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Dec 4th, 2007

Finding directory of VB project dynamically

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If someone could tell me if there is a function or method, or some way of finding the directory that the VB project loads to when it is installed on other computers that would be great. What I want it for is so that I can save and restore a database dynamically.

Currently I am saving it to a directory that I know where it is (C:/Program Files/PortGen2.0) Which allows me to save it, but not restore it because I don't know where to load the file if something were to happen to the old one.

Any help is appreciated, some technical info is: VB 2005 Express, Access 2003 Database, and the code I am using right now for restoreDB()

Visual Basic 4 / 5 / 6 Syntax (Toggle Plain Text)
Public Sub restoreDB()
 
        Dim backupName As String
        Dim portfolioDBName As String = portfolioDBPath + "portfolioDB.mdb"
 
        Dim fdlg As OpenFileDialog = New OpenFileDialog()
 
        fdlg.InitialDirectory = portfolioDBPath + "\backup"
 
        If fdlg.ShowDialog() = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
            backupName = fdlg.FileName
 
            If MessageBox.Show("Restoring the database will erase any changes you have made since your last backup. Are you sure you want to do this?", _
            "Confirm Delete", _
            MessageBoxButtons.OKCancel, _
            MessageBoxIcon.Question, _
            MessageBoxDefaultButton.Button2) = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
                'Restore the database from a backup copy.
                FileCopy(backupName, portfolioDBName)
 
                MsgBox("Database Restoration Successful")
            End If
        End If
 
    End Sub
Public Sub restoreDB()

        Dim backupName As String
        Dim portfolioDBName As String = portfolioDBPath + "portfolioDB.mdb"

        Dim fdlg As OpenFileDialog = New OpenFileDialog()

        fdlg.InitialDirectory = portfolioDBPath + "\backup"

        If fdlg.ShowDialog() = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
            backupName = fdlg.FileName

            If MessageBox.Show("Restoring the database will erase any changes you have made since your last backup. Are you sure you want to do this?", _
            "Confirm Delete", _
            MessageBoxButtons.OKCancel, _
            MessageBoxIcon.Question, _
            MessageBoxDefaultButton.Button2) = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
                'Restore the database from a backup copy.
                FileCopy(backupName, portfolioDBName)

                MsgBox("Database Restoration Successful")
            End If
        End If

    End Sub

Mr.Wobbles

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Dec 4th, 2007

Re: Finding directory of VB project dynamically

Hi Mr Wobbles (good name!)

For VB6 use: App.Path to return the application dir (eg: Open App.Path & "\MyFile.txt" For Input as #1)

For VB2005 use My.Application.Info.DirectoryPath

HTH,

Chris.

Chris147

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Dec 5th, 2007

Re: Finding directory of VB project dynamically

That worked well, thanks! I don't know why I didn't see that before. (I'm not being sarcastic if it sounds that way... seriously)

Mr.Wobbles

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Dec 5th, 2007

Re: Finding directory of VB project dynamically

That works when I debug. However when I publish it and try to work on it as an application then i get an error message - it can't find the file. I looked and figured out it was in a different folder than the application is apparently stored in. Don't know why. So if there is a way to get the path of a the database file that would be awesome.

Mr.Wobbles

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Re: Finding directory of VB project dynamically

Ah.

This appears to be an installation issue.

I had 2005 Express for a while, got fed up with the installer, bought the full version.

Where is the DB being installed to? Is it as a subdirectory of the application?

Chris

Chris147

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Re: Finding directory of VB project dynamically

The DB is installed to an alternate folder than the application directory for example:

Directory
Folder 1 = What app.path returns
Folder 2 = Where the database is at

All of the folders repeat some sort of information, but none of them have all of the information, so this one will have the database and maybe the icon or something, and another will have the icon and the forms in it, there is one folder for each of the interops that I used (word, excel and access) and a manifest folder. If none of this helps at all I can get you the real names of the folders tomorrow when I am at work again. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

Mr.Wobbles

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Re: Finding directory of VB project dynamically

Quote ...

All of the folders repeat some sort of information, but none of them have all of the information, so this one will have the database and maybe the icon or something, and another will have the icon and the forms in it, there is one folder for each of the interops that I used (word, excel and

But what I recommend for dynamically finding the appropriate directory is to either store the information about the data's path in an older INI file (See the Platform SDK for Read/WritePrivateProfile) or to use the registry.

But I would declare a public variable in one of your modules to use as a reference in the program.

