Microsoft® Scripting Library - FileSystemObject
FileSystemObject
Sample Code
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The sample code described in this section provides a real-world example that demonstrates many of the features available in the FileSystemObject object model. This code shows how all the features of the object model work together, and how to use those features effectively in your own code.

Note that since this code is fairly generic, some additional code and a little tweaking are needed to make this code actually run on your machine. These changes are necessary because of the different ways input and output to the user is handled between Active Server Pages and the Windows Scripting Host.

To run this code on an Active Server Page, use the following steps:

  1. Create a standard Web page with an .asp extension.
  2. Copy the following sample code into that file between the <BODY>...</BODY> tags.
  3. Enclose all the code within <%...%> tags.
  4. Move the Option Explicit statement from its current position in the code to the very top of your HTML page, positioning it even before the opening <HTML> tag.
  5. Place <%...%> tags around the Option Explicit statement to ensure that it's run on the server side.
  6. Add the following code to the end of the sample code: 
Sub Print(x)
  Response.Write "<PRE><FONT FACE=""Courier New"" SIZE=""1"">"
  Response.Write x
  Response.Write "</FONT></PRE>"
End Sub
Main
The previous code adds a print procedure that will run on the server side, but display results on the client side. To run this code on the Windows Scripting Host, add the following code to the end of the sample code: 
Sub Print(x)
	WScript.Echo x
End Sub
Main
The code is contained in the following section:

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'
' FileSystemObject Sample Code
' 
' Copyright 1998 Microsoft Corporation.  All Rights Reserved. 
' 
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Option Explicit

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'
' Regarding code quality:
'
' 1) The following code does a lot of string manipulation by concatenating short
'    strings together with the "&" operator. Since string concatenation
'    is expensive, this is a very inefficient way to write code. However, it is a very         
'    maintainable way to write code, and is used here because this program performs extensive  
'    disk operations, and because the disk is much slower than the memory operations required to 
'    concatenate the strings. Keep in mind that this is demonstration code, not production code.
'
' 2) "Option Explicit" is used, because declared variable access is slightly faster than     
'    undeclared variable access. It also prevents bugs from creeping into your code, such as
'    when you misspell DriveTypeCDROM as DriveTypeCDORM.
'
' 3) Error handling is absent from this code, to make the code more readable. Although 
'    precautions have been taken to ensure that the code will not error in common cases, file 
'    systems can be unpredictable. In production code, use On Error Resume Next and the 
'    Err object to trap possible errors.
' 
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'
' Some handy global variables
'
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Dim TabStop
Dim NewLine

Const TestDrive = "C"
Const TestFilePath = "C:\Test"

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'
' Constants returned by Drive.DriveType
'
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Const DriveTypeRemovable = 1
Const DriveTypeFixed = 2
Const DriveTypeNetwork = 3
Const DriveTypeCDROM = 4
Const DriveTypeRAMDisk = 5

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'
' Constants returned by File.Attributes
'
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Const FileAttrNormal  = 0
Const FileAttrReadOnly = 1
Const FileAttrHidden = 2
Const FileAttrSystem = 4
Const FileAttrVolume = 8
Const FileAttrDirectory = 16
Const FileAttrArchive = 32 
Const FileAttrAlias = 64
Const FileAttrCompressed = 128

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'
' Constants for opening files
'
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Const OpenFileForReading = 1 
Const OpenFileForWriting = 2 
Const OpenFileForAppending = 8 


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'
' ShowDriveType
'
' Purpose: 
'
' Generates a string describing the drive type of a given Drive object.
'
' Demonstrates the following 
'
' - Drive.DriveType
'
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Function ShowDriveType(Drive)

	Dim S
  
	Select Case Drive.DriveType
	Case DriveTypeRemovable
		S = "Removable"
	Case DriveTypeFixed
		S = "Fixed"
	Case DriveTypeNetwork
		S = "Network"
	Case DriveTypeCDROM
		S = "CD-ROM"
	Case DriveTypeRAMDisk
		S = "RAM Disk"
	Case Else
		S = "Unknown"
	End Select

	ShowDriveType = S

End Function

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'
' ShowFileAttr
'
' Purpose: 
'
' Generates a string describing the attributes of a file or folder.
'
' Demonstrates the following 
'
' - File.Attributes
' - Folder.Attributes
'
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Function ShowFileAttr(File) ' File can be a file or folder

