Checking if a file exists?

[TomWolowiec]

I'm scanning a folder with a few hundred files. Some of the files are "duplicates" that obsolete the originals and have endings such as "blahblah-2.dat" What I need to do is if I find that there is a "blahblah-2.dat", I then have to delete "blahblah.dat" because that one is obsolete. The problem here is that sometimes the original just isn't there. Someone already deleted it. So right now I have:

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The problem is that if I do this, I can no longer use Dir() to jump to the next file in the directory. I'm not sure how I can fix this. Either I need a way to check for a file without using Dir, or find a command or something that will let me go back to scanning my directory as if nothing happened. I'm stumped.

[GaidenFocus]

this function will check if a file path exists

pass it the path and it will return true or false

EXAMPLE CALL:

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Function:

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[Tinbendr]

I would use a search userform. Put in a search string, then have the files found listed in a listbox. Select the ones that are obsolete and click delete.

[TomWolowiec]

this function will check if a file path exists

pass it the path and it will return true or false

EXAMPLE CALL:

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Function:

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I'm not sure how that's any different than what I have. It still uses Dir, which if I'm not mistaken will mess up scanning for the next file with Dir(). Or does using it in a separate subroutine not affect it?

I would use a search userform. Put in a search string, then have the files found listed in a listbox. Select the ones that are obsolete and click delete.

I could just go to the directory myself at that point. But like I said, it's literally hundreds of files to scan through.

[GaidenFocus]

The function would happen out side of your sub so it should not affect anything in there. This would happen separately. I have a program that creates lists of files and deletes them if i mark them for deletion, it should work fine.

[TomWolowiec]

I still get the same error as before: "Invalid procedure call or argument" when I try to do

fileName = Dir()

to get the next file.

[GaidenFocus]

Post your whole code and i will take a look

[TomWolowiec]

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Here you go.

[GaidenFocus]

It is early in the morning, but at a glance i think that

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needs to be at the bottom. you have:

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[TomWolowiec]

I copied code that previously worked for a different purpose, but also cycled through the files in the folder.

http://www.techonthenet.com/excel/formulas/dir.php

They say that using Dir() will iterate over the files in a directory. I'm pretty sure if I use FileN = Dir(FileP & "*.dat") I'll just get the first file in the directory every time.

[GaidenFocus]

You're right i checked a project i made a while back and Dir() is correct. Here is another wild guess, maybe because you are deleting files other than the one targeted it thorws the list off? I would make it reinitialize after each deletion, and use dir only if a deletion has not proced.

[Leith Ross]

Hello TomWolowiec,

Will the files always end with a letter and then once updated end with either a number or a dash and a number?

[TomWolowiec]

End goal would be to delete the originals and then rename the newer file to the name the original had. So it will just end in a letter.

I'm starting to think the best thing to do would be to make an array of String variables, load all of the file names into that, and then figure out which files to delete.

[Leith Ross]

Hello TomWolowiec,

Will the original file names always end in a letter?

[TomWolowiec]

Yes, the originals end in a letter and the other "updated" ones end in a number or a dash followed by a number.

[Leith Ross]

Hello TomWolowiec,

Try this macro. It will only look for DAT files that end with the letter "V", "V" and a one or numbers, or "V-" and one or more numbers. All earlier versions will be deleted.

NOTE:You should backup your files before running this macro!

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