[twinBASIC] Dump all file properties/metadata visible to Explorer to text file

https://www.vbforums.com/images/ieimages/2022/10/1.jpg
PropDumper v1.0

This program will create a dump of all properties and metadata visible to Explorer which aren't blank for the given file.

You can create these output files with the specified extension, in the same folder where the file resides or a central folder. If the output already exists, there's an option to rename to the next available name the same way Windows does, File (1).txt, File (2).txt, whatever number is available.

Properties include hidden Unicode codepoints indicating whether it's left to right or right to left; I usually view text in Notepad with Western script instead of Unicode, so I find it useful to remove these. So that option is there.

This will not go into zip/cab files, even though Windows considers them folders now.

This is all done by using the Windows Property System (IPropertyStore et al), which is the system that underlies how all the properties are displayed in Explorer-- so you're able to list exactly what Explorer is, without having to worry about having to derive things like image width/height yourself. If Explorer can see it, it will be in the dump. Note: Some properties like Office are derived through 64bit shell extensions that won't load into 32bit apps; so if you want to make sure it's an identical representation, use the 64bit build for 64bit Windows.

I made this project primarily to test things in my tbShellLib library, a collection of Windows shell interfaces and other COM components that's a 64bit compatible successor my oleexp.tlb project for VB6. Note that this is why the source code file is so large; it imports the entire library. Which is quite expansive.

(Note that since this project uses new language features in tB, it would take some work to backport it to VB6).


Requirements
Windows 7+

Source and binaries are self-contained, no installation or additional dependencies.

Building from source requires twinBASIC Beta 147 or newer.


Dumping properties

Windows shell interfaces and Property System make dumping properties very easy:

Code:

---

Private Sub DumpFileProperties(siFile As IShellItem, sName As String)
    Dim sOut As String
    Dim lpPath As LongPtr, sPath As String
    siFile.GetDisplayName SIGDN_FILESYSPATH, lpPath
    sPath = LPWSTRtoStr(lpPath)

   
    sOut = "Filename: " & sName & vbCrLf
    sOut &= "File full path: " & sPath & vbCrLf

    Dim si2 As IShellItem2
    Dim pps As IPropertyStore
    Dim ppd As IPropertyDescription
    Dim lpFmt As LongPtr, sPropFmt As String
    Dim sFileOut As String
   
    If bCurDir Then
        sFileOut = sPath & sExt
    Else
        sFileOut = sPathOut & sExt
    End If
    If PathFileExistsW(sFileOut) Then
        If chkRename.Value = vbChecked Then
            sFileOut = UniqueNameInSeq(sFileOut)
        Else
            AppendLog "Skipping " & sName & "; output file exists."
            Exit Sub
        End If
    End If
   
    Set si2 = siFile
    si2.GetPropertyStore GPS_DEFAULT Or GPS_BESTEFFORT Or GPS_OPENSLOWITEM, IID_IPropertyStore, pps
    If (pps Is Nothing) = False Then
        Dim nMax As Long
        pps.GetCount nMax
        If nMax Then
                AppendLog "Dumping " & nMax & " properties for " & sName & "..."
               
            Dim i As Long
            Dim pk As PROPERTYKEY
            Dim lpProp As LongPtr, sProp As String
            Dim lpPropC As LongPtr, sPropC As String
            Dim lpPropN As LongPtr, sPropN As String
            For i = 0 To nMax - 1
                pps.GetAt i, pk
                If pk.fmtid.Data1 <> 0 Then
                    PSGetPropertyDescription pk, IID_IPropertyDescription, ppd
                    If (ppd Is Nothing) = False Then
                        ppd.GetDisplayName lpPropN
                        sPropN = LPWSTRtoStr(lpPropN)
                        ppd.GetCanonicalName lpPropC
                        sPropC = LPWSTRtoStr(lpPropC)
                        PSFormatPropertyValue ObjPtr(pps), ObjPtr(ppd), PDFF_DEFAULT, lpProp
                        sProp = LPWSTRtoStr(lpProp)
                        If bRemoveFmt Then RemoveFormatChars(sProp)
                        If sProp <> "" Then sOut &= sPropN & " (" & sPropC & ")=" & sProp & vbCrLf
                    Else
                        Debug.Print "Couldn't get propdesc for " & dbg_PKEYToString(pk)
                    End If
                End If
            Next i
        Else
            sOut &= "No properties listed for file."
        End If
    Else
        AppendLog "Couldn't open property store for " & sPath
        sOut &= "Couldn't open property store for this file."
    End If
   

    WriteStrToFile sOut, sFileOut
    nCount = nCount + 1
End Sub

---

This project is also on GitHub.

Do you fancy making a VB6 version so that the greater world at large can see the differencies between a VB6 and a TB implementation of the same program? It would be useful as a reference and a guide and it would serve as a demonstration of how much 'better' a TB implementation is and why. Could act as inspiration and a guide for others to do the same.

I've already done a few of those...

https://www.vbforums.com/showthread....tivity-Monitor

https://www.vbforums.com/showthread....x64-interfaces

https://www.vbforums.com/showthread....64-bit-Windows (which can be built for either 32bit or 64bit has a VB6 implementation for 32bit)

I mainly wanted to test my tbShellLib interfaces; there's no direct VB6 equivalent for that, only TLBs. So this was built from the ground up to use new tB language features, rather than simply run a VB6 version.

To run this one in VB6 you'd need to change the LongPtr's back to Long, remove the PtrSafe keyword from API declares, change the DeclareWide APIs to regular Declare/switch As String to As Long/use StrPtr, reference oleexp.tlb/add mIID.bas, remove the 'Handles...' from control events, and replace the &= operator usage (stringvar &= "more text" vs stringvar = stringvar & "more text").
Also Dim pKFM As IKnownFolderManager = CreateObject(sCLSID_KnownFolderManager) would be Dim pKFM As New KnownFolderManager, one thing better in the VB version, since unfortunately tB doesn't support coclasses yet (unless in TLBs). Same for IFileOpenDialog.
Finally you'd need a tool like LaVolpe's Manifest Creator to put in the comctl6 visual styles manifest that tB inserts by default.

I'll attach a version that's done all that. Since VB doesn't have a single-source structure, this doesn't include oleexp.tlb or mIID.bas, you'll need to set those up if you don't have them already, and add them (oleexp project thread).

VERY good. Thanks.

The VB6 version you could I believe import into twinBASIC and run as-is with no modifications. 32bit only, of course.