This demo comes from the official Maya Python API documentation.

Source: https://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2027/ENU/MAYA-API-REF/py_ref/file_dialog_2script_8py-example.html

⚠️ Important: read this first. The script.py file in this folder is literally one line: print("Hello world!"). That is not a typo and not a mistake — it's the entire official Autodesk example. The real lesson is the fileDialog workflow around the file, not the file itself.

Autodesk ships this tiny script.py so you have a harmless "do-nothing" file to pick with the file dialog. The value here is learning the workflow:

"How do I let a user choose a file on disk, then do something with the path they chose?"

That workflow uses the fileDialog / fileDialog2 command — not the API. This script.py is just the target the user picks. Knowing that upfront saves you scratching your head looking for hidden meaning in one print line.

1. maya.cmds.fileDialog2 — the modern Maya command that pops a native OS file picker and returns the chosen path(s). (Older fileDialog is deprecated; always prefer fileDialog2.)
2. The "pick → get path → act" pattern that every file-driven Maya tool follows (importers, exporters, library loaders, batch processors…).
3. File dialog flags — fileMode, caption, fileFilter, and how they shape the dialog the user sees.
4. Why script.py is the way it is: the world's smallest placeholder file, used purely as something safe to point the dialog at.

You do not need the OpenMaya API for this demo — it is pure cmds.

fileDialog/
├── README.md            ← this file
└── script.py            ← the demo (one line: print("Hello world!"))

The official script.py content is:

print("Hello world!")

That's the whole thing. The point of this README is to make that useful.

Here's how you would use fileDialog2 to pick script.py (or any file) and do something with it:

import maya.cmds as cmds

# 1. Pop the native file dialog and let the user pick a .py file
path = cmds.fileDialog2(
    fileMode=1,                                   # 1 = "select existing file"
    caption="Pick a Python script",               # window title
    fileFilter="Python Files (*.py)",             # filter shown in the dropdown
)

# 2. fileDialog2 always returns a LIST (even for a single pick), or None
if path:
    path = path[0]
    print("You picked:", path)

    # 3. Do something with the chosen path.
    #    Here we just exec the script the user picked (this is what makes
    #    script.py print "Hello world!" when selected).
    with open(path) as f:
        code = f.read()
    exec(code)
else:
    print("User cancelled.")

Run this in the Maya Script Editor, then pick script.py from this folder. The Script Editor will print:

You picked: D:/2026MayaPython/fileDialog/script.py
Hello world!

The Hello world! is script.py running — that's the whole demo.

fileMode is the most important flag — it controls what the dialog lets the user do. Memorize these four:

fileMode=4 also exists (multi-dir select) but is rarely used.

You'll see both names floating around. Use fileDialog2.

Always wrap the result of fileDialog2 with a length check:

result = cmds.fileDialog2(fileMode=1, ...) or []

The or [] saves you from NoneType has no len() crashes when the user cancels.

1. Make it print a real list of files. Switch to fileMode=2 and loop over every picked path, printing each one. Confirm you now get a list with more than one item.
2. Add a real filter. Try fileFilter="Maya Files (*.ma *.mb);;All Files (*.*)" and confirm the dropdown lets you switch between filters.
3. Build a tiny "run script" tool. Wrap the workflow above in a function run_picked_script() and add a shelf button for it. Now you have a one-click "load and run any .py" tool.
4. Pick a directory, not a file. Use fileMode=3, then list the folder contents with os.listdir(path) and print every .py file inside.
5. Save a file. Use fileMode=0, write the current scene name to the chosen path with open(...).write(...), and read it back. You've just built the skeleton of a config-file save/load tool.
6. Pair it with a UI. Combine with cmds.window / cmds.button to make a small panel with a "Browse…" button that fills a text field with the picked path. This is the standard look of every Maya export tool.

• fileDialog2 returns a list, not a string. Even for a single file. If you do cmds.fileDialog2(...).endswith(...) you'll crash. Always path[0].
• Always handle cancellation. If the user clicks Cancel, you get None. Guard with if path: or or [] before indexing.
• Use forward slashes. Maya accepts / on all platforms; mixed \ paths on Windows can break string formatting. path.replace('\\', '/') is a cheap safety net.
• fileDialog (no 2) is deprecated. Don't start new code with it. It returns a bare string and can't multi-select.
• Don't exec untrusted code. The demo above runs whatever the user picks — fine for a personal tool, dangerous if shipped to others. For shared tools, prefer importlib over exec so the source is at least traceable.

Because Autodesk's point isn't to teach fileDialog2 itself (that belongs in the fileDialog2 command docs). This example exists in the API reference so that other examples that say "select a script file" have something to point at. Treat script.py as a fixture, not a lesson — the lesson is the dialog workflow you write around it.

Autodesk, Maya Python API 2.0 Reference — fileDialog/script.py, Maya 2027 (ENU). https://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2027/ENU/MAYA-API-REF/py_ref/file_dialog_2script_8py-example.html