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Thread: Unhide all files and folders

  1. #1

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    Unhide all files and folders

    Hi,

    I'm new for programming and visual basic.
    Can anyone help me code for
    1. Change all folders, subfolders and files to attribute NORMAL in a drive (e.g E:\), if it not set as attribute NORMAL?
    2. The code also has to show number of total folders and total files has been changed to attribute NORMAL.
    3. The code also has to skip to next if access denied.
    Note:-The drive letter pass from a ComboBox. I already created vb code for this.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
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    Re: Unhide all files and folders

    You can unhide all files and folders in Windows options. Let me know what version of Windows you are running and I can give instructions. Is there some reason that you need to do it programatically? I mean programs do not need files to be unhidden in order to access them, so the only reason to unhide them is so the user can see them. So just doing it in Windows options seems the best way.

  3. #3
    PowerPoster dunfiddlin's Avatar
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    Re: Unhide all files and folders

    The basic command you need is ...

    IO.File.SetAttributes(filepath, IO.FileAttributes.Normal)

    To decide on an action when an exception is thrown such as denied access use a Try/Catch clause. There's plenty of documentation available for that. The rest of it looks like pretty straightforward stuff so take a stab at it and let us know if there are any problems.
    As the 6-dimensional mathematics professor said to the brain surgeon, "It ain't Rocket Science!"

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  4. #4
    Still learning kebo's Avatar
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    Re: Unhide all files and folders

    <2 cents>
    I'm sure there is a need for this, but it seems like a bad idea to show hidden folders files from an application. Files and folders are typically hidden for a reason; to keep the innocents from mucking around in system files and other things they should not be mucking in. If a user need to see hidden files, then they are probably saavy enough to show them through the explorer. However for a user that doesn't even know there is such a thing as hidden files, very little good can be had by showing them.
    </2 cents>
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  5. #5

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    Re: Unhide all files and folders

    Quote Originally Posted by Maverickz View Post
    You can unhide all files and folders in Windows options. Let me know what version of Windows you are running and I can give instructions. Is there some reason that you need to do it programatically? I mean programs do not need files to be unhidden in order to access them, so the only reason to unhide them is so the user can see them. So just doing it in Windows options seems the best way.
    As I know we can unhide file using CMD.
    I'm creating an application to unhide hidden files and folders in a selected
    Code below works fine for just 1 file. but I need a code for unhilde all hidden filles and folders.

    Dim path As String = "H:\Test.txt"
    ' Create the file if it exists.
    Dim attributes As FileAttributes
    attributes = File.GetAttributes(path)
    If (attributes And FileAttributes.Hidden) = FileAttributes.Hidden Then
    ' Show the file.
    File.SetAttributes(path, FileAttributes.Normal)
    Console.WriteLine("The {0} file is no longer hidden.", path)
    End If

  6. #6

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    Re: Unhide all files and folders

    Quote Originally Posted by dunfiddlin View Post
    The basic command you need is ...

    IO.File.SetAttributes(filepath, IO.FileAttributes.Normal)

    To decide on an action when an exception is thrown such as denied access use a Try/Catch clause. There's plenty of documentation available for that. The rest of it looks like pretty straightforward stuff so take a stab at it and let us know if there are any problems.
    I managed to create a code for unhide one selected hidden file.
    but don't know how to unhide all files and folders in a drive.

  7. #7

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    Re: Unhide all files and folders

    Quote Originally Posted by kebo View Post
    <2 cents>
    I'm sure there is a need for this, but it seems like a bad idea to show hidden folders files from an application. Files and folders are typically hidden for a reason; to keep the innocents from mucking around in system files and other things they should not be mucking in. If a user need to see hidden files, then they are probably saavy enough to show them through the explorer. However for a user that doesn't even know there is such a thing as hidden files, very little good can be had by showing them.
    </2 cents>
    Before pass the drive letter to unhide code, a combobox will filter to unselect any Windows patitition and CD-ROM. So This won't be a problem.

