I'm trying to parse a CSV File into a VB6 application in order to update multiple records on a table on SQL with existing single record updating code already in the form. The CSV Files will have a header row whixh can be used to validate the information going into the correct place in the ADODB recordset. In C++ you can use a map to say like
map<String s, int x> column
column<"First Name", -1>
column<"Last Name",-1>
Then create a counter across the comma delimited values where if the third value is Last Name then the code could be written to change
column<"Last Name",-1> to column<"Last Name",3> and if x != -1 in any of the maps the file is valid for use, I would then loop through the remaining records and parse into a container using something similar to
strLastName = Array<column[3]>
to assign the record values to the correct variables. I am still very new to VB6, how can I accomplish something similar in VB6 and what containers should be used? So far I have
Public Sub GetImportValues()
On Error GoTo GetImportValues_Error:
Dim intFileNum As Integer
Open Path For Input As #intFileNum
Do Until EOF(intFileNum)
Line Input #intFileNum, vbCrLf
FunctionThatSavesInformationToSQL
Loop
Close #intFileNum
GetImportValues_Exit:
Exit Sub
GetImportValues_Error:
Err.Source = "frmMemberAdd.GetImportValues" & " | " & Err.Source
Err.Raise Err.Number, Err.Source, Err.Description
End Sub
with a dialog box returning the path as a string using App.path in a separate Function
*****************************************************Slight change to answer
The collection was on track for what I had asked but I did have to change it to dictionary because you cannot return items on a collection which kept me from comparing the items and changing the keys but dictionary can. Make sure if you use dictionary you switch the item and key.
If I understand your question correctly, you're trying to create a map (Dictionary<string, int> in C#). In VB6, you can use Collection for this purpose - it's roughly equivalent to C#'s Dictionary<string, object>. It uses String keys and stores all values as Variant. For example:
Dim oColl As Collection
Set oColl = New Collection
oColl.Add -1, "ColumnName"
Dim nColumnIndex As Long
'Get column index for column name.
nColumnIndex = oColl.Item("ColumnName")
If nColumnIndex = -1 Then
nColumnIndex = ...
'When you want to update a column index in the collection, you
'first have to remove the item and then add it back with the right
'index.
oColl.Remove "ColumnName"
oColl.Add nColumnIndex, "ColumnName"
End If
Edit 1:
One word of warning regarding VB6: you'll see many samples doing this:
Dim oObj As New SomeClass
It's ok to do this in VB.Net but don't ever do this in VB6. Declare and instantiate the object on separate statements because the single-statement form generates code where oObj is checked for Nothing and set to an instance before each use. This slows down your code (unnecessary checks) and creates hard-to-find bugs if you're using an instance that's supposed to be gone.
Always do this instead:
Dim oObj As SomeClass
Set oObj = New SomeClass
...
'Clean up the object when you're done with it. Remember, there's
'no garbage collection in COM / VB6, you have to manage object
'lifetimes.
Set oObj = Nothing
Also, use Long instead of Integer as much as you can - Long is a 32-bit integer, while Integer is only 16-bits. VB6 type names can be misleading frequently. Here's an old answer of mine with a bit more detail (not strictly related to your question but useful).
Alternatively, you can create a simplified wrapper around the .NET Dictionary class and expose it as a COM object: this would allow you to call it from VB6. This would likely be (somewhat) slower than Collection and it'd require the .NET Framework for your VB6 project to run.
Edit 2:
As #CMaster commented, Dictionary is available from the Microsoft Scripting Runtime library - you need to add a reference to it to use it (this is why I prefer Collection - it has no dependency). This answer has details about how to use it.
Related
I'm stuck in VBA and I couldn't find a good answer in the other questions related to error 91. I want to create an object and store variables and arrays inside that object. I tried an approach like I would do in js:
Dim block As Object
...
Set block = Nothing
block.Name = "Unbekannter Prüfblock"
block.Awf = "Unbekannter Anwendungsfall"
block.Conditions = Array()
block.Checks = Array()
I use the "Set block = Nothing" because I will use it multiple times in a loop.
But all I get is error 91 - Object variable not set
How can I set the object?
Do I really have to declare everything in vba?
Isn't there a "stop annoying me with declaration notices" toggle? ;-)
Update
Thank you all so much for the detailed answers!
