File Searching using Dir? confusing...please read and help!!!

Hi guys,

I searched thru this BBS about searching thru subdirs and I didn't really understand the code that people wrote.

I saw various examples by 'Aaron Young' and 'Kedaman', but I didn't understand exactly what went on in those code snippets and how to implement it in my program.

Here's what my program is supposed to do and what I don't understand how to do:

My program is going to search thru a Directory and it's child sub-directories looking for MP3 files. Once it finds an mp3 file, it will extract the ID3Tag (got that working thanks to Kedaman) and store it in the database.

Now what I don't understand is how to make the program search thru directories and find the mp3 file, extract/store the ID3 tag, and then continue searching for other mp3s and then do the same thing...reapeating until it finds no more files.

Again, I saw the examples but I think they showed only how to search for directories and subdirectories.

Thanks.
please help?

[Edited by madd indian on 05-29-2000 at 06:10 PM]

Fresh and fully commented code:

Code:

---

Option Explicit

Sub GetID3Tag(ByVal sFile As String)
    ' Your code goes here.
    ' sFile is the full MP3 pathname, for example C:\MySong.MP3
End Sub

Sub ScanMP3Files(ByVal sPath As String)
    Dim sFile As String
   
    ' First, we have to add a slash to the end of the path name if it's not already there.
    sPath = sPath & IIf(Right(sPath, 1) = "\", vbNullString, "\")
    ' The above line, in English:
    ' Does sPath end with a slash? Don't add anything. Doesn't it? Add a slash.
   
    sFile = Dir(sPath & "*.MP3") ' Start looking for MP3 files in the path sPath.
   
    Do Until sFile = vbNullString ' Keep going until you can't find anything new
        Call GetID3Tag(sFile) ' Use your code
        sFile = Dir ' Search for a new file
    Loop ' Go back to the beginning of the loop. (Do Until...)
   
    ' Add your code here. It will be executed when the search completes.
End Sub

---

Usage:
Call ScanMP3Files("D:\Songs")
This will search for MP3 files in D:\Songs and will execute the GetID3Tag subroutine for each one.

Try the DIR function. It is the easiest way without API Calls. Look in the help for more info.

Yonatan:

Thanks a lot buddy. However I encountered a few problems with your code when I put it in my project.

The error message is "Bad Record Number"

Here's where it gives the problem

Code:

---

'// this function gets the ID3TAG and sends it to ID3splitTAG which will parse the tag
Function ID3getTAG(sFile As String)
    Dim astring As String * 128
    ff = FreeFile
    Open sFile For Binary As ff
        Get ff, LOF(ff) - 127, astring ' problem over here according to VB
    Close ff
    ID3TAG = astring
    Call ID3splitTAG(ID3TAG, id3title, ID3artist, ID3album, id3year, Id3comment, id3genre)
   
End Function

Public Sub FindMP3(ByVal sPath As String)
Dim sFile As String

sPath = sPath & IIf(Right(sPath, 1) = "\", vbNullString, "\")

sFile = Dir(sPath & "*.mp3")

Do Until sFile = vbNullString
    Call ID3getTAG(sFile)
    sFile = Dir
Loop
       
End Sub

---

If you want to include SubFolders in the Search, then try this code I've put together, it uses the API to make the Search Very fast:

In a Module:

Code:

---

'Simple MP3 ID TAG Type
Public Type MP3TYPE
    mp3Title As String
    mp3Artist As String
    mp3Album As String
    mp3Year As String
    mp3Comment As String
    mp3Genre As Long
    FilePath As String
End Type

'API Consts, Types and Functions
Private Const MAX_PATH = 260
Private Const FILE_ATTRIBUTE_DIRECTORY = &H10

Private Type FILETIME
        dwLowDateTime As Long
        dwHighDateTime As Long
End Type

Private Type WIN32_FIND_DATA
        dwFileAttributes As Long
        ftCreationTime As FILETIME
        ftLastAccessTime As FILETIME
        ftLastWriteTime As FILETIME
        nFileSizeHigh As Long
        nFileSizeLow As Long
        dwReserved0 As Long
        dwReserved1 As Long
        cFileName As String * MAX_PATH
        cAlternate As String * 14
End Type

Private Declare Function FindClose Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hFindFile As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function FindFirstFile Lib "kernel32" Alias "FindFirstFileA" (ByVal lpFileName As String, lpFindFileData As WIN32_FIND_DATA) As Long
Private Declare Function FindNextFile Lib "kernel32" Alias "FindNextFileA" (ByVal hFindFile As Long, lpFindFileData As WIN32_FIND_DATA) As Long
Private Declare Function GetFileAttributes Lib "kernel32" Alias "GetFileAttributesA" (ByVal lpFileName As String) As Long

Private aFileList As Variant
Private nFileCount As Long

Public Function FastFindFiles(ByVal sFolder As String, Optional ByVal sPattern As String = "*") As Variant
    'Initialize the Private File Array and Count, then call the Fast
    'File Recursive Function to populate the Array, then return it.
    nFileCount = 0
    aFileList = Array()
    Call RecurseFindFiles(sFolder, sPattern)
    FastFindFiles = aFileList
End Function

Private Sub RecurseFindFiles(ByVal sFolder As String, ByVal sPattern As String)
    Dim tFD As WIN32_FIND_DATA
    Dim lFile As Long
    Dim bFound As Long
    Dim aSubs() As String
    Dim nSubs As Long
    Dim sFilename As String
   