	Dim S
  	Dim Attr
	
	Attr = File.Attributes

	If Attr = 0 Then
		ShowFileAttr = "Normal"
		Exit Function
	End If

	If Attr And FileAttrDirectory  Then S = S & "Directory "
	If Attr And FileAttrReadOnly   Then S = S & "Read-Only "
	If Attr And FileAttrHidden     Then S = S & "Hidden "
	If Attr And FileAttrSystem     Then S = S & "System "
	If Attr And FileAttrVolume     Then S = S & "Volume "
	If Attr And FileAttrArchive    Then S = S & "Archive "
	If Attr And FileAttrAlias      Then S = S & "Alias "
	If Attr And FileAttrCompressed Then S = S & "Compressed "

	ShowFileAttr = S

End Function


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'
' GenerateDriveInformation
'
' Purpose: 
'
' Generates a string describing the current state of the available drives.
'
' Demonstrates the following 
'
' - FileSystemObject.Drives 
' - Iterating the Drives collection
' - Drives.Count
' - Drive.AvailableSpace
' - Drive.DriveLetter
' - Drive.DriveType
' - Drive.FileSystem
' - Drive.FreeSpace
' - Drive.IsReady
' - Drive.Path
' - Drive.SerialNumber
' - Drive.ShareName
' - Drive.TotalSize
' - Drive.VolumeName
'
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Function GenerateDriveInformation(FSO)

	Dim Drives
	Dim Drive
	Dim S

	Set Drives = FSO.Drives

	S = "Number of drives:" & TabStop & Drives.Count & NewLine & NewLine

	' Construct 1st line of report.
	S = S & String(2, TabStop) & "Drive" 
	S = S & String(3, TabStop) & "File" 
	S = S & TabStop & "Total"
	S = S & TabStop & "Free"
	S = S & TabStop & "Available" 
	S = S & TabStop & "Serial" & NewLine

	' Construct 2nd line of report.
	S = S & "Letter"
	S = S & TabStop & "Path"
	S = S & TabStop & "Type"
	S = S & TabStop & "Ready?"
	S = S & TabStop & "Name"
	S = S & TabStop & "System"
	S = S & TabStop & "Space"
	S = S & TabStop & "Space"
	S = S & TabStop & "Space"
	S = S & TabStop & "Number" & NewLine	

	' Separator line.
	S = S & String(105, "-") & NewLine

	For Each Drive In Drives

		S = S & Drive.DriveLetter
		S = S & TabStop & Drive.Path
		S = S & TabStop & ShowDriveType(Drive)
		S = S & TabStop & Drive.IsReady

		If Drive.IsReady Then
    		If DriveTypeNetwork = Drive.DriveType Then
				S = S & TabStop & Drive.ShareName 
			Else
				S = S & TabStop & Drive.VolumeName 
			End If    

			S = S & TabStop & Drive.FileSystem
			S = S & TabStop & Drive.TotalSize
			S = S & TabStop & Drive.FreeSpace
			S = S & TabStop & Drive.AvailableSpace
			S = S & TabStop & Hex(Drive.SerialNumber)

		End If

		S = S & NewLine

	Next  
	
	GenerateDriveInformation = S

End Function

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'
' GenerateFileInformation
'
' Purpose: 
'
' Generates a string describing the current state of a file.
'
' Demonstrates the following 
'
' - File.Path
' - File.Name
' - File.Type
' - File.DateCreated
' - File.DateLastAccessed
' - File.DateLastModified
' - File.Size
' 
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Function GenerateFileInformation(File)

	Dim S

	S = NewLine & "Path:" & TabStop & File.Path
	S = S & NewLine & "Name:" & TabStop & File.Name
	S = S & NewLine & "Type:" & TabStop & File.Type
	S = S & NewLine & "Attribs:" & TabStop & ShowFileAttr(File)
	S = S & NewLine & "Created:" & TabStop & File.DateCreated
	S = S & NewLine & "Accessed:" & TabStop & File.DateLastAccessed
	S = S & NewLine & "Modified:" & TabStop & File.DateLastModified
	S = S & NewLine & "Size" & TabStop & File.Size & NewLine

	GenerateFileInformation = S

End Function


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'
' GenerateFolderInformation
'
' Purpose: 
'
' Generates a string describing the current state of a folder.
'
' Demonstrates the following 
'
' - Folder.Path
' - Folder.Name
' - Folder.DateCreated
' - Folder.DateLastAccessed
' - Folder.DateLastModified
' - Folder.Size
' 
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Function GenerateFolderInformation(Folder)

