[resolved]search for exe's

[cdubb07]

how can i search for all exe's on the c: and return it to a listbox?

[gigemboy]

Just went over a day or two this with another person in a thread.. here's a quick and dirty recursive sub i wrote that searches the folder and all subfolders for the extension you pass to it.. (well, last three letters of the filename)

'to call the sub
RecursiveList("c:\", "exe")
 
'the sub code..
Private Sub RecursiveList(ByVal strSearch As String, ByVal strFind As String)
        Try
            Dim MyDirectory As System.IO.Directory 'directory declaration
            Dim MyDirs() As String 'string array holding directory names
            MyDirs = MyDirectory.GetDirectories(strSearch) 'gets current directories
            Dim str As String
            For Each str In MyDirs 'loops for every string in MyDirs
                Dim strFiles() As String 'string array for Files in Directory
                strFiles = MyDirectory.GetFiles(strSearch) 'gets files in directory
                Dim strReturn As String
                For Each strReturn In strFiles 'loops for every file in the array
                    Dim strCompare As String
                    strCompare = Strings.Right(strReturn, 3)
                    If strCompare = "exe" Then
                        ListBox1.Items.Add(strCompare)
                        Me.Refresh()
                    End If
                Next
                'This calls the Function inside of itself, for every directory in the initial directory, hence "Recursion"
                RecursiveList(str, strFind)
            Next
 
        Catch
        End Try
Exit Sub

Problem is, not sure of a good way to display when the search is done... because the sub is called inside of itself all the time...

[kleinma]

pass the listbox in and add them as you find them right in the routine

[cdubb07]

it works but i had to replace strcompare with strreturn to get the file name but now i get the full address of the file, is there anyway to just get the name?

[jmcilhinney]

Don't you need the full path if you're searching the entire drive? How does just a file name help you if you have no idea where it resides? If you do want to remove the path then use System.IO.Path.GetFileName. Also, I'd suggest putting all the file names in an array and then adding the array to the ListBox in a batch. Here's how I would do it:

Private Sub AddAllExesToListBox()
        Dim files As String() = Me.GetFilesRecursively("C:", "*.exe")
 
        'The following block removes the path and just leaves the file name.
        'You can call GetFileNameWithoutExtension() instead if you want to remove the ".exe" as well.
        For i As Integer = 0 To files.GetUpperBound(0) Step 1
            files(i) = IO.Path.GetFileName(files(i))
        Next i
 
        Me.ListBox1.Items.AddRange(files)
    End Sub
 
    Private Function GetFilesRecursively(ByVal folder As String, ByVal filter As String) As String()
        Dim filePaths As New Specialized.StringCollection
 
        'Add the files in the root folder.
        filePaths.AddRange(IO.Directory.GetFiles(folder, filter))
 
        'Add the files in each subfolder.
        For Each subfolder As String In IO.Directory.GetDirectories(folder)
            filePaths.AddRange(Me.GetFilesRecursively(subfolder, filter))
        Next
 
        'Create an array with the same number of elements as items in the collection.
        Dim files(filePaths.Count - 1) As String
 
        'Copy the collection to the array.
        filePaths.CopyTo(files, 0)
 
        Return files
    End Function

[cdubb07]

i'm sorry for my ignorance but where do i put that code in, after the button click or what?

[gigemboy]

Here's some code that only adds the filename, replace in the "If strCompare = "exe" codeblock of what I posted before...

If strCompare = "exe" Then
                        Dim I As Integer = 1
                        Do
                            strCompare = Strings.Right(strReturn, I + 3)
                            If Strings.Left(strCompare, 1) = "\" Then
                                ListBox1.Items.Add(Strings.Right(strReturn, I + 2))
                                Me.Refresh()
                                Exit Do
                            Else
                                I = I + 1
                            End If
                        Loop
                    End If

[cdubb07]

i did something wrong, can you look and see what i did wrong please, thank you,

Public Class Form3
    Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form
 
#Region " Windows Form Designer generated code "
 
    Public Sub New()
        MyBase.New()
 
        'This call is required by the Windows Form Designer.
        InitializeComponent()
 
        'Add any initialization after the InitializeComponent() call
 
    End Sub
 
    'Form overrides dispose to clean up the component list.
    Protected Overloads Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean)
        If disposing Then
            If Not (components Is Nothing) Then
                components.Dispose()
            End If
        End If
        MyBase.Dispose(disposing)
    End Sub
 