Visual Basic 4 / 5 / 6 Syntax (Toggle Plain Text)
Public mpProgPath as String
Public mpProgPath as String

Retrieve the value on loading:

Visual Basic 4 / 5 / 6 Syntax (Toggle Plain Text)
 mpProgPath = GetSetting("My Program", "StartUpValues", "AppPath", cstr(App.path))
 mpProgPath = GetSetting("My Program", "StartUpValues", "AppPath", cstr(App.path))

And then, you can use that as a basis for your other directories where you have information stored:

Visual Basic 4 / 5 / 6 Syntax (Toggle Plain Text)

strDB_PATH =  mpProgPath & "\db"
strImage_Path = mpProgPath & "\Images"

Last edited by hkdani; Dec 5th, 2007 at 7:53 pm.

hkdani

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Dec 6th, 2007

Re: Finding directory of VB project dynamically

Click to Expand / Collapse Quote originally posted by Mr.Wobbles ...

If someone could tell me if there is a function or method, or some way of finding the directory that the VB project loads to when it is installed on other computers that would be great. What I want it for is so that I can save and restore a database dynamically.

Currently I am saving it to a directory that I know where it is (C:/Program Files/PortGen2.0) Which allows me to save it, but not restore it because I don't know where to load the file if something were to happen to the old one.

Any help is appreciated, some technical info is: VB 2005 Express, Access 2003 Database, and the code I am using right now for restoreDB()
Visual Basic 4 / 5 / 6 Syntax (Toggle Plain Text)
Public Sub restoreDB()
 
        Dim backupName As String
        Dim portfolioDBName As String = portfolioDBPath + "portfolioDB.mdb"
 
        Dim fdlg As OpenFileDialog = New OpenFileDialog()
 
        fdlg.InitialDirectory = portfolioDBPath + "\backup"
 
        If fdlg.ShowDialog() = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
            backupName = fdlg.FileName
 
            If MessageBox.Show("Restoring the database will erase any changes you have made since your last backup. Are you sure you want to do this?", _
            "Confirm Delete", _
            MessageBoxButtons.OKCancel, _
            MessageBoxIcon.Question, _
            MessageBoxDefaultButton.Button2) = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
                'Restore the database from a backup copy.
                FileCopy(backupName, portfolioDBName)
 
                MsgBox("Database Restoration Successful")
            End If
        End If
 
    End Sub
Public Sub restoreDB() Dim backupName As String Dim portfolioDBName As String = portfolioDBPath + "portfolioDB.mdb" Dim fdlg As OpenFileDialog = New OpenFileDialog() fdlg.InitialDirectory = portfolioDBPath + "\backup" If fdlg.ShowDialog() = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then backupName = fdlg.FileName If MessageBox.Show("Restoring the database will erase any changes you have made since your last backup. Are you sure you want to do this?", _ "Confirm Delete", _ MessageBoxButtons.OKCancel, _ MessageBoxIcon.Question, _ MessageBoxDefaultButton.Button2) = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then 'Restore the database from a backup copy. FileCopy(backupName, portfolioDBName) MsgBox("Database Restoration Successful") End If End If End Sub

Hi Wobbles,
Try to do this for to find the directory .If you find the directory dynamically then pass the address at the run time .

Visual Basic 4 / 5 / 6 Syntax (Toggle Plain Text)
Dim objFSO, objFolder, objShell, objTextFile, objFile
Dim strDirectory, strFile, strText
strDirectory = "d:\gb nair"
strFile = "\Summer.txt"
strText = "Book Another Holiday"
 
' Create the File System Object
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
 
' Check that the strDirectory folder exists
If objFSO.FolderExists(strDirectory) Then
   Set objFolder = objFSO.GetFolder(strDirectory)
Else
   Set objFolder = objFSO.CreateFolder(strDirectory)
   WScript.echo "Just created " & strDirectory
End If
 
If objFSO.FileExists(strDirectory & strFile) Then
   Set objFolder = objFSO.GetFolder(strDirectory)
Else
   Set objFile = objFSO.CreateTextFile(strDirectory & strFile)
   WScript.echo "Just created " & strDirectory & strFile
End If
 
Set objFile = Nothing
Set objFolder = Nothing
' OpenTextFile Method needs a Const value
' ForAppending = 8 ForReading = 1, ForWriting = 2
Const ForAppending = 8
 
Set objTextFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile _
(strDirectory & strFile, ForAppending, True)
 
' Writes strText every time you run this VBScript
objTextFile.WriteLine (strText)
objTextFile.Close
 
' Bonus or cosmetic section to launch explorer to check file
If Err.Number = vbEmpty Then
   Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
   objShell.Run ("Explorer" & " " & strDirectory & "\")
Else: WScript.echo "VBScript Error: " & Err.Number
End If
 
