Shelling multiple files (resolved!)

I'm not sure if this is my first post or not... I've been digging through 1000's of post's and answered all of my questions so far. I think i'm just too tired to answer this one!!!

I want to be able to shell multiple files. I can open a dialog.showopen box and select multiple files. (When they are selected in the bottom box they all have "" around them).

I want to be able to shell them file by file, all in different instances. My program works for one file just fine, but in the name of lazyness i'd like to do multiple files.

An example would be that i selected multiple .txt files and i just want to open each of them. Here's what i've got so far... I think i could cut some of it out, but i'm very new and i've hacked most of this up as best i can.

VB Code:

Private Sub browseMP2File_Click()
    WorkDir = GetSetting(App.EXEName, "FilePaths", "WorkDir", "")
    With MP2Dialog
      .FileName = ""
      .DefaultExt = ".mp2"
      .DialogTitle = "Select File(s)..."
      .Filter = "MP2 Audio Files (*.mp2)|*.mp2|MP2 and MP3 Files (.mp2 & .mp3)|*.mp*|All Files (*.*)|*.*"
      .InitDir = WorkDir
      .CancelError = True
      On Error Resume Next
    End With
    
    With MP2Dialog
      .Flags = cdlOFNAllowMultiselect Or cdlOFNExplorer Or cdlOFNNoChangeDir Or cdlOFNNoDereferenceLinks Or cdlOFNFileMustExist
      .ShowOpen
    
    MP2File = MP2Dialog.FileName
    MP2Text.Text = MP2File
 
If Err > 0 Then  'Cancel was selected
     If Err = cdlCancel Then
       Exit Sub
     End If
    'some other error occured, deal with it here!
   End If
 End With
End Sub

Also, i want to set the WorkDir variable to a folder by browsing for the folder. I know how to browse for a file, but not a folder. Any Suggestions? Thanks!

Here's a class I stole from another thief to deal with your folder question.

VB Code:

Option Explicit
 
Private Type BrowseInfo
    hWndOwner As Long
    pIDLRoot As Long
    pszDisplayName As Long
    lpszTitle As Long
    ulFlags As Long
    lpfnCallback As Long
    lParam As Long
    iImage As Long
End Type
 
Private Const BIF_RETURNONLYFSDIRS = 1
Private Const MAX_PATH = 260
 
Private Declare Sub CoTaskMemFree Lib "ole32.dll" (ByVal hMem As Long)
Private Declare Function lstrcat Lib "kernel32" Alias "lstrcatA" (ByVal lpString1 As String, ByVal lpString2 As String) As Long
Private Declare Function SHBrowseForFolder Lib "shell32" (lpbi As BrowseInfo) As Long
Private Declare Function SHGetPathFromIDList Lib "shell32" (ByVal pidList As Long, ByVal lpBuffer As String) As Long
 
Public Function BrowseForFolder(OwnerForm As Form) As String
 
    Dim iNull As Integer, lpIDList As Long
    Dim sPath As String, udtBI As BrowseInfo
 
    With udtBI
        'Set the owner window
        .hWndOwner = OwnerForm.hwnd
        'lstrcat appends the two strings and returns the memory address
        .lpszTitle = lstrcat("Select Search Path", "")
        'Return only if the user selected a directory
        .ulFlags = BIF_RETURNONLYFSDIRS
    End With
 
    'Show the 'Browse for folder' dialog
    lpIDList = SHBrowseForFolder(udtBI)
    If lpIDList Then
        sPath = String$(MAX_PATH, 0)
        'Get the path from the IDList
        SHGetPathFromIDList lpIDList, sPath
        'free the block of memory
        CoTaskMemFree lpIDList
        iNull = InStr(sPath, vbNullChar)
        If iNull Then
            sPath = Left$(sPath, iNull - 1)
        End If
    End If
 
    BrowseForFolder = sPath
    
End Function

To use use it I use the following code

VB Code:

Private Sub cmdBrowsePath_Click()
    Dim RootPath As String
    Dim FolderBrowser As New clsFolderBrowser
 
    RootPath = FolderBrowser.BrowseForFolder(Me)
 
    Dim UserInput
    UserInput = InputBox("Do you want to create a new folder here?" & vbCrLf & "If so, type the folder name and click OK." & vbCrLf & "If not, then click Cancel and the current folder will be used.", "Create Folder")
    If UserInput = "" Then
        txtDefaultPath = RootPath
    Else
        MkDir RootPath & "\" & UserInput
        txtDefaultPath = RootPath & "\" & UserInput
    End If
    Set FolderBrowser = Nothing
End Sub

Thats great about the folder stuff... I need to study up some more. I have no idea what most of that says!!! But i can make anything work.

