application-dev/file-management/select-user-file.md

# Selecting User Files

You can use [FilePicker](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-picker.md) to implement the capabilities required for sharing and saving user files such as images and videos. **FilePicker** accesses the file to start the related application, which allows the user to select or save files on the UI. No permission is required for calling **FilePicker** APIs.

**FilePicker** provides the following interfaces by file type:

- [PhotoViewPicker](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-picker.md#photoviewpicker): used to select and save images or videos. You are advised to use [PhotoViewPicker of PhotoAccessHelper](../reference/apis-media-library-kit/js-apis-photoAccessHelper.md#photoviewpicker) to select files. The **PhotoViewPicker** API triggers the **Gallery** application. The images or videos saved by **save()** are stored in a directory of the **FileManager** application, and cannot be viewed in **Gallery**. To enable the saved media assets to be viewed in **Gallery**, use [a security component to create the media asset](photoAccessHelper-resource-guidelines.md#creating-a-media-asset-using-a-security-component).

- [DocumentViewPicker](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-picker.md#documentviewpicker): used to select and save documents. The **DocumentViewPicker** API triggers the **FilePicker** application. Documents are not distinguished by file name extensions. For example, the images and files downloaded from a browser are documents.

- [AudioViewPicker](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-picker.md#audioviewpicker): used to select and save audio clips. The **AudioViewPicker** API triggers the **FilePicker** application.

## Selecting Images or Videos

1. Import the **picker** and **fs** modules.

   ```ts
   import picker from '@ohos.file.picker';
   import fs from '@ohos.file.fs';
   import { BusinessError } from '@ohos.base';
   ```

2. Create a **PhotoSelectOptions** instance.

   ```ts
   import picker from '@ohos.file.picker';

   const photoSelectOptions = new picker.PhotoSelectOptions();
   ```

3. Set the type and maximum number of the files to select.<br>
   For example, select a maximum of five images. For details about the media file types, see [PhotoViewMIMETypes](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-picker.md#photoviewmimetypes).

   ```ts
   import picker from '@ohos.file.picker';

   photoSelectOptions.MIMEType = picker.PhotoViewMIMETypes.IMAGE_TYPE; // Select images.
   photoSelectOptions.maxSelectNumber = 5; // Set the maximum number of images to select.
   ```

4. Create a **PhotoViewPicker** instance and call [select()](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-picker.md#select) to open the **Gallery** page for the user to select images. After the user selects images, [PhotoSelectResult](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-picker.md#photoselectresult) is returned.<br>The permission on the URIs returned by **select()** is read-only. You are advised to define a global variable to hold the URI and use a button to open the file.<br>If metadata needs to be obtained, you can use the [@ohos.file.fs](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-fs.md) and [@ohos.file.fileuri](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-fileuri.md) APIs to obtain file attribute information, such as the file name, size, access time, modification time, and path, based on the URI.

   ```ts
import picker from '@ohos.file.picker';
   import { BusinessError } from '@ohos.base';

   let uris: Array<string> = [];
   const photoViewPicker = new picker.PhotoViewPicker();
   photoViewPicker.select(photoSelectOptions).then((photoSelectResult: picker.PhotoSelectResult) => {
     uris = photoSelectResult.photoUris;
     console.info('photoViewPicker.select to file succeed and uris are:' + uris);
   }).catch((err: BusinessError) => {
     console.error(`Invoke photoViewPicker.select failed, code is ${err.code}, message is ${err.message}`);
   })
   ```

5. After the application UI is returned from **Gallery**, use a button to trigger the application's API. Use [fs.openSync](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-fs.md#fsopensync) to open an image based on the URI. After the image is opened, the FD is returned. Note that the **mode** parameter of **fs.openSync()** must be **fs.OpenMode.READ_ONLY**.

   ```ts
   import fs from '@ohos.file.fs';

   let uri: string = '';
   let file = fs.openSync(uri, fs.OpenMode.READ_ONLY);
   console.info('file fd: ' + file.fd);
   ```

6. Use [fs.readSync](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-fs.md#readsync) to read the file based on the FD, and use **closeSync** to close the file.

   ```ts
   import fs from '@ohos.file.fs';

   let buffer = new ArrayBuffer(4096);
   let readLen = fs.readSync(file.fd, buffer);
   console.info('readSync data to file succeed and buffer size is:' + readLen);
   fs.closeSync(file);
   ```

## Selecting Documents

1. Import the **picker** and **fs** modules.

   ```ts
   import picker from '@ohos.file.picker';
   import fs from '@ohos.file.fs';
   import Want from '@ohos.app.ability.Want';
   import { BusinessError } from '@ohos.base';
   ```

2. Create a **DocumentSelectOptions** instance.

   ```ts
   import picker from '@ohos.file.picker';

   const documentSelectOptions = new picker.DocumentSelectOptions();
   documentSelectOptions.maxSelectNumber = 5; // (Optional) Maximum number of documents to select.
   documentSelectOptions.defaultFilePathUri = "file://docs/storage/Users/currentUser/test"; // (Optional) Path of the document or directory to select.
   documentSelectOptions.fileSuffixFilters = ['.png', '.txt', '.mp4']; // (Optional) Types of the documents to select. Use a comma to separate multiple file name extensions.
   ```

3. Create a **DocumentViewPicker** instance, and use [select()](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-picker.md#select-3) to start the FilePicker application page for the user to select documents. After the user selects documents, a result set containing the document URIs is returned.

