VBA: Sample Code to Determine Whether a File Exists

ID: Q175923

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

This article includes a sample Visual Basic for Applications procedure (or macro) that determines whether a particular file exists.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language being demonstrated and the tools used to create and debug procedures. Microsoft support professionals can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to contact the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. For more information about the support options available from Microsoft, please see the following page on the World Wide Web: 

   http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/refguide/
You can use the Dir function to check for an existing file by passing the file name and path to the function. If the function returns a zero-length string (""), the file does not exist.

The following sample code checks for the existence of the Autoexec.bat file in the C:\ folder. If the Dir function returns a zero-length string, the file was not found, so a message box displays "No such file!" If the Dir function finds C:\Autoexec.bat, a message box displays "File exists!"

Sample Visual Basic Procedure

   Sub DoesFileExist()
      Dim FileInQuestion As String
      FileInQuestion = Dir("C:\Autoexec.bat")
      If FileInQuestion = "" Then
         MsgBox "No such file!"
      Else
         MsgBox "File exists!"
      End If
   End Sub

REFERENCES

For more information about creating Visual Basic for Applications macros, click the Office Assistant in Microsoft Word, type "how to create a macro," click Search, and then click to view "Create a macro."

For more information about running Visual Basic for Applications macros, click the Office Assistant in Microsoft Word, type "how to run a macro," click Search, and then click to view "Run a macro."

For more information about the Dir function, click the Office Assistant in the Visual Basic Editor, type "dir," click Search, and then click to view "Dir Function."

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If Word Help is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q120802
   TITLE     : Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office
               Program or Component
For more information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q163435
   TITLE     : VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for
               Applications
Additional query words: wordcon kbmacro vba 
Keywords          : kbcode kbprg 
Version           : WINDOWS:5.0,97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: April 5, 1999