Free OCX controls

If you will setle for code, Try this. Copy/paste into a module;


Call the standard Windows File Open/Save dialog box

This can be done by either using the Common Dialog Control in Access 97 or by using the APIs defined for this purpose.

Paste the following code in a new module
'***************** Code Start **************
'This code was originally written by Ken Getz.
'It is not to be altered or distributed,
'except as part of an application.
'You are free to use it in any application,
'provided the copyright notice is left unchanged.
'
' Code courtesy of:
'   Microsoft Access 95 How-To
' Ken Getz and Paul Litwin
' Waite Group Press, 1996

Type tagOPENFILENAME
      lStructSize As Long
      hwndOwner As Long
      hInstance As Long
      strFilter As String
      strCustomFilter As String
      nMaxCustFilter As Long
      nFilterIndex As Long
      strFile As String
      nMaxFile As Long
      strFileTitle As String
      nMaxFileTitle As Long
      strInitialDir As String
      strTitle As String
      Flags As Long
      nFileOffset As Integer
      nFileExtension As Integer
      strDefExt As String
      lCustData As Long
      lpfnHook As Long
      lpTemplateName As String
End Type
Declare Function aht_apiGetOpenFileName Lib "comdlg32.dll" _
    Alias "GetOpenFileNameA" (OFN As tagOPENFILENAME) As Boolean
Declare Function aht_apiGetSaveFileName Lib "comdlg32.dll" _
    Alias "GetSaveFileNameA" (OFN As tagOPENFILENAME) As Boolean
Declare Function CommDlgExtendedError Lib "comdlg32.dll" () As Long
Global Const ahtOFN_READONLY = &H1
Global Const ahtOFN_OVERWRITEPROMPT = &H2
Global Const ahtOFN_HIDEREADONLY = &H4
Global Const ahtOFN_NOCHANGEDIR = &H8
Global Const ahtOFN_SHOWHELP = &H10
' You won't use these.
'Global Const ahtOFN_ENABLEHOOK = &H20
'Global Const ahtOFN_ENABLETEMPLATE = &H40
'Global Const ahtOFN_ENABLETEMPLATEHANDLE = &H80
Global Const ahtOFN_NOVALIDATE = &H100
Global Const ahtOFN_ALLOWMULTISELECT = &H200
Global Const ahtOFN_EXTENSIONDIFFERENT = &H400
Global Const ahtOFN_PATHMUSTEXIST = &H800
Global Const ahtOFN_FILEMUSTEXIST = &H1000
Global Const ahtOFN_CREATEPROMPT = &H2000
Global Const ahtOFN_SHAREAWARE = &H4000
Global Const ahtOFN_NOREADONLYRETURN = &H8000
Global Const ahtOFN_NOTESTFILECREATE = &H10000
Global Const ahtOFN_NONETWORKBUTTON = &H20000
Global Const ahtOFN_NOLONGNAMES = &H40000
' New for Windows 95
Global Const ahtOFN_EXPLORER = &H80000
Global Const ahtOFN_NODEREFERENCELINKS = &H100000
Global Const ahtOFN_LONGNAMES = &H200000
Function TestIt()
    Dim strFilter As String
    Dim lngFlags As Long
    strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, "Access Files (*.mda, *.mdb)", _
                    "*.MDA;*.MDB")
    strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, "dBASE Files (*.dbf)", "*.DBF")
    strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, "Text Files (*.txt)", "*.TXT")
    strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, "All Files (*.*)", "*.*")
    MsgBox "You selected: " & ahtCommonFileOpenSave(InitialDir:="C:\", _
        Filter:=strFilter, FilterIndex:=3, Flags:=lngFlags, _
        DialogTitle:="Hello! Open Me!")
    ' Since you passed in a variable for lngFlags,
    ' the function places the output flags value in the variable.
    Debug.Print Hex(lngFlags)
End Function
Function GetOpenFile(Optional varDirectory As Variant, _
    Optional varTitleForDialog As Variant) As Variant
' Here's an example that gets an Access database name.
Dim strFilter As String
Dim lngFlags As Long
Dim varFileName As Variant
' Specify that the chosen file must already exist,
' don't change directories when you're done
' Also, don't bother displaying
' the read-only box. It'll only confuse people.
    lngFlags = ahtOFN_FILEMUSTEXIST Or _
                ahtOFN_HIDEREADONLY Or ahtOFN_NOCHANGEDIR
    If IsMissing(varDirectory) Then
        varDirectory = ""
    End If
    If IsMissing(varTitleForDialog) Then
        varTitleForDialog = ""
    End If

