How To Get File Name When User Select A File Via

Have you ever wondered how to fetch the file name when a user selects a file using a button on a website? This is a common scenario in software development, especially when dealing with file uploads and processing. In this article, we will explore a simple yet effective way to achieve this using JavaScript.

When a user selects a file through an input element of type 'file,' the file details are stored within the input element itself. To access the file name that the user has chosen, we need to listen for the 'change' event on the input element and retrieve the selected file information.

Let's get started by creating a basic HTML file input element in our document:

In the above code snippet, we have defined an input element of type 'file' with the id 'fileInput.' Next, we will write JavaScript code to handle the 'change' event and extract the file name.

const fileInput = document.getElementById('fileInput');

fileInput.addEventListener('change', function() {
    const selectedFile = fileInput.files[0];
    
    if (selectedFile) {
        const fileName = selectedFile.name;
        alert('Selected file: ' + fileName);
    } else {
        alert('No file selected');
    }
});

In the JavaScript code, we first obtain a reference to the file input element using its id. We then attach an event listener for the 'change' event. Within the event handler function, we retrieve the selected file object using the 'files' property of the input element.

We check if a file has been selected by the user. If a file is present, we extract the file name using the 'name' property of the file object. Finally, we display an alert message with the selected file name. If no file is selected, we alert the user that no file has been chosen.

By following these simple steps, you can easily obtain the file name when a user selects a file via a file input element on your website. This functionality can be useful in various scenarios, such as file uploads, validation checks, and displaying file information to the user.

Remember to handle error cases and edge scenarios in your code to provide a seamless user experience. Feel free to customize the code to suit your specific requirements and enhance the functionality further.

I hope this article has been helpful in guiding you on how to retrieve the file name when a user selects a file via a file input element using JavaScript. Happy coding!