 15

                 contentItem: Rectangle {
                     implicitWidth: 6
                     implicitHeight: 6

                     color: Colors.color1
                     opacity: fileSystemTreeView.movingVertically ? 0.5 : 0.0

                     Behavior on opacity {
                         OpacityAnimator {
                             duration: 500
                         }
                     }
                 }
             }

#### Python version

If you're interested in the Python version of this example, you can find it here. This showcases the usage of Qt for Python and demonstrates how it can be used to create the same application.

Additionally, there is a detailed tutorial available that provides step-by-step instructions on how to extend this example with additional features. This tutorial can be helpful if you want to explore and learn more about building upon the existing functionality of the File System Explorer.

#### Source files

Example project @ code.qt.io

See also All Qt Examples and Qt Quick Controls Examples.