Microsoft KB Archive/210158

= ACC2000: How to Find the Windows and System Paths =

Article ID: 210158

Article Last Modified on 10/11/2006

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Access 2000 Standard Edition

-



This article was previously published under Q210158



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



SUMMARY
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.

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied. This includes, but is not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language that is being demonstrated and with the tools that are used to create and to debug procedures. Microsoft support engineers 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 requirements.



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

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.   Create a module and type the following line in the Declarations section: 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   Type the following procedures: ' 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 folder ' 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

  To test the GetWinDir function, type the following line in the Immediate window, and then press ENTER: ? GetWinDir Note that the Windows folder path is displayed in the Immediate window.   To test the GetSysDir function, type the following line in the Immediate window, and then press ENTER. ? GetSysDir Note that the Windows System folder path is displayed in the Immediate window. 

