ImageJ macro code to change directory - macros

Question

I am learning how to write macros in ImageJ. I have the user select a folder where data is stored, e.g.,
path=getDirectory("Choose a data folder");
Once the user has selected the folder, e.g.,
path = D:\data_superfolder\data_folder
I then need to access a file that is up one level, e.g.,
newpath = D:\data_superfolder
In Matlab to move up one level all i need to do is,
cd('..')
which is super simple, but I've read through the ImageJ user manual I can't find similar code. How do I do this?
Thanks!

Answer 1

You can append /.. to a directory path to refer to its parent folder.
Here is an example macro that prompts the user to choose a directory, then lists the contents of its parent.
path = getDirectory("Choose a folder");
list = getFileList(path + "/..");
for (i = 0; i < list.length; i++) {
print(list[i]);
}

Answer 2

Ok, I had a similar problem, tried the fix suggested here and I couldn't get it to work... However, what worked for me was to define a new variable corresponding to the parent of your initial input directory, using the function File.getParent().
in example:
path = getDirectory("Choose a folder");
parent_path = File.getParent(path);
list = getFileList(parent_path);
for (i = 0; i < list.length; i++) {
print(list[i]);
}
so in your case, once the user has selected the folder, e.g.,
path = D:\data_superfolder\data_folder
the variable "parent_path" will be:
parent_path = D:\data_superfolder
Cheers!