"Password to Modify" causes Prompt

[Mopp]

Hi,

I'm using VB6 to open a powerpoint file, but a dialog box opens up that says "file.pptx is reserved by x. Enter password to modify, or open read only."

This is causing my program to wait for input. I'd like to be able to do one of the following:

- Detect that the file has such a restriction

- Open the file in such a way that the prompt doesn't appear
(I tried opening the file as read only, but that doesn't work)

- Issue a response programatically
(Tried using sendkeys with a Timer, but the timer sub never
got called).

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks

[RhinoBull]

The way I see it:

- file was protected for a reason;
- any attempt to break security may compromise its content;
- any suggestion on how to do this may violate this forum's rules.

Sorry for not being much helpfull.

[Mopp]

Well, there is not any security violation going on here. The "Read-only" option just says that the file cannot be modified - I'm not trying to modify it, just read it. Besides that, I'd be just as happy to know if the file was marked "Read-only".

Users are adding this restriction to their ppt file, then sending it to my program for processing, they want me to open their file. I'm just trying to work around it, as the end user is not aware it will cause a problem for me.

[RhinoBull]

Instead of attempting to "break" password protected files meet with the end users to come up with a workflow solution that works for everybody.

[si_the_geek]

There is nothing untoward going on here, Mopp just wants to pick one of the options on the dialog by default, rather than displaying the dialog.

Unfortunately I don't know how to do that, but if you show the code you are currently using, others are likely to find it easier to help.

[Mopp]

My current solution is to have my main program call another smaller program whose sole job is to open, then close the given PowerPoint file. If the main program does not hear from the smaller program after a while (maybe 1 minute), assume that the file is read-only. Don't really like it, but don't know what else to to.

[IanS]

My understanding is that MOPP does not want to crack any security. He simply wants to prevent his application from hanging/locking up while waiting for the user to enter credentials into the PPT.

A perfectly legal and reasonable request.

In a multithreaded environment then firing a secondary thread to do the hanging waiting would solve the problem. Threads in VB6 is possible but I'd suggest your own solution of spawning a smaller program to do the job is just fine.

[dilettante]

Are you just trying to Show the presentation?

Private Sub cmdShowIt_Click()
    With New Shell32.Shell
        With .NameSpace(ssfDESKTOP).ParseName(App.Path & "\Sample.ppt")
            .InvokeVerb "Show"
        End With
    End With
End Sub

[Mopp]

Not trying to "Show" it, just trying to open it with something like this:

Set oPres = m_oApp.Presentations.Open(pptFile)

If the file is set to read-only, a dialog box prompt appears and the calling program becomes unresponsive until the dialog is clicked.

[dilettante]

Yes, if you use Automation I think the dialog is always raised even if you use ReadOnly:=True in the parameter list.