I'm still looking for some info about the multiple file thing. I have an idea about how to do it, but it is sort of a lot of work.

I'm not sure how I would pass all of the file names in "file1" "file2" "file3" to something, maybe a list, and then sort them out from there. I think that i should use an array after that(i don't know how to use them, but i've got the idea of what they do) to break it down, remove the "" and send them one by one to the shell. And I guess a DoEvents would work between each one. Thats what I'm thinking so far, but if anyone has a better way be sure to let me know!

Thanks.

I've made lots of progress... just not with this. I learned how to use the ShellandWait function that i found on here. So... Still working on my app, trying to get everything to work, but as far as this problem, it still remains a mystery!

selecting multiple files sample

VB Code:

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim sArr() As String
    Dim i As Integer
    CommonDialog1.Flags = cdlOFNAllowMultiselect + cdlOFNExplorer
    CommonDialog1.ShowOpen
    sArr = Split(CommonDialog1.FileName, Chr(0))
    For i = 0 To UBound(sArr())
        Debug.Print sArr(i)
    Next i
End Sub

hope that will get you going :)

the browse for folder routine can be modified to use the new style of browser. (the one wtith the make new folder button)

VB Code:

'- Company: PvP
'----------------------------------------
'- Notes:   Browse for a folder
'       
'----------------------------------------
Option Explicit
 
Public Type BrowseInfo
     hwndOwner As Long
     pIDLRoot As Long
     pszDisplayName As Long
     lpszTitle As Long
     ulFlags As Long
     lpfnCallback As Long
     lParam As Long
     iImage As Long
End Type
 
Public Const BIF_RETURNONLYFSDIRS = 1
Public Const BIF_NEWDIALOGSTYLE = &H40
 
Public Const MAX_PATH = 260
Public Declare Sub CoTaskMemFree Lib "ole32.dll" (ByVal hMem As Long)
Public Declare Function lstrcat Lib "kernel32" Alias "lstrcatA" (ByVal lpString1 As String, ByVal lpString2 As String) As Long
Public Declare Function SHBrowseForFolder Lib "shell32" (lpbi As BrowseInfo) As Long
Public Declare Function SHGetPathFromIDList Lib "shell32" (ByVal pidList As Long, ByVal lpBuffer As String) As Long
 
Public Function BrowseForFolder(hwndOwner As Long, sPrompt As String) As String
     
    'declare variables to be used
     Dim iNull As Integer
     Dim lpIDList As Long
     Dim lResult As Long
     Dim sPath As String
     Dim udtBI As BrowseInfo
 
    'initialise variables
     With udtBI
        .hwndOwner = hwndOwner
        .lpszTitle = lstrcat(sPrompt, "")
        .ulFlags = BIF_RETURNONLYFSDIRS + BIF_NEWDIALOGSTYLE
     End With
 
    'Call the browse for folder API
     lpIDList = SHBrowseForFolder(udtBI)
     
    'get the resulting string path
     If lpIDList Then
        sPath = String$(MAX_PATH, 0)
        lResult = SHGetPathFromIDList(lpIDList, sPath)
        Call CoTaskMemFree(lpIDList)
        iNull = InStr(sPath, vbNullChar)
        If iNull Then sPath = Left$(sPath, iNull - 1)
     End If
 
    'If cancel was pressed, sPath = ""
     BrowseForFolder = sPath
 
End Function
 
 
'usage : 
Private Sub Form_Click()
    MsgBox BrowseForFolder(Me.hWnd, "select folder")
End Sub

Peet, that's awesome. Just what i was looking for in both cases. At first when i looked at it it was a bit much for me, but then i just thew it in a form and dug through it. Vielen Dank! I'll go ahead and call this one resolved!