WScript.Quit
Dim objFSO, objFolder, objShell, objTextFile, objFile
Dim strDirectory, strFile, strText
strDirectory = "d:\gb nair"
strFile = "\Summer.txt"
strText = "Book Another Holiday"

' Create the File System Object
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

' Check that the strDirectory folder exists
If objFSO.FolderExists(strDirectory) Then
   Set objFolder = objFSO.GetFolder(strDirectory)
Else
   Set objFolder = objFSO.CreateFolder(strDirectory)
   WScript.echo "Just created " & strDirectory
End If

If objFSO.FileExists(strDirectory & strFile) Then
   Set objFolder = objFSO.GetFolder(strDirectory)
Else
   Set objFile = objFSO.CreateTextFile(strDirectory & strFile)
   WScript.echo "Just created " & strDirectory & strFile
End If

Set objFile = Nothing
Set objFolder = Nothing
' OpenTextFile Method needs a Const value
' ForAppending = 8 ForReading = 1, ForWriting = 2
Const ForAppending = 8

Set objTextFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile _
(strDirectory & strFile, ForAppending, True)

' Writes strText every time you run this VBScript
objTextFile.WriteLine (strText)
objTextFile.Close

' Bonus or cosmetic section to launch explorer to check file
If Err.Number = vbEmpty Then
   Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
   objShell.Run ("Explorer" & " " & strDirectory & "\")
Else: WScript.echo "VBScript Error: " & Err.Number
End If

WScript.Quit

Last edited by cscgal; Dec 6th, 2007 at 2:32 pm. Reason: Added code tags

gireeshb22

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Dec 6th, 2007

Re: Finding directory of VB project dynamically

hkdani - the only potential problem I can see with that is my database is in a different folder than what app.path return, the folders that each are in are in the same location, also I can't really go up a directory and specify the folder name because every time I install them then the folder names change - don't know why. I am going to try this anyway, in case I am reading it incorrectly.

gireeshb22 - Not exactly sure about that - maybe I am not understanding but from what I can tell if the file doesn't exist in the specified directory it is created - only problem with that is it is a database and it has to have tables, etc and if I do create it there then I will also have to figure out how to attach it to the program from wherever i create it at. If I am wrong please let me know because some of the functions I am only guessing at what they do.

Mr.Wobbles

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Dec 6th, 2007

Re: Finding directory of VB project dynamically

Ok, from your post it looks like the Application Folder is in the same folder as the DB Folder.

You can use string manipulation to get the parent folder of your App.Path (use a Do.. ..While Loop and set the string length = to string length until last character = "\" - I think there's a property in FSO that will do this as well, could be GetParentFolder or GetParentDIR or similar)

Once you have the Parent Folder you can use a For.. ..Next Loop to look for your DB:

Visual Basic 4 / 5 / 6 Syntax (Toggle Plain Text)
Private Sub cmdFiles_Click()
MsgBox GetDBLocation
End Sub
 
Private Function GetDBLocation() As String
Dim strDBLocation As String
Dim fso As New FileSystemObject
Dim fldrs As Folder
Dim fldr As Folder
Dim fle As File
Set fldrs = fso.GetFolder("C:\Program Files")
For Each fldr In fldrs.SubFolders
For Each fle In fldr.Files
If fle.ShortName = "YOUR DB NAME" Then
strDBLocation = fle.Name
Goto ExitHere
End If
Next fle
Next fldr
ExitHere:
Set fldrs = Nothing
Set fso = Nothing
If Len(strDBLocation) > 0 Then
GetDBLocation = strDBLocation
Else
GetDBLocation = "Oops! Can't find the DB"
End If
End Function
Private Sub cmdFiles_Click()
MsgBox GetDBLocation
End Sub

Private Function GetDBLocation() As String
Dim strDBLocation As String
Dim fso As New FileSystemObject
Dim fldrs As Folder
Dim fldr As Folder
Dim fle As File
Set fldrs = fso.GetFolder("C:\Program Files")
For Each fldr In fldrs.SubFolders
For Each fle In fldr.Files
If fle.ShortName = "YOUR DB NAME" Then
strDBLocation = fle.Name
Goto ExitHere
End If
Next fle
Next fldr
ExitHere:
Set fldrs = Nothing
Set fso = Nothing
If Len(strDBLocation) > 0 Then
GetDBLocation = strDBLocation
Else
GetDBLocation = "Oops! Can't find the DB"
End If
End Function

Chris147

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