[RESOLVED] How to add many .bas modules to project

[jmsrickland]

I have VB project that needs 30+ .bas modules added. How do I add these without selecting one at a time. Like in C you can do multi-select but I don't see that feature in VB

[Elroy]

Edit the VBP file with notepad.

30 doesn't seem like a lot to add and drop though.

The primary project I work on these days has 44 BAS modules, 118 FRM modules, 30 CLS modules, and 8 CTL modules, in addition to a 70 meg RES file.

[jmsrickland]

I can 30 .bas modules quicker than waiting for a response to this thread but this is just one of many projects and it would be nice to know an easy way as later I will have VB projects with many more than 30

Seems like editing the vbp file would be much more work than just adding them one at a time as I would have to type in the name of each module.

So let's say I make a quickie VB project to load the file names from disk and then save them in a text file then open up vbp in notepad and add the text file of the module names. Even that is more work than adding the modules one at a time.

[LaVolpe]

You can drop as many as you'd like, assuming they are all in the same folder.

Trick: don't do it from VB. Open Windows explorer, navigate to folder with the bas files. Select the ones you want & drag drop them on to the VB IDE explorer window/tree

[jmsrickland]

Don't understand .....drop them on to the VB IDE explorer window/tree

What is IDE explorer window/tree

[LaVolpe]

Don't understand .....drop them on to the VB IDE explorer window/tree

What is IDE explorer window/tree

Project Explorer is the official name I think. It's the window in IDE where you can add/remove/open project items (right side, near top of IDE)

[SamOscarBrown]

That is SO cool! I see copy-paste does not work, but dragging dropping does....Thanks LaVolpe....good thing to remember! - Sam

[LaVolpe]

That is SO cool! I see copy-paste does not work, but dragging dropping does....Thanks LaVolpe....good thing to remember! - Sam

Kinda neat, I agree. However, keep in mind that these are not copies. You make changes to the dropped items & if any other projects are using those too, the changes effect them.

I use it kinda like this:
In my new project folder, I'll copy bas, cls files to that folder. Then from within that folder, drag drop to IDE. Now, I'm working with copies & not originals.

[SamOscarBrown]

Yeah, kinda figured that...but glad you clarified for all.

[Zvoni]

Why not just code a small tool?
Something like:
1) Please select your VBP-File
2) Please select the BAS (or other Modules) you want to import to the previously selected VBP-File (Multiselect! DriveList+FileList etc. the usual)
3) Please select a destination folder for the Modules (Subfolder of VBP-File?). Optional to copy them or to use the "original" ones
4) Copy (or just import) the selected Modules (See step 3)
5) Code to edit the VBP-File
6) Save changes to vbp-file
Done

Doesn't sound too complicated

[dee-u]

Why not just code a small tool?
Something like:
1) Please select your VBP-File
2) Please select the BAS (or other Modules) you want to import to the previously selected VBP-File (Multiselect! DriveList+FileList etc. the usual)
3) Please select a destination folder for the Modules (Subfolder of VBP-File?). Optional to copy them or to use the "original" ones
4) Copy (or just import) the selected Modules (See step 3)
5) Code to edit the VBP-File
6) Save changes to vbp-file
Done

Doesn't sound too complicated

Perhaps not complicated but not as easy as drag and dropping. :-)

[Zvoni]

Perhaps not complicated but not as easy as drag and dropping. :-)

Yes, if you want to import the original module, but if you want a copy, because you know you'll have to change something in it, you have to copy the module(s) manually beforehand.

By coding a small tool you kill all birds with one stone.

You could even code this tool as a small repository with descriptions, what functions are in that module, what they're doing etc....
...that is, if something like this doesn't exist already (wouldn't be surprised)

[Elroy]

Hmmm, for small projects (which I would call something like 50 or less files, excluding the ??x files), I just tend to start a folder and copy the files I need into it. These "start up" files tend to come from two places: 1) copied out of other projects I'm working on, or 2) copied out of a huge repository of files I have organized into 100s of folders and subfolders. However, that repository is a bit scattered so I tend to start with copies of "AllPurpose..." modules from existing projects. (And as stated elsewhere, I NEVER share the same file with two VBP projects. I truly think that's a horrible idea.)

Once projects grow beyond 50 or so modules (FRM, BAS, CLS, CTL), I tend to stop and reorganize them into sub-folders, possibly one for BAS, one for CLS, one for CTL, and potentially several for the FRM/FRX files. And, in the root of that sub-folder system sits the VBP, the RES, the .manifest, and any project wide programming notes I may have (typically in a ProjectName.txt file). Just as an aside, if a project evolves, I may also have a Dependencies, HelpFiles, OfficeTemplates, and Website subfolders.

IDK, this is just the organization that I've evolved over the years. I'm sure everybody has their own way of doing it. That's just mine.

And yeah, the drag-and-drop method outlined by LaVolpe works well. (Truth be told, I misunderstood the original question of this thread.)

Happy Programming,
Elroy

[jmsrickland]

Project Explorer is the official name I think. It's the window in IDE where you can add/remove/open project items (right side, near top of IDE)

Excellent. LaVolpe. Thanks a lot