As suggested I created a class for "block" and also a class for "condition" and "check". Block for example:
Option Explicit
Public name As String
Public awf As String
Public conditions As Collection
Public checks As Collection
Then I use it inside my code like this:
Dim bl As Block
Dim co As Condition
Dim ce As Check
Set bl = New Block
bl.name = ws.Range("B" & i).value
bl.awf = ws.Range("B" & i).value
Set co = New Condition
co.attr = ws.Range("B" & i).value
co.value = ws.Range("C" & i).value
bl.conditions.Add co
VBA isn't Javascript; objects and their members cannot be created inline, they need a class definition.
When you make a member call against an object, you refer to it by name, and whenever that name refers to a null reference (Nothing) you'll get error 91.
To fix it, you need to ensure every member call is made against a valid object reference. Using the Set keyword you can assign such a reference, and to create a new instance of an object you can use the New keyword followed by the name of the class that defines the type you want a new instance of:
Dim Block As Object
Block.Something = 42 ' Error 91
Set Block = New SomeClass ' set reference
Block.Something = 42 ' OK
Note that because the object is declared As Object, every member call is late-bound (resolved at run-time); if the member doesn't exist (or if there's a typo), you'll get error 438 at run-time.
You can move this error to compile-time with early binding by using a more specific data type for the declaration:
Dim Block As SomeClass
Because the members of SomeClass are known at compile-time, the IDE will now provide you with a member completion list when you type up a member call, and typos will no longer be valid at compile-time: strive to remain in the early-bound realm whenever possible! Note: As Variant (explicit or not) is also similarly late-bound.
So we add a new class module and call it SomeClass and we add a couple of public fields:
Option Explicit
Public Name As String
Public Case As String
Public Condition As Variant
Public Check As Variant
And now you can create and consume a new instance of that class, and add instances of it to a collection to process later (note: you can't do that with a UDT/Type).
The VBIDE settings have an annoying option ("automatic syntax check", IIRC) that immediately pops a message box whenever there's a compilation error on the current line; uncheck it (invalid lines will appear in red, without a message box), but do have the "require variable declaration" setting checked: it will add Option Explicit to every module, and that will spare you from a number of easily avoidable run-time errors, moving them to compile-time.
In JS, you can add properties (together with values) on the fly to an object. That's not possible in VBA (and most other languages).
Your declaration Dim block As Object is defining a variable that is supposed to point to an Object. But it isn't pointing to anything yet, per default it is initialized with Nothing, which is, literally, nothing, and has neither properties nor methods, it's just a placeholder to signal "I don't point to anything yet". Furthermore, Object cannot be instantiated.
in VBA, you assign something to an object variable with Set (this is different to most other languages). If you want to create a new object, you use the keyword New.
However, before you do that, you need to know what kind of object (which class) you need. This can be an existing class, eg a Worksheet or a Range in Excel, or it can be an own defined class (by creating a new class module in your code). In any case, you need to define the properties and the methods of that class. Considering the most simple class module Class1 (of course you should think about a more usefull name):
Option Explicit
Public name as String
Public case as String
(I will not start to talk about private members and getter and setter).
You then write
Dim block As Class1
Set block = New Class1
block.name = "Unbekannter Prüfblock"
(But block.data = "Hello world" will not be possible as data is not a member of your class.)
Big advantage of this attempt is that the compiler can show you when you for example mistyped a property name before you even start your code (Debug->Compile). In JS, you will get either a runtime error or a new property on the fly - hard to find nasty bugs.
If you later need a new (empty) object, just create a new object using New. If the old object is not referenced anywhere else, the VBA runtime will take care that the memory is freed (so no need to write Set block = Nothing).
In case you really don't know the properties in advance (eg when you read XML or JSON files or a key-value list from an Excel sheet...), you can consider to use a Collection or a Dictionary. Plenty of examples on SO and elsewhere.
One remark to block.Condition = Array(). Arrays in VBA are not really dynamic, you cannot add or remove entries easily during runtime. In VBA, you have static and dynamic arrays:
Dim a(1 to 10) as String ' Static array with 10 members (at compile time)
Dim b() as String ' Dynamic array.
