SystemDialogInput
brings up an interactive system dialog and returns the value chosen in the dialog.
Details and Options

- Possible types include:
-
"Color" color picker dialog "Directory" directory dialog "FileOpen" file open dialog "FileSave" file save dialog "RecordAudio" record audio dialog "RecordSound" record sound dialog - When SystemDialogInput is evaluated, the Wolfram System stops until the dialog has been dismissed, and a result returned.
- If the dialog is canceled, SystemDialogInput returns $Canceled.
- Many dialog types allow the option WindowTitle to be given.
- For "FileOpen" and "FileSave", filters for files can be specified in the form SystemDialogInput[…,{init,{"type1"->{"patt11","patt12",…},"type2"->{…},…}}], analogous to FileNameSetter.
- "RecordSound" is not supported on all platforms.
Examples
open allclose allBasic Examples (3)Summary of the most common use cases
Put up a system color picker dialog, returning the color picked:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0dqtcn39856-ezdja4

Put up a system file open dialog, returning the name of the file chosen:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0dqtcn39856-fxcr8d

Use the system sound recording dialog:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0dqtcn39856-beezzc

Scope (4)Survey of the scope of standard use cases
Specify a file as the suggested file name:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0dqtcn39856-cr3h1l
Specify a suggested directory and file name:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0dqtcn39856-lylbkc
Restrict the files shown to be Wolfram System notebooks:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0dqtcn39856-d567tu
Specify file types and patterns:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0dqtcn39856-365mdt
Options (1)Common values & functionality for each option
Applications (1)Sample problems that can be solved with this function
Properties & Relations (1)Properties of the function, and connections to other functions
FileNameSetter also opens and saves files, but waits for a click from the user:

https://wolfram.com/xid/0dqtcn39856-ngu3


https://wolfram.com/xid/0dqtcn39856-buo4w4


https://wolfram.com/xid/0dqtcn39856-5guoqg


https://wolfram.com/xid/0dqtcn39856-qzvhfk

Wolfram Research (2007), SystemDialogInput, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemDialogInput.html (updated 2017).
Text
Wolfram Research (2007), SystemDialogInput, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemDialogInput.html (updated 2017).
Wolfram Research (2007), SystemDialogInput, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemDialogInput.html (updated 2017).
CMS
Wolfram Language. 2007. "SystemDialogInput." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2017. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemDialogInput.html.
Wolfram Language. 2007. "SystemDialogInput." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2017. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemDialogInput.html.
APA
Wolfram Language. (2007). SystemDialogInput. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemDialogInput.html
Wolfram Language. (2007). SystemDialogInput. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemDialogInput.html
BibTeX
@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_systemdialoginput, author="Wolfram Research", title="{SystemDialogInput}", year="2017", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemDialogInput.html}", note=[Accessed: 29-March-2025
]}
BibLaTeX
@online{reference.wolfram_2025_systemdialoginput, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={SystemDialogInput}, year={2017}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemDialogInput.html}, note=[Accessed: 29-March-2025
]}