   The permission on the URIs returned by **select()** is read-only. Further file operations can be performed based on the URI. You are advised to define a global variable to hold the URI and use a button to open the file.

   If metadata needs to be obtained, you can use the [@ohos.file.fs](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-fs.md) and [@ohos.file.fileuri](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-fileuri.md) APIs to obtain document attribute information, such as the document name, size, access time, modification time, and path, based on the URI.

   ```ts
   import picker from '@ohos.file.picker';
   import { BusinessError } from '@ohos.base';

   let uris: Array<string> = [];
   const documentViewPicker = new picker.DocumentViewPicker(); // Create a documentViewPicker instance.
   documentViewPicker.select(documentSelectOptions).then((documentSelectResult: Array<string>) => {
     uris = documentSelectResult;
     console.info('documentViewPicker.select to file succeed and uris are:' + uris);
   }).catch((err: BusinessError) => {
     console.error(`Invoke documentViewPicker.select failed, code is ${err.code}, message is ${err.message}`);
   })
   ```

4. After the application UI is returned from **FilePicker**, use a button to trigger the application's API. Use [fs.openSync](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-fs.md#fsopensync) to open a document based on the URI. After the document is opened, the FD is returned. Note that the **mode** parameter of **fs.openSync()** must be **fs.OpenMode.READ_ONLY**.

   ```ts
   import fs from '@ohos.file.fs';

   let uri: string = '';
   let file = fs.openSync(uri, fs.OpenMode.READ_ONLY);
   console.info('file fd: ' + file.fd);
   ```

5. Use [fs.readSync](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-fs.md#readsync) to read the document based on the FD, and use **closeSync** to close the document.

   ```ts
   import fs from '@ohos.file.fs';

   let buffer = new ArrayBuffer(4096);
   let readLen = fs.readSync(file.fd, buffer);
   console.info('readSync data to file succeed and buffer size is:' + readLen);
   fs.closeSync(file);
   ```

## Selecting Audio Clips

1. Import the **picker** and **fs** modules.

   ```ts
   import picker from '@ohos.file.picker';
   import fs from '@ohos.file.fs';
   import { BusinessError } from '@ohos.base';
   ```

2. Create an **AudioSelectOptions** instance.

   > **NOTE**
   >
   > Currently, **AudioSelectOptions** is not configurable. By default, all types of user files are selected.

   ```ts
   import picker from '@ohos.file.picker';

   const audioSelectOptions = new picker.AudioSelectOptions();
   ```

3. Create an **audioViewPicker** instance, and use [select()](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-picker.md#select-6) to start the FilePicker application page for the user to select audio clips. After the user selects audio clips, a result set containing the URIs of the audio clips selected is returned.

   The permission on the URIs returned by **select()** is read-only. Further file operations can be performed based on the URI. You are advised to define a global variable to hold the URI and use a button to open the file.

   For example, use the [@ohos.file.fs](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-fs.md) API to obtain the FD of an audio clip based on the URI, and then develop the audio playback function based on the media service. For details, see [Audio Playback Development](../media/audio/audio-playback-overview.md).

   ```ts
   import picker from '@ohos.file.picker';

   let uri: string = '';
   const audioViewPicker = new picker.AudioViewPicker();
   audioViewPicker.select(audioSelectOptions).then((audioSelectResult: Array<string>) => {
     uri = audioSelectResult[0];
     console.info('audioViewPicker.select to file succeed and uri is:' + uri);
   }).catch((err: BusinessError) => {
     console.error(`Invoke audioViewPicker.select failed, code is ${err.code}, message is ${err.message}`);
   })
   ```

4. After the application UI is returned from **FilePicker**, use a button to trigger the application's API. Use [fs.openSync](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-fs.md#fsopensync) to open an audio clip based on the URI. After the audio clip is opened, the FD is returned. Note that the **mode** parameter of **fs.openSync()** must be **fs.OpenMode.READ_ONLY**.

   ```ts
   import fs from '@ohos.file.fs';

   let uri: string = '';
   let file = fs.openSync(uri, fs.OpenMode.READ_ONLY);
   console.info('file fd: ' + file.fd);
   ```

5. Use [fs.readSync](../reference/apis-core-file-kit/js-apis-file-fs.md#readsync) to read the file based on the FD, and use **closeSync** to close the file.

   ```ts
   import fs from '@ohos.file.fs';

   let buffer = new ArrayBuffer(4096);
   let readLen = fs.readSync(file.fd, buffer);
   console.info('readSync data to file succeed and buffer size is:' + readLen);
   fs.closeSync(file);
   ```