However, for dynamic members you need to define how many members you need before you write something into it, you use the ReDim statement for that. Useful if you can calculate the number of members in advance:
Redim b(1 to maxNames) ' Dynamic array, now with maxNames members (whatever maxNames is)
You can change the array size of a dynamic array with Redim Preserve, but that should be an exception (bad programming style, inperformant). Without Preserve, you will get a new array, but the former data is lost.
Redim Preserve b(1 to maxNames+10) ' Now with 10 more members.
If you really don't know the number of members and it can change often during runtime, again a Collection or a Dictionary can be the better alternative. Note that for example a Dictionary can itself a Dictionary as value, which allows to define Tree structures.
Regarding your issue adding to the collection:
You need to add this code to your class module "Block" - only then you can add objects to the collections
Private Sub Class_Initialize()
Set conditions = New Collection
set checks = new Collection
End Sub
First, I am not a programmer, I mainly just do simple scripts however there are somethings that are just easier to do in VB, I am pretty much self taught so forgive me if this sounds basic or if I can't explain it to well.
I have run into an issue trying to load a multi-column text file into a list box. There are two separate issues.
First issue is to read the text file and only grab the first column to use in the listbox, I am currently using ReadAllLines to copy the text file to a string first.
Dim RDPItems() As String = IO.File.ReadAllLines(MyDocsDir & "\RDPservers.txt")
However I am having a difficult time finding the correct code to only grab the first Column of this string to put in the listbox, if I use the split option I get an error that "Value of type '1-dimensional array of String' cannot be converted to 'String'"
The code looked like
frmRDP.lstRDP.Items.Add() = Split(RDPItems, ";", CompareMethod.Text)
This is the first hurdle, the second issue is what I want to do is if an item is selected from the List box, the value of the second column gets pulled into a variable to use.
This part I'm not even sure where to begin.
Example data of the text file
Server1 ; 10.1.1.1:3389
Server2 ; 192.168.1.1:8080
Server3 ; 172.16.0.1:9833
.....
When it's working the application will read a text file with a list of servers and their IPs and put the servers in a listbox, when you select the server from the listbox it and click a connect button it will then launch
c:\windows\system32\mstsc.exe /v:serverip
Any help would be appreciated, as I can hard code a large list of this into the VB application it would be easier to just have a text file with a list of servers and IPs to load instead.
The best practise for this would probably be to store your "columns" in a Dictionary. Declare this at class level (that is, outside any Sub or Function):
Dim Servers As New Dictionary(Of String, String)
When you load your items you read the file line-by-line, adding the items to the Dictionary and the ListBox at the same time:
Using Reader As New IO.StreamReader(IO.Path.Combine(MyDocsDir, "RDPservers.txt")) 'Open the file.
While Reader.EndOfStream = False 'Loop until the StreamReader has read the whole file.
Dim Line As String = Reader.ReadLine() 'Read a line.
Dim LineParts() As String = Line.Split(New String() {" ; "}, StringSplitOptions.None) 'Split the line into two parts.
Servers.Add(LineParts(0), LineParts(1)) 'Add them to the Dictionary. LineParts(0) is the name, LineParts(1) is the IP-address.
lstRDP.Items.Add(LineParts(0)) 'Add the name to the ListBox.
End While
End Using 'Dispose the StreamReader.
(Note that I used IO.Path.Combine() instead of simply concatenating the strings. I recommend using that instead for joining paths together)
Now, whenever you want to get the IP-address from the selected item you can just do for example:
Dim IP As String = Servers(lstRDP.SelectedItem.ToString())
Hope this helps!
EDIT:
Missed that you wanted to start a process with it... But it's like charliefox2 wrote:
Process.Start("c:\windows\system32\mstsc.exe", "/v:" & Servers(lstRDP.SelectedItem.ToString()))
Edit: #Visual Vincent's answer is way cleaner. I'll leave mine, but I recommend using his solution instead. That said, scroll down a little for how to open the server. He's got that too! Upvote his answer, and mark it as correct!
It looks like you're trying to split an array. Also, ListBox.Items.Add() works a bit differently than the way you've written your code. Let's take a look.
ListBox.Items.Add() requires that you provide it with a string inside the parameters. So you would do it like this:
frmRDP.lstRDP.Items.Add(Split(RDPItems, ";", CompareMethod.Text))
But don't do that!
