[RESOLVED] Need help with a checked list box

[tassa]

Hi, i'm kinda of a newbie in programming and i'm trying to make a program that searches for a specific file in a specific file, so when the program loads it "writes" in checked list box the names of the drives installed to the computer, but what i want to do is: when the user checks the box, i want it to search for the file in that drive, but i don't know how to do it...

I'm using:

Imports System.IO
Imports System.Collections.ObjectModel
Public Class Form1

    Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load
        srDrives.Enabled = False
        Dim allDrives() As DriveInfo = DriveInfo.GetDrives()
        srDrives.Items.AddRange(allDrives)
    End Sub

It determines the names of the installed drives...

    Private Sub srCheck_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles srCheck.CheckedChanged
        If srCheck.CheckState = CheckState.Checked Then
            srList.Items.AddRange(Directory.GetFiles("C:\", srCombo.Text, SearchOption.AllDirectories))
        End If

And this one searches for the file in C:\

Any ideas on how to make it search in the other drives using the checked listbox?

THANKS

[jmcilhinney]

I can't see why you would want to use a CheckedListBox for this and it doesn't look like you are, or at least it looks like you're not using the functionality of the check boxes. It looks like you're using a completely separate CheckBox control.

Also, do you really want to add every single file on a drive into your list? It could be hundreds or even thousands of files. Apart from the time it would take to create such a list, what use could it be to the user being so long?

Please provide a FULL and CLEAR description of WHAT you're trying to achieve and WHY and we can provide the most informed advice possible.

[tassa]

What i want to do, is simple a program that searches for a file and then, if the user wants to, run the selected/found file, how can i do that?

[jmcilhinney]

Gee, I'm glad I emphasised the words FULL and CLEAR because we may have got just a couple of words otherwise. You say you want to search for a file but what does "search" mean? It could mean different things in different situations.

You said in your original post that you want to list every file there was on a drive? Do you still want to do that? If not then what files do you want to list? Just the files in a specific folder but not in the subfolders? Just files of a particular type? Some other filter? How will the user let your app know what files to list? Etc., etc.

[tassa]

Lol, thanks for the sarcasm, jk.
What i want to do is a search program, similar to windows search file program in windows xp.

It would have a textbox for you to write the name of what you are looking for, you select the drive you want the program to search in and result would be displayed in a listbox.

[jmcilhinney]

OK, so then, you might want a CheckedListBox to show the drives available and the user could check the ones they want searched. You'd also provide a TextBox where the user could enter a name filter. You'd then provide a Button that they would click to initiate the search. Finally, you'd need a ListBox or, more likely, a ListView to display the results. Does that sound like the sort of thing you'd want?

If you're going to search an entire drive then you can't use Directory.GetFiles the way you did in your first post. On the C: drive at least, and maybe on others, the search will encounter at least one folder that it cannot access and an exception will be thrown. You'll have to create your own recursive search function so that you can handle exceptions on inaccessible folders and continue.

You should start by reading this.

[tassa]

Yes, i started reading that, but i didn't quite understand it... I have everything you listed above, all i'm missing is the recursive search function, i just don't know how to combine that with selecting the drive and the recursive search... can you give me a hint? pleasee

[jmcilhinney]

Try this:

1. Create a new WinForms app.
2. Add a ListBox, two Buttons and a ListView.
3. Set the View of the ListView to Details and add two columns.
4. Add a BackgroundWorker.
5. Set the WorkerReportsProgress and WorkerSupportsCancellation properties to True.
6. Add the following code:

Imports System.IO
Imports System.ComponentModel

Public Class Form1

    Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As Object, _
                           ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        'Display a list of available drives in the ListBox.
        Me.ListBox1.DataSource = DriveInfo.GetDrives()
    End Sub

    Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As Object, _
                              ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        'Get the selected drive path.
        Dim drive As String = Me.ListBox1.Text

        'Start searching the drive for files asynchronously.
        Me.BackgroundWorker1.RunWorkerAsync(drive)
    End Sub

    Private Sub Button2_Click(ByVal sender As Object, _
                              ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles Button2.Click
        'Cancel the asynchronous search.
        Me.BackgroundWorker1.CancelAsync()
    End Sub

    Private Sub BackgroundWorker1_DoWork(ByVal sender As Object, _
                                         ByVal e As DoWorkEventArgs) Handles BackgroundWorker1.DoWork
        Dim drive As String = CStr(e.Argument)
        Dim worker As BackgroundWorker = DirectCast(sender, BackgroundWorker)

        'Initiate the recursive file search.
        'If GetFiles returns False it means the search was cancelled.
        e.Cancel = Not Me.GetFiles(drive, worker)
    End Sub

    Private Sub BackgroundWorker1_ProgressChanged(ByVal sender As Object, _
                                                  ByVal e As ProgressChangedEventArgs) Handles BackgroundWorker1.ProgressChanged
        'Get the items passed from the secondary thread.
        Dim items As ListViewItem() = DirectCast(e.UserState, ListViewItem())

        'Add the items to the list.
        Me.ListView1.Items.AddRange(items)
    End Sub

    Private Sub BackgroundWorker1_RunWorkerCompleted(ByVal sender As Object, _
                                                     ByVal e As RunWorkerCompletedEventArgs) Handles BackgroundWorker1.RunWorkerCompleted
        If e.Cancelled Then
            'The search was cancelled before completing.
            MessageBox.Show("Operation cancelled")
        Else
            'The search completed normally.
            MessageBox.Show("Operation complete")
        End If
    End Sub

    Private Function GetFiles(ByVal folder As String, ByVal worker As BackgroundWorker) As Boolean
        Dim cancelled As Boolean = False

        If worker.CancellationPending Then
            'The user has requested that the search be cancelled.
            cancelled = True
        Else
            Try
                'Get the files in the current folder.
                Dim files As String() = Directory.GetFiles(folder)
                Dim upperBound As Integer = files.GetUpperBound(0)
                Dim items(upperBound) As ListViewItem
                Dim file As String

                'Create a ListViewItem for each file.
                For index As Integer = 0 To upperBound
                    file = files(index)
                    items(index) = New ListViewItem(New String() {Path.GetFileName(file), _
                                                                  Path.GetDirectoryName(file)})
                Next

                'Pass the items to the UI thread to be displayed.
                worker.ReportProgress(0, items)

                'Search each subfolder.
                For Each subfolder As String In Directory.GetDirectories(folder)
                    'This is the recursive call, i.e. the method calls itself.
                    If Not Me.GetFiles(subfolder, worker) Then
                        'The user has requested that the search be cancelled.
                        cancelled = True
                        Exit For
                    End If
                Next
            Catch ex As Exception
                'The folder is inaccessible.  Ignore and continue.
            End Try
        End If

        'The sub-search completed if it was not cancelled.
        Return Not cancelled
    End Function

End Class

7. Run the project.
8. Select a drive from the ListBox and click the first Button.
9. Sit back and watch the ListView fill with file names and the folders that contain them.
10. Click the second Button to cancel the search.

You can now study that code, including stepping through it while it's running. Once you understand it you can modify it as required.

Note that this code uses a BackgroundWorker to do the actual searching to keep the UI thread free to respond to user interaction.

[tassa]

Thanks very much for the help!