	Dim S

	S = "Path:" & TabStop & Folder.Path
	S = S & NewLine & "Name:" & TabStop & Folder.Name
	S = S & NewLine & "Attribs:" & TabStop & ShowFileAttr(Folder)
	S = S & NewLine & "Created:" & TabStop & Folder.DateCreated
	S = S & NewLine & "Accessed:" & TabStop & Folder.DateLastAccessed
	S = S & NewLine & "Modified:" & TabStop & Folder.DateLastModified
	S = S & NewLine & "Size:" & TabStop & Folder.Size & NewLine

	GenerateFolderInformation = S

End Function

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'
' GenerateAllFolderInformation
'
' Purpose: 
'
' Generates a string describing the current state of a
' folder and all files and subfolders.
'
' Demonstrates the following 
'
' - Folder.Path
' - Folder.SubFolders
' - Folders.Count
' 
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Function GenerateAllFolderInformation(Folder)

	Dim S
	Dim SubFolders
	Dim SubFolder
	Dim Files
	Dim File

	S = "Folder:" & TabStop & Folder.Path & NewLine & NewLine

	Set Files = Folder.Files

	If 1 = Files.Count Then
		S = S & "There is 1 file" & NewLine
	Else
		S = S & "There are " & Files.Count & " files" & NewLine
	End If

	If Files.Count <> 0 Then

		For Each File In Files
			S = S & GenerateFileInformation(File)
		Next

	End If

	Set SubFolders = Folder.SubFolders

	If 1 = SubFolders.Count Then
		S = S & NewLine & "There is 1 sub folder" & NewLine & NewLine
	Else
		S = S & NewLine & "There are " & SubFolders.Count & " sub folders" & NewLine & NewLine
	End If

	If SubFolders.Count <> 0 Then

		For Each SubFolder In SubFolders
			S = S & GenerateFolderInformation(SubFolder)
		Next

		S = S & NewLine

		For Each SubFolder In SubFolders
			S = S & GenerateAllFolderInformation(SubFolder)
		Next

	End If

	GenerateAllFolderInformation = S

End Function

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'
' GenerateTestInformation
'
' Purpose: 
'
' Generates a string describing the current state of the C:\Test
' folder and all files and subfolders.
'
' Demonstrates the following 
'
' - FileSystemObject.DriveExists
' - FileSystemObject.FolderExists
' - FileSystemObject.GetFolder
'
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Function GenerateTestInformation(FSO)

	Dim TestFolder
	Dim S

	If Not FSO.DriveExists(TestDrive) Then Exit Function
	If Not FSO.FolderExists(TestFilePath) Then Exit Function

	Set TestFolder = FSO.GetFolder(TestFilePath)

	GenerateTestInformation = GenerateAllFolderInformation(TestFolder) 

End Function


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'
' DeleteTestDirectory
'
' Purpose: 
'
' Cleans up the test directory.
'
' Demonstrates the following 
'
' - FileSystemObject.GetFolder
' - FileSystemObject.DeleteFile
' - FileSystemObject.DeleteFolder
' - Folder.Delete
' - File.Delete
'
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Sub DeleteTestDirectory(FSO)

	Dim TestFolder
	Dim SubFolder
	Dim File
	
	' Two ways to delete a file:

	FSO.DeleteFile(TestFilePath & "\Beatles\OctopusGarden.txt")

	Set File = FSO.GetFile(TestFilePath & "\Beatles\BathroomWindow.txt")
	File.Delete	



	' Two ways to delete a folder:

	FSO.DeleteFolder(TestFilePath & "\Beatles")

	FSO.DeleteFile(TestFilePath & "\ReadMe.txt")

	Set TestFolder = FSO.GetFolder(TestFilePath)
	TestFolder.Delete

End Sub

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'
' CreateLyrics
'
' Purpose: 
'
' Builds a couple of text files in a folder.
'
'
' Demonstrates the following 
'
' - FileSystemObject.CreateTextFile
' - TextStream.WriteLine
' - TextStream.Write
' - TextStream.WriteBlankLines
' - TextStream.Close
'
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Sub CreateLyrics(Folder)

	Dim TextStream
	
	Set TextStream = Folder.CreateTextFile("OctopusGarden.txt")
	