When you call Split(), you must supply it with a string, not an array. In this case, RDPItems is an array, so we can't split the entire thing at once. This is the source of the error you were getting. Instead, we'll have to do it one item at a time. For this, we can use a For Each loop. See here for more info if you're not familiar with the concept.
A For Each loop will execute a block of code for each item in a collection. Using this, we get:
For Each item In RDPItems
Dim splitline() As String = Split(item, ";") 'splits the item by semicolon, and puts each portion into the array
frmRDP.lstRDP.Items.Add(splitline(0)) 'adds the first item in the array
Next
OK, so that gets us our server list put in our ListBox. But now, we want to open the server that our user has selected. To do that, we'll need an event handler (to know when the user has double clicked something), we'll have to find out which server they selected, and then we'll have to open that server.
We'll start by handling the double click by creating a sub to deal with it:
Private Sub lstRDP_MouseDoubleClick(sender As Object, e As MouseEventArgs) Handles lstRDP.MouseDoubleClick
Next, we'll get what the user has selected. Here, we're setting selection equal to the index that the user has selected (in this case, the first item is 0, the second is 1, and so on).
Dim selection As Integer = lstRDP.SelectedIndex
Lastly, we need to open the server. I'm assuming you want to do that in windows explorer, but if I'm mistaken please let me know.
Dim splitline() As String = Split(RDPItems(selection), ";")
Dim location As String = Trim(splitline(1))
We'll need to split the string again, but you'll notice this time I'm choosing the item whose location in the array is the same as the index of the list box the user has selected. Since we added our items to our listbox in the order they were added to our array, the first item in our listbox will be the first in the array, and so on. The location of the server will be the second part of the split function, or splitline(1). I've also included the Trim() function, which will remove any leading or trailing spaces.
Finally, we need to connect to our server. We'll use Process.Start() to launch the process.
Process.Start("c:\windows\system32\mstsc.exe", "/v:" & location)
For future reference, to first argument for Process.Start() is the location of the process, and the second argument is any argument the process might take (in this case, what to connect to).
Our final double click event handler looks something like this:
Private Sub lstRDP_MouseDoubleClick(sender As Object, e As MouseEventArgs) Handles lstRDP.MouseDoubleClick
Dim selection As Integer = lstRDP.SelectedIndex
Dim splitline() As String = Split(RDPItems(selection), ";")
Dim location As String = Trim(splitline(1))
Process.Start("c:\windows\system32\mstsc.exe", "/v:" & location)
End Sub
A final note: You may need to put
Dim RDPItems() As String = IO.File.ReadAllLines(MyDocsDir & "\RDPservers.txt")
outside of a sub, and instead just inside your class. This will ensure that both the click handler and your other sub where you populate the list box can both read from it.
I don't know if this question will make sense to begin with...
Example Given: the following value is given for a single cell (we'll call it A1): Sub-value #1|Here's another sub-value #2|Yet again, last but not least, sub-value #3. I already know someone will tell me that this is where a database should be used (trust me, my major is DB Management, I know, but I need my data in this fashion). My delimiter is the |. Now say I want to create a function that will take the LEN() of each sub-value and return the AVERAGE() of all the sub-values. If I wanted to create a single function to do this, I could use an split(), take each value, do an LEN() and return the AVERAGE().
For the example given, let's utilize cell B1. I have created similar functions in the past that would work by the following method (although not this exact one), but it requires splitting and joining the array/cell value(s) each time: =ARRAY_AVERAGE(ARRAY_LEN(A1,"|","|"),"|","|").
ARRAY_LEN(cell,delimiter[,Optional new_delimiter])
ARRAY_AVERAGE(cell,delimiter[,Optional new_delimiter])
However, I'm wondering if there might be a more dynamic approach to this. Basically, I want to split() an array with some custom VBA function, pass it to parent cell functions, and I wrap up the array by a function that will merge the array back together.
Here's how the cell function will run:
=ARRAY_AVERAGE(ARRAY_LEN(ARRAY_SPLIT(A1,"|"))).
ARRAY_SPLIT(cell,delimiter) will split the array.
ARRAY_LEN(array) will return the length of each sub-value of the array.
