ACC: How to Find the Windows and System Paths (95/97)

ID: Q141803

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Access versions 7.0, 97

SUMMARY

Advanced: Requires expert coding, interoperability, and multiuser skills.

This article describes how to create a Visual Basic for Applications module that uses the 32-bit versions of the GetWindowsDirectory() and GetSystemDirectory() Windows API functions to return the Windows and Windows System directory (folder) paths.

This article assumes that you are familiar with Visual Basic for Applications and with creating Microsoft Access applications using the programming tools provided with Microsoft Access. For more information about Visual Basic for Applications, please refer to your version of the "Building Applications with Microsoft Access" manual.

MORE INFORMATION

The following example demonstrates how to use the 32-bit versions of the GetWindowsDirectory() and GetSystemDirectory() Windows API functions:

1. Create a module and type the following in the Declarations section:

   NOTE: You may have some Microsoft Windows API functions defined in an
   existing Microsoft Access library; therefore, your declarations may be
   duplicates. If you receive a duplicate procedure name error message,
   remove or comment out the declarations statement in your code.

       '**********************************
       'Declarations section of the module
       '**********************************
       Option Compare Database
       Option Explicit

       Declare Function apiGetWindowsDirectory& Lib "kernel32" Alias _
          "GetWindowsDirectoryA" (ByVal lpBuffer As String, ByVal _
          nSize As Long)
       Declare Function apiGetSystemDirectory Lib "kernel32" Alias _
          "GetSystemDirectoryA" (ByVal lpBuffer As String, ByVal nSize _
          As Long) As Long

      ' This function returns the path to the Windows directory as a
      ' string.
      Function GetWinDir () As String
         Dim lpbuffer As String * 255
         Dim Length as Long
         Length = apiGetWindowsDirectory(lpbuffer, Len(lpbuffer))
         GetWinDir = Left(lpbuffer, Length)
      End Function

      ' This function returns the path to the Windows System directory
      ' as a string.
      Function GetSysDir () As String
         Dim lpbuffer As String * 255
         Dim Length as Long
         Length = apiGetSystemDirectory(lpbuffer, Len(lpbuffer))
         GetSysDir = Left(lpbuffer, Length)
      End Function

   window, and then press ENTER.

      ? GetWinDir()

   Note that the Windows directory path is returned.

   window, and then press ENTER.

      ? GetSysDir()

   Note that the Windows System directory path is returned.

REFERENCES

For more information about API functions, search for "API," and then "Declare Statement," using the Microsoft Access Help Index.

Keywords          : kbprg
Version           : 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: November 20, 1998