API: Search for a file

(Q) How do I search a hard drive for a file given only it's name and retrieve the path to it??

(A) The first example is applicable only for Access 97. For Access 95, see the alternate method.

You can use the new Office FileSearch object for this. Before using the code, make sure "Microsoft Office 8.0 Object Library" (typically referenced to MSO97.DLL under Office folder) is selected under Tools/References.

Paste the following code in a new module:

'***************** Code Start ***************
'This code was originally written by Dev Ashish.
'It is not to be altered or distributed,
'except as part of an application.
'You are free to use it in any application,
'provided the copyright notice is left unchanged.
'
'Code Courtesy of
'Dev Ashish
'
Function fReturnFilePath(strFilename As String, _
    strDrive As String) As String

Dim varItm As Variant
Dim strFiles As String
Dim strTmp As String
    
    If InStr(strFilename, ".") = 0 Then
        MsgBox "Sorry!! Need the complete name", vbCritical
        Exit Function
    End If
    
    strFiles = ""
    With Application.FileSearch
        .NewSearch
        .LookIn = strDrive
        .SearchSubFolders = True
        .FileName = strFilename
        .MatchTextExactly = True
        .FileType = msoFileTypeAllFiles
        If .Execute > 0 Then
            For Each varItm In .FoundFiles
                strTmp = fGetFileName(varItm)
                If strFilename = strTmp Then
                    fReturnFilePath = varItm
                    Exit Function
                End If
            Next varItm
        End If
    End With
End Function


Private Function fGetFileName(strFullPath) As String
Dim intPos As Integer, intLen As Integer
    intLen = Len(strFullPath)
    If intLen Then
        For intPos = intLen To 1 Step -1
            'Find the last \
            If Mid$(strFullPath, intPos, 1) = "\" Then
                fGetFileName = Mid$(strFullPath, intPos + 1)
                Exit Function
            End If
        Next intPos
    End If
End Function
'******************** Code End **************************

Now from your code, call the function as

strFilePath=fReturnFilePath("network.wri","C:")

(Note: Depending on whether you have Microsoft Office's FindFast turned on or not, the search might take a few seconds.)

Alternate: For Access 95 (or for Access 97 also), you can use the following function as a substitute to FileSearch object.

'***************** Code Start ***************
'This code was originally written by Dev Ashish.
'It is not to be altered or distributed,
'except as part of an application.
'You are free to use it in any application,
'provided the copyright notice is left unchanged.
'
'Code Courtesy of
'Dev Ashish
'
Private Declare Function apiSearchTreeForFile Lib "ImageHlp.dll" Alias _
        "SearchTreeForFile" (ByVal lpRoot As String, ByVal lpInPath _
        As String, ByVal lpOutPath As String) As Long

Function fSearchFile(ByVal strFilename As String, _
            ByVal strSearchPath As String) As String
'Returns the first match found
    Dim lpBuffer As String
    Dim lngResult As Long
    fSearchFile = ""
    lpBuffer = String$(1024, 0)
    lngResult = apiSearchTreeForFile(strSearchPath, strFilename, lpBuffer)
    If lngResult <> 0 Then
        If InStr(lpBuffer, vbNullChar) > 0 Then
            fSearchFile = Left$(lpBuffer, InStr(lpBuffer, vbNullChar) - 1)
        End If
    End If
End Function
'******************** Code End ****************