ARRAY_AVERAGE(array) will return the average of each sub-value of the array. Since this function returns a single value of multiple values, this will take the form of an imaginary ARRAY_JOIN(array,delimiter) that would merge the array back again.
This requires one or two additional functions in the cells, but it also lowers the number of iterations that the cell would be converting to and from a single cell value and VBA array.
What do you think? Possible? Feasible? More or less code efficient?
Now, this is a very crude example but it should give you an idea of how to get started and how you can customize this method to suit your needs. Assume you have the following data in a text file called example.txt :
Name|Age|DoB|Data1|Data2|Data3
David|25|1987-04-08|100|200|300
John|42|1960-06-21|400|500|600
Sarah|15|1997-02-01|700|800|900
This file resides in the folder C:\Downloads. To query this in VBA using ADO you'll need to reference the Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects 2.X Library where X is the latest version you have installed. I also reference the Microsoft Scripting Library to create my Schema.ini files at run-time to ensure that my data is read properly. Without the Schema.ini file you run the risk of your data not being read as you expect it to be by the driver. Numbers as text can ocassionally be read as null for no reason and dates often get returned null as well. The Schema.ini file gives the text driver an exact definition of your data and how to handle it. You don't HAVE to define every column explicitly like I have done but at the very least you should set your Format, ColNameHeader, and DateTimeFormat values.
Example Schema.ini file used:
[example.txt]
Format=Delimited(|)
ColNameHeader=True
DateTimeFormat=yyyy-mm-dd
Col1=Name Char
Col2=Age Integer
Col3=DoB Date
Col4=Data1 Integer
Col5=Data2 Integer
Col6=Data3 Integer
You'll notice that the file name is enclosed in brackets on the first line. This is NOT optional and it also allows you to define different schemas for different files. As mentioned earlier I create my Schema.ini file in VBA at run-time with something like the following:
Sub CreateSchema()
Dim fso As New FileSystemObject
Dim ts As TextStream
Set ts = fso.CreateTextFile(FILE_DIR & "Schema.ini", True)
ts.WriteLine "[example.txt]"
ts.WriteLine "Format=Delimited(|)"
ts.WriteLine "ColNameHeader=True"
ts.WriteLine "DateTimeFormat=yyyy-mm-dd"
ts.WriteLine "Col1=Name Char"
ts.WriteLine "Col2=Age Integer"
ts.WriteLine "Col3=DoB Date"
ts.WriteLine "Col4=Data1 Integer"
ts.WriteLine "Col5=Data2 Integer"
ts.WriteLine "Col6=Data3 Integer"
Set fso = Nothing
Set ts = Nothing
End Sub
You'll notice that I use the variable FILE_DIR which is a constant I define at the top of my module. Your Schema.ini file -MUST- reside in the same location as your data file. The connection string for your query also uses this directory so I define the constant to make sure they reference the same place. Here's the top of my module with the FILE_DIR constant along with the connection string and SQL query:
Option Explicit
Const FILE_DIR = "C:\Downloads\"
Const TXT_CONN = "Driver={Microsoft Text Driver (*.txt; *.csv)};Dbq=" & FILE_DIR & ";Extensions=asc,csv,tab,txt;"
Const SQL = "SELECT Name, DoB, ((Data1 + Data2 + Data3)/3) AS [Avg_of_Data]" & _
"FROM example.txt "
Notice the portion in TXT_CONN called Dbq. This is the directory where your data file(s) are stored. You'll actually define the specific file you use in the WHERE clause of your SQL string. The SQL constant contains your query string. In this case we're just selecting Name, DoB, and Averaging the three data values. With all of that out of the way you're ready to actually execute your query:
Sub QueryText()
Dim cn As New ADODB.Connection
Dim rs As New ADODB.Recordset
Dim i As Integer
'Define/open connection
With cn
.ConnectionString = TXT_CONN
.Open
'Query text file
With rs
.Open SQL, cn
.MoveFirst
'Loop through/print column names to Immediate Window
For i = 0 To .Fields.Count - 1
Debug.Print .Fields(i).Name
Next i
'Loop through recordset
While Not (.EOF Or .BOF)
'Loop through/print each column value to Immediate Window
For i = 0 To .Fields.Count - 1
Debug.Print .Fields(i)
Next i
.MoveNext
Wend
.Close 'Close recordset
End With
.Close 'Close connection to file
End With
Set rs = Nothing
Set cn = Nothing
End Sub
I know that I said doing this is extremely simple in my comments above and that this looks like a lot of work but I assure you it's not. You could use ONLY the QueryText() method and end up with similar results. However, I've included everything else to try and give you some ideas of where you can take this for your project as well as to show you how to solve problems you might run into if you're not getting the results back that you expected.
