Running a repeated process in a folder

[Trancedified]

Hello,

I have a VB app that does this process in order:
1) Open a folder and for each file, delete the last 3 lines
2) Use the commondialog control to open a file in the same folder
3) Extract pertinent information from that file (the location of each extracted string is in the same place every time)
4) API usage: import the file into a specialized database

How would you automate this process so that in step 1 & 2, I won't have to choose a folder and file manually, it'll extract all the info I need for every file in the folder? The way I was thinking this app would run is if it monitors a folder periodically and if it notices that more files got added into it,
run the above process.

Also, how would you make this app like a service or something that starts up when Windows does?

Here's my code:

Option Explicit
 
'** For step 4 **
'Step 4 API usage
Public LFAPI As LFAPI32COMLib.LFAPI32
 
'** For step 1 **
'Opens a treeview custom control to browse to a folder to convert .wma's
Private sBuffer As String
 
Private Const BIF_RETURNONLYFSDIRS = 1
Private Const BIF_DONTGOBELOWDOMAIN = 2
Private Const MAX_PATH = 260
 
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
 
Private Declare Function lstrcat Lib "kernel32" Alias "lstrcatA" _
                                  (ByVal lpString1 As String, ByVal _
                                  lpString2 As String) As Long
 
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
 
'End custom control
 
'** For step 1 **
'Deletes the last 3 lines of backuped .wma files so it can be read into VB
Private Sub deleteLine(line As Integer, fileStr As String)
 
    Dim sLine As String
    Dim sFile As String
    Dim ff As Integer
    ff = FreeFile
 
    Open fileStr For Input As #ff
   
    Dim lineNum As Integer
    lineNum = 0
   
    While Not EOF(ff)
       'in case you want to delete by line number
       lineNum = lineNum + 1
       Line Input #ff, sLine
       
       'just an example you could also see if strLine = the line you want to delete
       If lineNum <> line Then
           sFile = sFile & sLine & vbCrLf
       End If
       
    Wend
   
    Close (ff)
    ff = FreeFile
    Open fileStr For Output As #ff
    Print #ff, sFile
    Close (ff)
 
End Sub
 
'** For step 1 **
'Opens a Treeview control that displays the folders in a computer
Private Sub cmdConvertFolder_Click()
 
    Dim lpIDList As Long
    Dim szTitle As String
    Dim response As Integer
    Dim tBrowseInfo As BrowseInfo
 
    szTitle = "This is the title"
    With tBrowseInfo
       .hWndOwner = Me.hWnd
       .lpszTitle = lstrcat(szTitle, "")
       .ulFlags = BIF_RETURNONLYFSDIRS + BIF_DONTGOBELOWDOMAIN
    End With
 
    'lpIDList = SHBrowseForFolder(tBrowseInfo) 'original place
 
    If (lpIDList) Then
       sBuffer = Space(MAX_PATH)
       SHGetPathFromIDList lpIDList, sBuffer
       sBuffer = Left(sBuffer, InStr(sBuffer, vbNullChar) - 1)
       'MsgBox sBuffer
    End If
   
    response = MsgBox("Did you backup your .wma files? All .wma files in this folder will be converted!", vbExclamation + vbYesNoCancel, "ECS Importer")
    If response = vbYes Then
        lpIDList = SHBrowseForFolder(tBrowseInfo) 'moved to go w/ the vbYes response
        OpenPath sBuffer, ".wma"
    Else
        'do nothing
    End If
End Sub
 
'Part of the above sub
Private Sub OpenPath(strPath As String, Optional extension As String)
   'Leave Extension blank for all files
   Dim File As String
 
   If Right$(strPath, 1) <> "\" Then strPath = strPath & "\"
 
   If Trim$(extension) = "" Then
       extension = "*.*"
   ElseIf Left$(extension, 2) <> "*." Then
       extension = "*." & extension
   End If
 
   File = Dir$(strPath & extension)
   Do While Len(File)
       deleteLine 3, File
       File = Dir$
   Loop
End Sub
 
'** Step 2 & 3 **
'Opens commond dialog box to find which file you want to extract
Private Sub cmdRead_Click()
   
    On Error Resume Next
    Dim strFileLine As String
    Dim strOfficer As String
    Dim strDate As String
    Dim strYear As String
    Dim strMonth As String
    Dim strDay As String
    Dim strStartTime
    Dim strEndTime
    Dim strStartHour As String
    Dim strStartMin As String
    Dim strStartSec As String
    Dim strEndHour As String
    Dim strEndMin As String
    Dim strEndSec As String
   
    With CommonDialog1
        'raise an error if cancel was hit
        .Filter = ".wma files (*.wma)|*.wma|" & "All files (*.*)|*.*"
        .Flags = cdlOFNHideReadOnly
        .CancelError = True
        .ShowOpen
       
        ' 32755 is the cancel error raised
        If Err.Number = 32755 Then
            Exit Sub
        Else
            Open CommonDialog1.FileName For Input As #1
            Line Input #1, strFileLine 'All the information in the .wma file ready to extract
            Close #1
        End If
    End With
   
    txtDoc.Text = CommonDialog1.FileTitle
   
    txtOfficer.Text = Mid(strFileLine, 56, 4)
    strDate = Mid(strFileLine, 79, 6)
   
    strMonth = Mid(strDate, 3, 2)
    strDay = Mid(strDate, 5, 2)
    strYear = Mid(strDate, 1, 2)
   
    txtDate.Text = strMonth & "/" & strDay & "/" & strYear
   
    strStartHour = Mid(strFileLine, 85, 2)
    strStartMin = Mid(strFileLine, 87, 2)
    strStartSec = Mid(strFileLine, 89, 2)
   
    strEndHour = Mid(strFileLine, 97, 2)
    strEndMin = Mid(strFileLine, 99, 2)
    strEndSec = Mid(strFileLine, 101, 2)
 
    txtStartTime.Text = strStartHour & ":" & strStartMin & ":" & strStartSec
    txtEndTime.Text = strEndHour & ":" & strEndMin & ":" & strEndSec
 
End Sub
 
'** Step 4 **
'Inserts the info into LF
Private Sub cmdInsert_Click()
    Set LFAPI = New LFAPI32COMLib.LFAPI32
   
    Dim strCreateDoc As String
    Dim strImport As String
   
    LFAPI.LoginEx "ECS Demo 6", "admin", "admin"
    LFAPI.CreateFolder "WMA", "ECS Demo 6"
   
    strImport = LFAPI.ImportElectronicFile _
    (CommonDialog1.FileName, "ECS Demo 6\WMA", txtDoc.Text, , , "WMA")
   
    LFAPI.SetFieldValue "ECS Demo 6\WMA\" & txtDoc.Text, "Officer", txtOfficer.Text
    LFAPI.SetFieldValue "ECS Demo 6\WMA\" & txtDoc.Text, "Date", txtDate.Text
    LFAPI.SetFieldValue "ECS Demo 6\WMA\" & txtDoc.Text, "Start Time", txtStartTime.Text
    LFAPI.SetFieldValue "ECS Demo 6\WMA\" & txtDoc.Text, "End Time", txtEndTime.Text
       
    LFAPI.Logout
   
    MsgBox "Document successfully created in LaserFiche.", vbInformation, "ECS Importer"
End Sub

Thanks!

Chris

[RobDog888]

Here is a link that contains two links for creating a service and
controlling the service. Be warned, it will take some work.

Create and control a service using vb.