C#[2003] : Show Copy Progress Dialog While copying Files.

[Shuja Ali]

We have always wanted to have those progress bars that Windows Comes up with while copying/moving/deleting Files. In C# we usually tend to use File.Copy function but this does not show us the progress of the File Copying. IN order to add this type of functionality to C# application we can use SHFileOperation API. Here is a class that uses the SHFileOPeration API to copy files from one location to another

using System;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
public class FileCopy 
    {
    #region "API Declaration"
        private enum FO_Func : uint
        {
            FO_MOVE = 0x0001,
            FO_COPY = 0x0002,
            FO_DELETE = 0x0003,
            FO_RENAME = 0x0004,
            FOF_ALLOWUNDO = 0x0040
        }
            
        private struct SHFILEOPSTRUCT
        {
            public IntPtr hwnd;
            public FO_Func wFunc;
            [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)]
            public string pFrom;
            [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)]
            public string pTo;
            public ushort fFlags;
            public bool fAnyOperationsAborted;
            public IntPtr hNameMappings;
            [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)]
            public string lpszProgressTitle;
                
        }
 
        [DllImport("shell32.dll",  CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
        static extern int SHFileOperation([In] ref SHFILEOPSTRUCT lpFileOp);
    #endregion
 
        private static SHFILEOPSTRUCT _ShFile;
        /// <summary>
        /// Copies the files from source to target, showing the Progress Dialog
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="sSource">Source from where the File(s) will be copied</param>
        /// <param name="sTarget">Target or Detination</param>
        /// <returns>True or False</returns>
        public static void CopyFiles(string sSource, string sTarget)
        {
            
            try
            {               
                _ShFile.wFunc = FO_Func.FO_COPY;
                _ShFile.fFlags = FO_Func.FOF_ALLOWUNDO;
                _ShFile.pFrom = sSource;
                _ShFile.pTo = sTarget;          
                SHFileOperation (ref _ShFile);
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);               
            }           
        }
}

And in our code we can use

FileCopy.CopyFile(@"C:\*.*", @"C:\NewFolder")

[wossname]

I havent had time to try this myself (I implemented my own API-free version due to portability issues).

Does this allow you to abort the operation half-way through?

[Shuja Ali]

I havent had time to try this myself (I implemented my own API-free version due to portability issues).

Does this allow you to abort the operation half-way through?

It is same as Copy using Windows Explorer. You can press cancel button on the progress dialog that is displayed.

[aspnetgirl]

I used your code in my application. When I'm doing copy, the pop-up similar to windows copy pop-up appears and just shows the first file name thru out the operation. And the time remaining seems to be so unreliable, that sometimes it says 5 min and the next second it says 1 min and 10 min after that. Please let me know if this kind of behaviour is expected or something in my code is preventing it from functioning properly.

[Shuja Ali]

Nothing wrong with the code, this is a default Windows behavior. This is how Windows does the copy.

And Welcome to the Forums

[UltraWhack]

Hi Shuja,

Thanks for the code. When I add the class in VC#2005e to use it in C#, I get the error for this codeline
Error 1 Cannot implicitly convert type 'WindowsApplication1.Filecopy.FO_Func' to 'ushort'. An explicit conversion exists (are you missing a cast?)
_ShFile.fFlags = FO_Func.FOF_ALLOWUNDO ;

Any ideas ?

[Shuja Ali]

Hi Shuja,

Thanks for the code. When I add the class in VC#2005e to use it in C#, I get the error for this codeline
Error 1 Cannot implicitly convert type 'WindowsApplication1.Filecopy.FO_Func' to 'ushort'. An explicit conversion exists (are you missing a cast?)
_ShFile.fFlags = FO_Func.FOF_ALLOWUNDO ;

Any ideas ?

IN 2005, you don't need to do this. Add a reference to Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll and use

new Microsoft.VisualBasic.MyServices.MyServerComputer()
    .FileSystem.CopyFile(...);

[shakti5385]

Good Code