This is the guide I originally learned from: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms974559.aspx
Here is a guide for doing the same thing to actual Excel files: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/257819
Lastly, here's more info on Schema.ini files: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms709353(v=vs.85).aspx
Hopefully you're able to find a way to make use of all this information in your line of work! A side benefit to learning all of this is that you can use ADO to query actual databases like Access, SQL Server, and Oracle. The code is nearly identical to what is printed here. Just swap out the connection string, sql string, and ignore the whole bit about a Schema.ini file.
Here are 2 example VBA UDFs that work on a single cell: enter the formula as
=AVERAGE(len_text(SPLIT_TEXT(A1,"|")))
Note that in this particular case you don't actually need the len_text function, you could use Excel's LEN() instead, but then you would have to enter the AVERAGE(..) as an array formula.
Option Explicit
Public Function Split_Text(theText As Variant, Delimiter As Variant) As Variant
Dim var As Variant
var = Split(theText, Delimiter)
Split_Text = Application.WorksheetFunction.Transpose(var)
End Function
Public Function Len_Text(something As Variant) As Variant
Dim j As Long
Dim k As Long
Dim var() As Variant
If IsObject(something) Then
something = something.Value2
End If
ReDim var(LBound(something) To UBound(something), LBound(something, 2) To UBound(something, 2))
For j = LBound(something) To UBound(something)
For k = LBound(something, 2) To UBound(something, 2)
var(j, k) = Len(something(j, k))
Next k
Next j
Len_Text = var
End Function
I apologize if this question was answered previously on this board. My searches didn't turn up what I'm looking for. I am a VBA novice and would like to know if there is a way to populate a userform combobox with the names of all subdirectories contained within a predefined directory (I need the list to be updated every time the userform is launched). I've seen some code that does this on other websites but they were for earlier versions of Excel and I could not get them to work. I am using Excel 2007. I appreciate any help you may be able to provide.
Option Explicit
Private Sub UserForm_Initialize()
Dim name
For Each name In ListDirectory(Path:="C:\", AttrInclude:=vbDirectory, AttrExclude:=vbSystem Or vbHidden)
Me.ComboBox1.AddItem name
Next name
End Sub
Function ListDirectory(Path As String, AttrInclude As VbFileAttribute, Optional AttrExclude As VbFileAttribute = False) As Collection
Dim Filename As String
Dim Attribs As VbFileAttribute
Set ListDirectory = New Collection
' first call to Dir() initializes the list
Filename = Dir(Path, AttrInclude)
While Filename <> ""
Attribs = GetAttr(Path & Filename)
' to be added, a file must have the right set of attributes
If Attribs And AttrInclude And Not (Attribs And AttrExclude) Then
ListDirectory.Add Filename, Path & Filename
End If
' fetch next filename
Filename = Dir
Wend
End Function
A few notes, since you said you had little experience with VBA.
Always have Option Explicit in effect. No excuses.
Dir() is used in VB to list files.
Collections are a lot more convenient than arrays in VBA.
There are named parameters available in function calls (name:=value). You don't have to use them, but they help to make sense of long argument lists. Argument order is irrelevant if you use named parameters. You cannot mix named and unnamed parameters, though.
You can have optional arguments with default values.
Note that assigning to the function name (ListDirectory in this case) sets the result of a function. You can therefore use the function name directly as a variable inside that function.
Set AttrInclude to -1 if you want to return all types of files. Conveniently, -1 is the numerical value of True., i.e. ListDirectory("C:\", True).
Set AttrExclude to 0 if you want to exclude no files. Conveniently, 0 is the numerical value of False., i.e. ListDirectory("C:\", True, False), which also is the default.
All logical operators in VB 6.0 are bit-wise, hence you can check whether a file is a directory by using If Attribs And VbDirectory Then ...