	TextStream.Write("Octopus' Garden ") ' Note that this does not add a line feed to the file.
	TextStream.WriteLine("(by Ringo Starr)")
	TextStream.WriteBlankLines(1)
	TextStream.WriteLine("I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade,")
	TextStream.WriteLine("He'd let us in, knows where we've been -- in his octopus' garden in the shade.")
	TextStream.WriteBlankLines(2)
	
	TextStream.Close

	Set TextStream = Folder.CreateTextFile("BathroomWindow.txt")
	TextStream.WriteLine("She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (by Lennon/McCartney)")
	TextStream.WriteLine("")
	TextStream.WriteLine("She came in through the bathroom window protected by a silver spoon")
	TextStream.WriteLine("But now she sucks her thumb and wanders by the banks of her own lagoon")
	TextStream.WriteBlankLines(2)
	TextStream.Close

End Sub

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'
' GetLyrics
'
' Purpose: 
'
' Displays the contents of the lyrics files.
'
'
' Demonstrates the following 
'
' - FileSystemObject.OpenTextFile
' - FileSystemObject.GetFile
' - TextStream.ReadAll
' - TextStream.Close
' - File.OpenAsTextStream
' - TextStream.AtEndOfStream
' - TextStream.ReadLine
'
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Function GetLyrics(FSO)

	Dim TextStream
	Dim S
	Dim File

	' There are several ways to open a text file, and several ways to read the 
	' data out of a file.  Here's two ways to do each:

	Set TextStream = FSO.OpenTextFile(TestFilePath & "\Beatles\OctopusGarden.txt", OpenFileForReading)
	
	S = TextStream.ReadAll & NewLine & NewLine
	TextStream.Close

	Set File = FSO.GetFile(TestFilePath & "\Beatles\BathroomWindow.txt")
	Set TextStream = File.OpenAsTextStream(OpenFileForReading)
	Do 	While Not TextStream.AtEndOfStream
		S = S & TextStream.ReadLine & NewLine
	Loop
	TextStream.Close

	GetLyrics = S
	
End Function


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'
' BuildTestDirectory
'
' Purpose: 
'
' Builds a directory hierarchy to demonstrate the FileSystemObject.
'
' We'll build a hierarchy in this order:
'
' C:\Test
' C:\Test\ReadMe.txt
' C:\Test\Beatles
' C:\Test\Beatles\OctopusGarden.txt
' C:\Test\Beatles\BathroomWindow.txt
'
'
' Demonstrates the following 
'
' - FileSystemObject.DriveExists
' - FileSystemObject.FolderExists
' - FileSystemObject.CreateFolder
' - FileSystemObject.CreateTextFile
' - Folders.Add
' - Folder.CreateTextFile
' - TextStream.WriteLine
' - TextStream.Close
'
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Function BuildTestDirectory(FSO)
	
	Dim TestFolder
	Dim SubFolders
	Dim SubFolder
	Dim TextStream

	' Bail out if (a) the drive does not exist, or if (b) the directory being built 
	' already exists.

	If Not FSO.DriveExists(TestDrive) Then
		BuildTestDirectory = False
		Exit Function
	End If

	If FSO.FolderExists(TestFilePath) Then
		BuildTestDirectory = False
		Exit Function
	End If

	Set TestFolder = FSO.CreateFolder(TestFilePath)

	Set TextStream = FSO.CreateTextFile(TestFilePath & "\ReadMe.txt")
	TextStream.WriteLine("My song lyrics collection")
	TextStream.Close

	Set SubFolders = TestFolder.SubFolders

	Set SubFolder = SubFolders.Add("Beatles")

	CreateLyrics SubFolder	

	BuildTestDirectory = True

End Function



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'
' The main routine
'
' First, it creates a test directory, along with some subfolders and files.  
' Then, it dumps some information about the available disk drives and 
' about the test directory, and then cleans everything up again.
'
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Sub Main

	Dim FSO

	' Set up global data.
	TabStop = Chr(9)
	NewLine = Chr(10)
	
	Set FSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

	If Not BuildTestDirectory(FSO) Then 
		Print "Test directory already exists or cannot be created.  Cannot continue."
		Exit Sub
	End If
	
	Print GenerateDriveInformation(FSO) & NewLine & NewLine

	Print GenerateTestInformation(FSO) & NewLine & NewLine

	Print GetLyrics(FSO) & NewLine & NewLine

	DeleteTestDirectory(FSO)
	
End Sub