  8. #8
    PowerPoster dunfiddlin's Avatar
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    Re: Unhide all files and folders

    Use a simple loop on the results from My.Computer.Filesystem.GetFiles or IO.Directory.GetFiles
    As the 6-dimensional mathematics professor said to the brain surgeon, "It ain't Rocket Science!"

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  9. #9

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    Re: Unhide all files and folders

    Quote Originally Posted by dunfiddlin View Post
    Use a simple loop on the results from My.Computer.Filesystem.GetFiles or IO.Directory.GetFiles
    Can you please tell me why my code below not working?

    Imports System
    Imports System.IO
    Imports System.Text
    Public Class Form1

    Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
    Dim Drive As String = "H:\"
    Dim DriveObj As DirectoryInfo
    DriveObj = New DirectoryInfo(Drive)
    Dim Files As FileInfo() = DriveObj.GetFiles("*.*")
    Dim Drives As DirectoryInfo() = DriveObj.GetDirectories("*.*")

    Dim Filename As FileInfo
    For Each Filename In Files
    On Error Resume Next
    If (Filename.Attributes And FileAttributes.Hidden) = FileAttributes.Hidden Then

    ' Show the file.
    File.SetAttributes(Filename.Attributes, FileAttributes.Normal)
    End If
    Next

    Dim DirectoryName As DirectoryInfo
    For Each DirectoryName In Drives
    On Error Resume Next
    If (DirectoryName.Attributes And FileAttributes.Hidden) = FileAttributes.Hidden Then
    ' Show the file.
    File.SetAttributes(DirectoryName.Attributes, FileAttributes.Normal)
    End If
    Next
    End Sub
    End Class

  10. #10
    PowerPoster dunfiddlin's Avatar
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    Re: Unhide all files and folders

    Well what does 'not working' mean? I can say that I'm extremely unwilling to let you leave On Error Resume Next in there. It would be kind of useful to know if there are errors rather than ignoring them! Also File.SetAttributes(Filename.Attributes, FileAttributes.Normal) is clearly wrong as the first parameter should be the filepath (as String and in full) which Filename.Attributes obviously isn't.
    As the 6-dimensional mathematics professor said to the brain surgeon, "It ain't Rocket Science!"

    Reviews: "dunfiddlin likes his DataTables" - jmcilhinney

    Please be aware that whilst I will read private messages (one day!) I am unlikely to reply to anything that does not contain offers of cash, fame or marriage!

  11. #11

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    Re: Unhide all files and folders

    Quote Originally Posted by dunfiddlin View Post
    Well what does 'not working' mean? I can say that I'm extremely unwilling to let you leave On Error Resume Next in there. It would be kind of useful to know if there are errors rather than ignoring them! Also File.SetAttributes(Filename.Attributes, FileAttributes.Normal) is clearly wrong as the first parameter should be the filepath (as String and in full) which Filename.Attributes obviously isn't.
    My code below able to unhide specified hidden folder and or file. Now my problem is, I don't know how to create a loop to unhide all hidden files, folders and subfolders in specified Drive. Can you please help me to create a loop in my code below to unhide (Make it NORMAL) all files, folders and subfolders if it was hidden. Just assume variable for specified Drive is MyDrive.

    Public Class Form1

    Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
    Dim MyDrive As String = "H:\"
    Dim MyFile As String = MyDrive + "test.txt"
    Dim MyFolder As String = MyDrive + "Test"

    If (IO.File.GetAttributes(MyFile) And IO.FileAttributes.Hidden) = IO.FileAttributes.Hidden Then
    ' Show the file.
    IO.File.SetAttributes(MyFile, IO.FileAttributes.Normal)
    End If

    If (IO.File.GetAttributes(MyFolder) And IO.FileAttributes.Hidden) = IO.FileAttributes.Hidden Then
    ' Show the folder.
    IO.File.SetAttributes(MyFolder, IO.FileAttributes.Normal)
    End If

    End Sub
    End Class

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