VBA - Folder Picker - set where to start [duplicate]

Question

I have a small Access VBA application that requires users to select a folder. I was wondering if there is a way to tell VBA the path at which to start the folder picker. i.e. start the folder picker at C:\data\forms. Currently it seems to be starting from the directory that was previously used. Also is there a way to limit what the folder picker can access. So it can access anything within C:\data but not anything else in C:

Anyway

Please add the code you have so far; it will serve as a good starting point. – Despotism

Answer 1

I have been using the following code (Not My Code) successfully for many years.

Sub Sample()
    Dim Ret

    '~~> Specify your start folder here
    Ret = BrowseForFolder("C:\")
End Sub

Function BrowseForFolder(Optional OpenAt As Variant) As Variant
     'Function purpose:  To Browser for a user selected folder.
     'If the "OpenAt" path is provided, open the browser at that directory
     'NOTE:  If invalid, it will open at the Desktop level

    Dim ShellApp As Object

     'Create a file browser window at the default folder
    Set ShellApp = CreateObject("Shell.Application"). _
    BrowseForFolder(0, "Please choose a folder", 0, OpenAt)

     'Set the folder to that selected.  (On error in case cancelled)
    On Error Resume Next
    BrowseForFolder = ShellApp.self.Path
    On Error GoTo 0

     'Destroy the Shell Application
    Set ShellApp = Nothing

     'Check for invalid or non-entries and send to the Invalid error
     'handler if found
     'Valid selections can begin L: (where L is a letter) or
     '\\ (as in \\servername\sharename.  All others are invalid
    Select Case Mid(BrowseForFolder, 2, 1)
    Case Is = ":"
        If Left(BrowseForFolder, 1) = ":" Then GoTo Invalid
    Case Is = "\"
        If Not Left(BrowseForFolder, 1) = "\" Then GoTo Invalid
    Case Else
        GoTo Invalid
    End Select

    Exit Function

Invalid:
     'If it was determined that the selection was invalid, set to False
    BrowseForFolder = False
End Function

Repeat

Answer 2

Here is a quick and dirty method I use all the time. The function below will only get the user to select the folder they want to start at - I think the simplest way to limit access to a given path is to perhaps check GetFolderName below against the path(s) you want to restrict e.g.

If GetFolderName = "C:\" then 
  MsgBox("This folder is not for you buddy")
  Exit Sub
end if

Also not my code :)

Public Function GetFolderName(Optional OpenAt As String) As String
Dim lCount As Long

GetFolderName = vbNullString

With Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)
    .InitialFileName = OpenAt
    .Show
    For lCount = 1 To .SelectedItems.Count
        GetFolderName = .SelectedItems(lCount)
    Next lCount
End With
End Function

Luger

Access doesn't recognize Excel's enumerations, you need to specify the number, so for this code to work in Access replace msoFileDialogFolderPicker with 4. – Nonsectarian

Answer 3

If you do not need to restrict the folder-view to your user, then I would suggest using the FileDialog method (the interface is more intuitive then what invoking the shell gives you). For additional details, you can read more on CPearson's site. He has a lengthy article on browsing for folders using VBA (mulitple ways; the FileDialog option is at the very end):

Function BrowseFolder(Title As String, _
    Optional InitialFolder As String = vbNullString, _
    Optional InitialView As Office.MsoFileDialogView = _
        msoFileDialogViewList) As String

Dim V As Variant
Dim InitFolder As String

With Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)
    .Title = Title
    .InitialView = InitialView
    If Len(InitialFolder) > 0 Then
        If Dir(InitialFolder, vbDirectory) <> vbNullString Then
            InitFolder = InitialFolder
            If Right(InitFolder, 1) <> "\" Then
                InitFolder = InitFolder & "\"
            End If
            .InitialFileName = InitFolder
        End If
    End If
    .Show
    On Error Resume Next
    Err.Clear
    V = .SelectedItems(1)
    If Err.Number <> 0 Then
        V = vbNullString
    End If
End With
BrowseFolder = CStr(V)
End Function

This function takes two parameters. The first, Title is a string specifying the title to be displayed with the file dialog. The second InitialFolder, which is optional, specifies the initial folder to which the dialog should open. The third parameter, also optional, InitialView specifies the view type. See MsoFileDialogView in the Object Browser for the valid values of this parameter. The function returns the fully-qualified folder name selected by the user or an empty string if the user cancelled the dialog.

Jordanson

Answer 4

Here is a much simpler way. This code snippet lets user pick a folder and then prints that folder address to the screen:

Sub PrintSelectedFolder()
    Dim selectedFolder

    With Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)
        .Show
        selectedFolder = .SelectedItems(1)
    End With

    'print to screen the address of folder selected
    MsgBox (selectedFolder)

End Sub

Phanerogam

Access doesn't recognize Excel's enumerations, you need to specify the number, so for this code to work in Access replace msoFileDialogFolderPicker with 4. – Nonsectarian

Answer 5

For mac users:

Sub Select_Folder_On_Mac()
  Dim folderPath As String
  Dim RootFolder As String

  On Error Resume Next
  RootFolder = MacScript("return (path to desktop folder) as String")
  'Or use RootFolder = "Macintosh HD:Users:YourUserName:Desktop:TestMap:"
  folderPath = MacScript("(choose folder with prompt ""Select the folder""" & _
     "default location alias """ & RootFolder & """) as string")
  On Error GoTo 0

  If folderPath <> "" Then
    MsgBox folderPath
  End If
End Sub

Stolen from https://www.macexcel.com/examples/filesandfolders/selectfolder/ ;)

Fortnight