    'Required by the Windows Form Designer
    Private components As System.ComponentModel.IContainer
 
    'NOTE: The following procedure is required by the Windows Form Designer
    'It can be modified using the Windows Form Designer.  
    'Do not modify it using the code editor.
    Friend WithEvents ListBox1 As System.Windows.Forms.ListBox
    Friend WithEvents Button1 As System.Windows.Forms.Button
    <System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThrough()> Private Sub InitializeComponent()
        Me.ListBox1 = New System.Windows.Forms.ListBox
        Me.Button1 = New System.Windows.Forms.Button
        Me.SuspendLayout()
        '
        'ListBox1
        '
        Me.ListBox1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(8, 88)
        Me.ListBox1.Name = "ListBox1"
        Me.ListBox1.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(456, 329)
        Me.ListBox1.TabIndex = 0
        '
        'Button1
        '
        Me.Button1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(16, 40)
        Me.Button1.Name = "Button1"
        Me.Button1.TabIndex = 1
        Me.Button1.Text = "&Go"
        '
        'Form3
        '
        Me.AutoScaleBaseSize = New System.Drawing.Size(5, 13)
        Me.ClientSize = New System.Drawing.Size(472, 485)
        Me.Controls.Add(Me.Button1)
        Me.Controls.Add(Me.ListBox1)
        Me.Name = "Form3"
        Me.Text = "Form3"
        Me.ResumeLayout(False)
 
    End Sub
 
#End Region
 
 
    Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        'to call the sub
        RecursiveList("c:\", "exe")
 
        'the sub code..
Private Sub RecursiveList(ByVal strSearch As String, ByVal strFind As String)
        Try
            Dim MyDirectory As System.IO.Directory 'directory declaration
            Dim MyDirs() As String 'string array holding directory names
            MyDirs = MyDirectory.GetDirectories(strSearch) 'gets current directories
            Dim str As String
            For Each str In MyDirs 'loops for every string in MyDirs
                Dim strFiles() As String 'string array for Files in Directory
                strFiles = MyDirectory.GetFiles(strSearch) 'gets files in directory
                Dim strReturn As String
                For Each strReturn In strFiles 'loops for every file in the array
                    Dim strCompare As String
                    strCompare = Strings.Right(strReturn, 3)
                    If strCompare = "exe" Then
                        ListBox1.Items.Add(strCompare)
                        Me.Refresh()
                    End If
                Next
                'This calls the Function inside of itself, for every directory in the initial directory, hence "Recursion"
                RecursiveList(str, strFind)
            Next
 
        Catch
        End Try
        Exit Sub
 
 
    End Sub
End Class

[jmcilhinney]

gigemboy, I don't quite understand why you continue to recommend to get all the files in a folder and then check the extension when there is another overload, which I've posted myself, that allows you to return only those files that match a filter in the first place. Also, when manipulating file and folder paths I'd strongly recommend using the members of the System.IO.Path class. The names of the members alone, e.g. GetFileName, GetExtension, GetFileNameWithoutExtension, etc., makes your code much clearer than using string manipulation functions, which don't really describe the purpose of what you're doing. Finally, it's not a good idea to add the items to the ListBox and call Me.Refresh each time because all the updating of the UI will slow down the process considerably. Unless there's a particular reason to want to see each item as it's added, it's much more efficient, and recommended in the help documentation, to add the items to an array and then call AddRange.

[cdubb07]

nevermind, i figured it out, thanks for the help guys

[gigemboy]

Well the code was just modified from a seperate thread, originally passing in a string array with filenames to search for. I understand that it would be more efficient using a filter, I just did a quick rewrite to suit his needs, I realized it wasnt the best way, thats why i labeled it "quick and dirty" hehe. Just figured to give him something to work with (something is better than nothing..). As for the listbox, the refresh was was added previously for someone else to visually see the events as it happened, because I didnt know of a way to post a message back to the user when the recursion was finished... (do you??) Same for the string manipulation.. something written quick to give him something to work with (and being that i have a lil quirk for string manipulations for some reason ). You post some good observations, and great advice, as always, I like the criticism, helps me learn

[gigemboy]

nevermind, i figured it out, thanks for the help guys

It was the strcompare, huh, wrong variable .. hehe i did that by hand without testing it, the later code that posts the string manipulation fixes it...