    ' Define the filter string and allocate space in the "c"
    ' string Duplicate this line with changes as necessary for
    ' more file templates.
    strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, _
                "Access (*.mdb)", "*.MDB;*.MDA")
    ' Now actually call to get the file name.
    varFileName = ahtCommonFileOpenSave( _
                    OpenFile:=True, _
                    InitialDir:=varDirectory, _
                    Filter:=strFilter, _
                    Flags:=lngFlags, _
                    DialogTitle:=varTitleForDialog)
    If Not IsNull(varFileName) Then
        varFileName = TrimNull(varFileName)
    End If
    GetOpenFile = varFileName
End Function
Function ahtCommonFileOpenSave( _
            Optional ByRef Flags As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal InitialDir As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal Filter As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal FilterIndex As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal DefaultExt As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal FileName As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal DialogTitle As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal hwnd As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal OpenFile As Variant) As Variant
' This is the entry point you'll use to call the common
' file open/save dialog. The parameters are listed
' below, and all are optional.
'
' In:
' Flags: one or more of the ahtOFN_* constants, OR'd together.
' InitialDir: the directory in which to first look
' Filter: a set of file filters, set up by calling
' AddFilterItem. See examples.
' FilterIndex: 1-based integer indicating which filter
' set to use, by default (1 if unspecified)
' DefaultExt: Extension to use if the user doesn't enter one.
' Only useful on file saves.
' FileName: Default value for the file name text box.
' DialogTitle: Title for the dialog.
' hWnd: parent window handle
' OpenFile: Boolean(True=Open File/False=Save As)
' Out:
' Return Value: Either Null or the selected filename
Dim OFN As tagOPENFILENAME
Dim strFileName As String
Dim strFileTitle As String
Dim fResult As Boolean
    ' Give the dialog a caption title.
    If IsMissing(InitialDir) Then InitialDir = CurDir
    If IsMissing(Filter) Then Filter = ""
    If IsMissing(FilterIndex) Then FilterIndex = 1
    If IsMissing(Flags) Then Flags = 0&
    If IsMissing(DefaultExt) Then DefaultExt = ""
    If IsMissing(FileName) Then FileName = ""
    If IsMissing(DialogTitle) Then DialogTitle = ""
    If IsMissing(hwnd) Then hwnd = Application.hWndAccessApp
    If IsMissing(OpenFile) Then OpenFile = True
    ' Allocate string space for the returned strings.
    strFileName = left(FileName & String(256, 0), 256)
    strFileTitle = String(256, 0)
    ' Set up the data structure before you call the function
    With OFN
        .lStructSize = Len(OFN)
        .hwndOwner = hwnd
        .strFilter = Filter
        .nFilterIndex = FilterIndex
        .strFile = strFileName
        .nMaxFile = Len(strFileName)
        .strFileTitle = strFileTitle
        .nMaxFileTitle = Len(strFileTitle)
        .strTitle = DialogTitle
        .Flags = Flags
        .strDefExt = DefaultExt
        .strInitialDir = InitialDir
        ' Didn't think most people would want to deal with
        ' these options.
        .hInstance = 0
        .strCustomFilter = ""
        .nMaxCustFilter = 0
        .lpfnHook = 0
        'New for NT 4.0
        .strCustomFilter = String(255, 0)
        .nMaxCustFilter = 255
    End With
    ' This will pass the desired data structure to the
    ' Windows API, which will in turn it uses to display
    ' the Open/Save As Dialog.
    If OpenFile Then
        fResult = aht_apiGetOpenFileName(OFN)
    Else
        fResult = aht_apiGetSaveFileName(OFN)
    End If