    'Make sure the passed folder includes an ending "\"
    If Right(sFolder, 1) <> "\" Then sFolder = sFolder & "\"
   
    'Find the First File in the Specified Location
    lFile = FindFirstFile(sFolder & "*", tFD)
    bFound = lFile
   
    'Loop while a File is found
    While bFound
        'Get the Filename
        sFilename = UCase(Left(tFD.cFileName, InStr(tFD.cFileName, Chr(0)) - 1))
        If (tFD.dwFileAttributes And FILE_ATTRIBUTE_DIRECTORY) Then
            'If it's a Folder, add it to the Sub Folders Array
            If Left(sFilename, 1) <> "." Then
                ReDim Preserve aSubs(nSubs)
                aSubs(nSubs) = sFilename
                nSubs = nSubs + 1
            End If
        Else
            'If it's a File, compare it to the Pattern for a Match
            If sFilename Like UCase(sPattern) Then
                'If it matches, add it to the File Array
                ReDim Preserve aFileList(nFileCount)
                aFileList(nFileCount) = sFolder & sFilename
                nFileCount = nFileCount + 1
            End If
        End If
        'Find the Next File, (if there is one).
        bFound = FindNextFile(lFile, tFD)
    Wend
    'Close the API Find Handle
    Call FindClose(lFile)
   
    'If there were Sub Folders found, Recurse them too..
    If nSubs Then
        For nSubs = 0 To UBound(aSubs)
            Call RecurseFindFiles(sFolder & aSubs(nSubs), sPattern)
        Next
    End If
End Sub

Public Function ID3getTAG(ByVal sFile As String) As MP3TYPE
    'Get ID Tag info from the End of an MP3 File
    Dim sBuff As String * 128
    Dim iFile As Integer
   
    iFile = FreeFile
    Open sFile For Binary As iFile
        Get #iFile, LOF(iFile) - 127, sBuff
    Close iFile
   
    'See if there is any TAG Info
    If Left(sBuff, 3) <> "TAG" Then Exit Function
   
    'If there is, seperate it out into our User Defined Type and Return it.
    With ID3getTAG
        .mp3Title = Mid(sBuff, 4, 30)
        .mp3Artist = Mid(sBuff, 34, 30)
        .mp3Year = Mid(sBuff, 94, 4)
        .mp3Comment = Mid(sBuff, 98, 30)
        .mp3Album = Mid(sBuff, 64, 30)
        .mp3Genre = Asc(Right(sBuff, 1))
        .FilePath = sFile
    End With
End Function

---

In a Form with a ListView and Command Button:

Code:

---

Private Sub Form_Load()
    'Create some Columns in the ListView
    With ListView1
        .View = lvwReport
        .ColumnHeaders.Add , , "Title"
        .ColumnHeaders.Add , , "Artist"
        .ColumnHeaders.Add , , "Album"
        .ColumnHeaders.Add , , "Genre"
        .ColumnHeaders.Add , , "Year"
        .ColumnHeaders.Add , , "Comment"
    End With
End Sub

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim nCount As Long
    Dim aList As Variant
    Dim aMP3s() As MP3TYPE
   
    'Get a list of all MP3's in the specified Folder, (and SubFolders).
    aList = FastFindFiles("E:\MP3", "*.mp3")
   
    ReDim aMP3s(UBound(aList))
   
    'Get the ID Tags and Add the Details to the ListView
    ListView1.ListItems.Clear
    For nCount = 0 To UBound(aList)
        aMP3s(nCount) = ID3getTAG(aList(nCount))
        With ListView1.ListItems.Add(, , aMP3s(nCount).mp3Title)
            .SubItems(1) = aMP3s(nCount).mp3Artist
            .SubItems(2) = aMP3s(nCount).mp3Album
            .SubItems(3) = aMP3s(nCount).mp3Genre
            .SubItems(4) = aMP3s(nCount).mp3Year
            .SubItems(5) = aMP3s(nCount).mp3Comment
        End With
    Next
End Sub

---

Aaron Young: THANK YOU SOO MUCH! Now I know why your called the 'Guru'!!!

You basically did the whole project for me!! I actually wanted to do a little on my own! Well I'll add the database part on my own...hopefully.

VB should make a function that searches for files thru directories! Make life so much more easier!

Thanks again Aaron Young..I'll try the code tomorrow when I get a chance on the computer!

this is probably a dumb question but how would I add the ListView control on the form?

Is it the same as the ListBox control?

Select Components from the Project Menu and a list of all available components is shown, select Microsoft Windows Common Controls, check it, then press OK and the ListView control will be added to your Toolbar.

Mr. Aaron Young: Thanks for your code. It works, but only for a few songs...it didn't work when I selected my whole MP3 dir. That dir only has around 200 songs and a few subdirs. It worked however with a dir that only have around 7 songs.

I think it may be that the array can't take any more information?

The error was "Out of Stack Space"

Not sure why that's happening, it works on my machine searching a Folder which has a dozen or so sub folders and a total of 292 MP3's, it also works if I tell it to seach from the root of the Drive.

Damn....

well thanks for your help...how can I tell in VB what part of the code it's going thru when I run it?

Either Step through the Whole program using "F8" or set a Breakpoint in the Program and then when it Breaks at that point continue stepping through the Program using the "F8" key.