You can combine multiple bit values with Or, e.g. vbSystem Or vbHidden.
Consequently, you can filter directories with a simple bit-wise logic check.
Use the Object Browser (hit F2) to inspect available Functions, Types and Constants, for example the constants in the VbFileAttribute enum.
I'm trying to get all property names / values from an Outlook item. I have custom properties in addition to the default outlook item properties. I'm using redemption to get around the Outlook warnings but I'm having some problems with the GetNamesFromIDs method on a Redemption.RDOMail Item....
I'm using my redemption session to get the message and trying to use the message to get the names of all the properties.
Dim rMessage as Redemption.RDOMail = _RDOSession.GetMessageFromID(EntryID, getPublicStoreID())
Dim propertyList As Redemption.PropList = someMessage.GetPropList(Nothing)
For i As Integer = 1 To propertyList.Count + 1
Console.WriteLine(propertyList(i).ToString())
Console.WriteLine(someMessage.GetNamesFromIDs(________, propertyList(i)))
Next
I'm not totally sure what to pass in as the first parameter to getNamesFromIDs. The definition of GetNamesFromIDs is as follows:
GetNamesFromIDs(MAPIProp as Object, PropTag as Integer) As Redemption.NamedProperty
I'm not totally sure what should be passed in as the MAPIProp object. I don't see this property referenced in the documentation. http://www.dimastr.com/redemption/rdo/MAPIProp.htm#properties
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.
I think I figured it out. I have used VBA only, so you need to "think around" it's limitations, it will follow the same scheme in VB.NET.
The function signature is this:
Function GetNamesFromIDs(MAPIProp As Unknown, PropTag As Long) As NamedProperty
As the first parameter it requires an object which supports the IUnknown interface. Looking at the Redemption docs it became clear that there is an interface named _MAPIProp, from which many other RDO objects are derived (IRDOMail is among them). So this must be the very RDOMail you are trying to get data out of.
Knowing that, it needed only one other subtle hint from the docs to get it working:
Given a prop tag (>= 0x80000000),
returns the GUID and id of the named
property.
So property tag must be >= 0x80000000, this means it wont work for all properties, but just for the custom ones (I guess that is the distinction in this case, correct me if I'm wrong.) Passing in property tags not fulfilling this condition raises an error message (0x8000ffff "unexpected results").
Here is my code. It is VBA, so forgive me the Hex() blunder, as VBAs long integer overflows for numbers that big. I am sure you will get the picture.
Sub GetNamesFromIds()
Dim rSession As New Redemption.RDOSession
Dim rMessage As Redemption.RDOMail
Dim PropertyList As Redemption.PropList
Dim PropTag As Long
Dim EntryId As String
Dim i As Integer
rSession.MAPIOBJECT = Application.Session.MAPIOBJECT
' retrieve first random mail for this example '
EntryId = ActiveExplorer.CurrentFolder.Items(1).EntryId
Set rMessage = rSession.GetMessageFromID(EntryId)
Set PropertyList = rMessage.GetPropList(0)
For i = 1 To PropertyList.Count
PropTag = PropertyList(i)
If "0x" & Right("00000000" & Hex(PropTag), 8) > "0x80000000" Then
Debug.Print
If IsArray(rMessage.Fields(PropTag)) Then
Debug.Print Hex(PropTag), "(Array:", UBound(rMessage.Fields(PropTag)), "items)"
Else
Debug.Print Hex(PropTag), "(", rMessage.Fields(PropTag), ")"
End If
Debug.Print " GUID:", rMessage.GetNamesFromIds(rMessage, PropTag).GUID
Debug.Print " ID:", rMessage.GetNamesFromIds(rMessage, PropTag).ID
End If
Next
End Sub
First snippet from the output:
8041001E ( urn:content-classes:message )
GUID: {00020386-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
ID: content-class
Well, for background info, the author suggests using something like OutlookSpy to see how Outlook stores the properties.
Looking at this exchange (make sure to read through all the follow-up responses), there isn't much more (in fact, I think at one point the Outlook MVP types GetNamesFromIDs when he means GetIDsFromNames).
What you might try is using GetIDsFromNames to see what that returns, and then use that to pass to GetNamesFromIDs.
I've used Redemption before, but not in this particular manner, so that's all I've got for you ...