    ' The function call filled in the strFileTitle member
    ' of the structure. You'll have to write special code
    ' to retrieve that if you're interested.
    If fResult Then
        ' You might care to check the Flags member of the
        ' structure to get information about the chosen file.
        ' In this example, if you bothered to pass in a
        ' value for Flags, we'll fill it in with the outgoing
        ' Flags value.
        If Not IsMissing(Flags) Then Flags = OFN.Flags
        ahtCommonFileOpenSave = TrimNull(OFN.strFile)
    Else
        ahtCommonFileOpenSave = vbNullString
    End If
End Function
Function ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter As String, _
    strDescription As String, Optional varItem As Variant) As String
' Tack a new chunk onto the file filter.
' That is, take the old value, stick onto it the description,
' (like "Databases"), a null character, the skeleton
' (like "*.mdb;*.mda") and a final null character.

    If IsMissing(varItem) Then varItem = "*.*"
    ahtAddFilterItem = strFilter & _
                strDescription & vbNullChar & _
                varItem & vbNullChar
End Function
Private Function TrimNull(ByVal strItem As String) As String
Dim intPos As Integer
    intPos = InStr(strItem, vbNullChar)
    If intPos > 0 Then
        TrimNull = left(strItem, intPos - 1)
    Else
        TrimNull = strItem
    End If
End Function
'************** Code End *****************
To call the actual dialog from your code, see the enclosed function TestIt() within the module or use the following example as a guideline and

Dim strFilter As String
Dim strInputFileName as string

strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, "Excel Files (*.XLS)", "*.XLS")
strInputFileName = ahtCommonFileOpenSave(Filter:=strFilter, OpenFile:=True, _
                DialogTitle:="Please select an input file...", _
                Flags:=ahtOFN_HIDEREADONLY)

Note that in order to call the Save As dialog box, you can use the same wrapper function by just setting the OpenFile option as False. For example,


'Ask for SaveFileName
strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(myStrFilter, "Excel Files (*.xls)", "*.xls")
strSaveFileName = ahtCommonFileOpenSave(OpenFile:=False, Filter:=strFilter, _
                    Flags:=ahtOFN_OVERWRITEPROMPT Or ahtOFN_READONLY)
 

Some site that has controls

http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/6311/
http://nt1.pncl.co.uk/sbutler/
http://www.winsite.com/win95/access/index.html
http://www.activex.com - Bet you never guessed that one :-))

Thanks Trygve,

I tried this code, and it worked great.  I am willing to give you 50 points also.

Do you know if there is a windows API to capture the shutdown button when it is selected ?  I want to run a batch file when windows shutdown is selected.  

I offered this question in the windows section of expert-exchange, but the experts responded with sharewhare applications.  I prefer to code it myself...


Thanks,
Believer

Thanks Trygive,
i tested the code for a few minutes and it seems to work right. So suggest as answer, I'll give you the points.
I did not have the time to study the code myself so I've got 2 more questions:
Is it possible to select multiple files (for loading)? Is it possible to select a directory (to load all files in one directory)?

Anyhow, if anyone knows some more sites with free controls feel free to send a comment, I've got another 50points to give away ;-)

Fun

Thanks for your advice TryGive, you have really earned the points. You were a great help for me!

You are most welcome!

Have a nice day!
Trygve

Trygve:

Selecting multiple files works fine, as long as I only select a few records. When I select about 30 files or so (that's important 'cause I'm creating some batch jobs...) The function does not return ANY file ... Any hints?

Sorry,

fingers went faster than head. I took a closer look at the code and everything's fine yet.

Fun

Sounds great. Keep up the good work...

This question was awarded, but never cleared due to the JSP-500 errors of that time.  It was "stuck" against userID -1 versus the intended expert whom you awarded.  This corrects the problem and the expert will now receive these points; points verified.

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