[VB6] Display search results or other custom file set in IExplorerBrowser

[fafalone]

IExplorerBrowser Custom File List
IResultsFolder

About
Most of my shell projects thus far have focused on displaying locations in the shell, but what if you wanted to display the results of a search or some other list that involves files from all across the system? Turns out this is fairly straightforward to do in IExplorerBrowser using the IResultsFolder interface, which had been previously overlooked and just recently added to oleexp (in v4.5).

The demo project does this as a search, when the form comes up it first displays an empty ExplorerBrowser until you hit run. The startup routine then queries this blank display for its IResultsFolder interface, which represents the items in it-- none now, but the search will fill it.

'(...)
pEBrowse.Initialize Frame1.hWnd, rcEB, tFS
pEBrowse.SetOptions lFlag
pEBrowse.FillFromObject Nothing, EBF_NODROPTARGET
pEBrowse.GetCurrentView IID_IFolderView2, pfv
If (pfv Is Nothing) = False Then
'    'OPTIONAL
'    'Customize which columns appear: fill uCol with however many columns (PROPERTYKEY's from mPKEY)
'    ' you want, then be sure to change the second argument in SetColumns to the number of keys
'    Dim uCol() As PROPERTYKEY
'    ReDim uCol(2)
'    Set pColMgr = pfv
'    uCol(0) = PKEY_ItemNameDisplay
'    uCol(1) = PKEY_ItemFolderPathDisplay
'    uCol(2) = PKEY_Image_Dimensions
'    pColMgr.SetColumns uCol(0), 3&

    pfv.GetFolder IID_IResultsFolder, lprf
    If lprf Then
        vbaObjSetAddRef pResFolder, lprf
    Else
        Debug.Print "Error->No RF pointer"
    End If
Else
    Debug.Print "Error->No folderview"
End If

When you click run, it searches the given folder... you can modify this in any number of ways. The search algorithm here uses shell interfaces to enumerate and PathMatchSpec to compare. You can change search methods, change it to search multiple directories, etc. All that's important is that when you find a match, you add it to the IResultsFolder. The demo adds by IShellItem, but you can also add by pidl. The view is updated automatically as the search runs. The result is like the main picture up top.
In the code, once the initialization routine has run, the IResultsFolder object is created, so all you have to do is call .AddItem or .AddIDList.

Custom Columns
It's also possible to customize which columns you want to show.

In the demo project, there's optional code (commented out by default) in the initialization routine that shows how to make a list of PROPERTYKEY values to show as the column list. This is why mPKEY is included as a requirement; if you're not going to use custom columns, you can remove that reference.


Requirements
-Windows Vista or newer
-oleexp.tlb v4.5 or higher (previous release from 8/1)
-oleexp addons mIID.bas and mPKEY.bas (both included in oleexp download; mPKEY can be removed if not using custom columns)

Future Work
Next up will be to show how to create a similar 'Results Folder' in my ucShellBrowse project.

---

This project now also has an x64 compatible version written in twinBASIC using my WinDevLib successor to oleexp.

https://github.com/fafalone/ExplorerBrowserCustomView

[nebeln]

I have played around with this a bit and two questions are raised...

1. Why using SFGAO_DROPTARGET? Find more files if you use SFGAO_HASPROPERTYSHEET or using SFGAO_CANLINK.
2. pResFldr.AddIDList pidlEnum, pidlOut <--- This is causing error 7 - Out of Memory.

[fafalone]

1) It's used for determining folders that are normal file system paths to be recursively searched; it's not meant to follow links or search virtual folders or zip files.

2) That line isn't anywhere in the attached zip, so I can only assume you're again asking for psychic debugging where I read your mind for the code you wrote but didn't post.

[nebeln]

I have worked this evening on a recursive search ?engine? for a IShellfolder version and it?s almost in goale. However the outgoing pidl pointer for IResultsFolder points to desktop but there is nothing there. So probably it?s just another virtual folder?
Just in memory as a chache for the browserpane? I start to get a hang of this now. One year of re-learning and learning new stuff.
But resultsfolder doesn?t need to be IResultsFolder? It can be whatever folder? IShellFolder, IShellItem, IKnownFolder in the IFolderView::GetFolder Method?

[fafalone]

Not following your meaning... The desktop is the root for all pidls/shell folders/shell items. It's pretty easy to mix up with Users\name\Desktop. It's represented by 0... i.e. pidlDesktop = VarPtr(0). However you'd get something different with Users\name\Desktop.

But yes you can navigate IExplorerBrowser with a number of different interfaces.

[nebeln]

Yes, indeed I did forget to mention it?s not the virtual desktop as you say which i clearly 0 pidl or varptr(0).
It?s as you say a pointer to user?s desktop.

[fafalone]

Ok well you'll have to show me with code what you're talking about then.

---

Project Update - Since I was looking at it:

This project now also has an x64 compatible version written in twinBASIC using my WinDevLib successor to oleexp.

https://github.com/fafalone/ExplorerBrowserCustomView

[nebeln]

It's just a small change to adding pidls instead of IShellItems.

   ShGetItemIdFromShellItem pISI_Enum, pidlEnum <-- Since IShellItem itself not provides any pidls for the enumerated items you self need to get them for each and every item.
   pResFldr.AddIDList pidlEnum, pidlOut <-- Did put them in this method and also offered my self a outgoing pidl for it's virtual destination. However even if I let the pidlOut be 0 I get Error 7 - Out of Memory.

Maybe I need to create a IShellItem for every pidl I get and again call the API ShGetItemIdFromShellItem?
Yes, I did have to do that.
So this code was added.

   Set pISITmp = ShGetIShellItemFromItemId(pidlEnum)
   ShGetItemIdFromShellItem pISITmp, pidlEnum
   pResFldr.AddIDList pidlEnum, pidlOut

Now it's working as it should.

[nebeln]

It seems that the output virtual folder for IResultsFolder is set by default to Users\Desktop.