Find specific subfolder

Question

So currently I have an area on a shared network containing subfolders of each product.

So right now my hierarchy of folders looks like this:

Test Root Folder <--- This is my master folder
    Category 1
        Product 1 <--- this is the folder I'm trying to find
        Product 2
        Product 3
    Category 2
        Product 6
        Product 7
    Category 3
    Category 4
        Product 12

The product folders are always in this format "1234 - Product 1", Normally when I'm searching for it I know the beginning so I know the '1234' in this instance however I'm not sure what category it is in nor what the title 'Product 1' is only the 1234.

How can I automate this search?

this is my code thus far

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;

namespace HCA
{
    public partial class MainForm : Form
    {
        public MainForm()
        {
            InitializeComponent(); // For WindowsDesigner DO NOT REMOVE
        }

        void Button1Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
        string folderPath = @"C:\Users\Mike\Desktop\YBA Test";
        string searchPattern = textBox1.Text & " - *";
        DirectoryInfo dir= new DirectoryInfo(folderPath);
        DirectoryInfo[] directories =
            dir.GetDirectories(searchPattern, SearchOption.AllDirectories);
        foreach (DirectoryInfo dir in directories)
        {
            listBox1.Items.Add(dir.Path);
        }           
        }

        void Button2Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            listBox2.Items.Clear;
        }
    }
}

Right now I'm expecting users to be putting a number in textBox1 for example "1234" and when they hit button 1 a new item will be added to listBox1 as a hyperlink to the directory "C:\Users\Mike\Desktop\YBA Test\CCA**1234 - Test**\"

First, decide which language you are using. VB.NET is not vba nor is it VB6. It says so right on the tags — Ňɏssa Pøngjǣrdenlarp, Oct 01 '17 at 15:25
Implementing a database with files is never not a mistake. Do tackle that first. As-is, you cannot do anything but use Directory.GetDirectories() to enumerate the "category*" directories and for each directory enumerate the "1234*" directories. — Hans Passant, Oct 01 '17 at 15:46

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 01 '17 at 20:07

If VBA, the following could perhaps do the trick :

Option Compare Database
Option Explicit

Public Sub MyFind()
' basis for this module coming from this URL :
' https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22645347/loop-through-all-subfolders-using-vba
Dim FileSystem As Object
Dim HostFolder As String
Dim ProductToSearchFor As String

    HostFolder = "B:\"                  ' "W:\xtodel"
    ProductToSearchFor = "Product 7"    ' "1234"
    Set FileSystem = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    DoFolder FileSystem.GetFolder(HostFolder), ProductToSearchFor

End Sub

Private Sub DoFolder(Folder, ProductToSearchFor As String)
Dim SubFolder As Object
    Debug.Print "'" & Folder & Space(50 - Len(Folder)) & " // Name-Part = " & Folder.Name
    For Each SubFolder In Folder.SubFolders
        DoFolder SubFolder, ProductToSearchFor
    Next
    If Left(Folder.Name, Len(ProductToSearchFor)) = ProductToSearchFor Then
        Debug.Print "' ==>> FOUND !"
        MsgBox "Found !", vbInformation
    End If
End Sub

This could give the following results in your VBA-Direct-window :

'B:\                                                   // Name-Part =
'B:\Test Root Folder                                   // Name-Part = Test Root Folder
'B:\Test Root Folder\Category 1                        // Name-Part = Category 1
'B:\Test Root Folder\Category 1\Product 1              // Name-Part = Product 1
'B:\Test Root Folder\Category 1\Product 2              // Name-Part = Product 2
'B:\Test Root Folder\Category 1\Product 3              // Name-Part = Product 3
'B:\Test Root Folder\Category 2                        // Name-Part = Category 2
'B:\Test Root Folder\Category 2\Product 6              // Name-Part = Product 6
'B:\Test Root Folder\Category 2\Product 7              // Name-Part = Product 7
' ==>> FOUND !
'B:\Test Root Folder\Category 3                        // Name-Part = Category 3
'B:\Test Root Folder\Category 4                        // Name-Part = Category 4
'B:\Test Root Folder\Category 4\Product 12             // Name-Part = Product 12

Would be nice if you explain your code with a few words, especially the recursion. — BitAccesser, Oct 01 '17 at 23:32
@BitAccesser Even after giving it a few days, I struggle to come up with a concise explanation. There are also 2 major flaws, the `If Left` should be before the `For Each`, and there should be a trick to escape the recursion if the folder has been found. Perhaps I should tackle all this in a seperate answer. — JonRo, Oct 05 '17 at 11:09

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 06 '17 at 08:07

This is an addition to the answer of 1 Oct 2017. I tried to make the recursion more self-explanatory, and in the end, it evolved to this. A nice example how something can become complicated.

Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
'
' two variables at module level in order to exit the recursion if needed
'
Dim ProductFolderIsFound As Boolean     ' keep track if product-folder is found
Dim TheFoundProductFolder As String     ' return the full-path if product-folder is found
Dim FolderCounter As Long               ' trying to keep track of the recursion
'
' check for multiple occurrences, switch the comment before the line with 'true' and 'false'
'
Const StopWhenFound As Boolean = False              ' yes or no
'Const StopWhenFound As Boolean = True              ' yes or no
Const UncPathDivider As String = ";" & vbCrLf       ' if found, separate them by this string


'##################'
Public Sub MyFind()
'
' basis for this module coming from this URL :
' https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22645347/loop-through-all-subfolders-using-vba
'
Dim FileSystem As Object                ' will become 'Scripting.FileSystemObject'
Dim HostFolder As String                ' base-location for the search
Dim ProductToSearchFor As String
'----------------
' Initialisation
'----------------
    HostFolder = "B:\"                  ' "Z:\path\to\search"
    'ProductToSearchFor = "1234"
    'ProductToSearchFor = "Product 7"
    'ProductToSearchFor = "Category 2"
    ProductToSearchFor = "Product 1"

    FolderCounter = 1
    ' parameters for the recursion
    ProductFolderIsFound = False        ' in the start, productfolder is not yet found ;-)
    TheFoundProductFolder = ""          ' in the start, productfolder is not yet found ;-)

'-------------------
' get the work done
'-------------------
    ' debug message
    Debug.Print "' ==>> searching for : '" & ProductToSearchFor & _
                "' , starting in location : '" & HostFolder & "' <<=="

    ' give FileSystem his necessary type, in order to call the function '.GetFolder'
    ' ==>> debug.print VarType(FileSystem) will still return '9', like type 'Object'
    Set FileSystem = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    ' start of recursion, by passing the base location as a 'Scripting.FileSystemObject'
    DoFolder FileSystem.GetFolder(HostFolder), ProductToSearchFor, FolderCounter, ""

'--------
' result
'--------
    '
    ' What to do when yes or no the product-folder is found
    '
    If ProductFolderIsFound Then
        Debug.Print "' ==>> Found : " & vbCrLf & TheFoundProductFolder & "' <<=="
    Else
        Debug.Print "' ==>> NOT found : '" & ProductToSearchFor & _
                "' in location : '" & HostFolder & "' <<=="
    End If
End Sub


'###################'
Private Sub DoFolder(ByVal Folder As Object, _
                        ByVal ProductToSearchFor As String, _
                        ByVal FolderID As Long, _
                        ByVal PreviousFolderIDs As String) ' important : ByVal instead of ByRef
'
' the parameter 'Folder' [will be/needs to be] compatable type 'Scripting.FileSystemObject'
' because we use the function '.GetFolders' and the property '.Name'
'
Dim SubFolder As Object
Dim MessageLine As String
    '
    ' create a debug-message-line : "'" & Folder & (some spaces) & "//Name-Part = " & Folder.Name
    ' remember, 'Folder' returns the full path and 'Folder.Name' only the last part of the full path
    '
    MessageLine = "'" & PreviousFolderIDs & "__" & FolderID & ""
    If Len(MessageLine) <= 15 Then
        ' make the message at least 50 characters, so the 'name-part' can be in a second column
        MessageLine = MessageLine & Space(15 - Len(MessageLine))
    End If
    MessageLine = MessageLine & Folder
    If Len(MessageLine) <= 60 Then
        ' make the message at least 50 characters, so the 'name-part' can be in a second column
        MessageLine = MessageLine & Space(60 - Len(MessageLine))
    End If
    MessageLine = MessageLine & "//Name-Part = " & Folder.Name
    Debug.Print MessageLine

'-------------
' try to find
'-------------
    '
    ' if the 'Folder' is the desired product-folder, stop searching
    ' if desired switch the function 'Mid' with the 'Left'
    '
    'If Left(Folder.Name, Len(ProductToSearchFor)) = ProductToSearchFor Then
    If InStr(Folder.Name, ProductToSearchFor) > 0 Then
        Debug.Print "'" & Space(14) & "searching for : " & ProductToSearchFor & " ==>> FOUND !"
        ' let the rercursive stack know that the folder is found
        ProductFolderIsFound = True
        ' return the full location of the desired product-folder
        TheFoundProductFolder = TheFoundProductFolder & Folder & UncPathDivider
        If ProductFolderIsFound And StopWhenFound Then
            'MsgBox "Found !", vbInformation
            Exit Sub
        End If
    End If

'---------------------------------
' recursive call for this funtion
'---------------------------------
    '
    ' if product-folder not yet found, check all the subfolders of the current 'Folder'
    '
    For Each SubFolder In Folder.SubFolders
        FolderCounter = FolderCounter + 1
        DoFolder SubFolder, ProductToSearchFor, FolderCounter, PreviousFolderIDs & FolderID & ";"
        ' if product-folder has been found, no need to scan further thru the folder-structure
        If ProductFolderIsFound And StopWhenFound Then
            Exit For
        End If
    Next
End Sub

This could give the following results in your VBA-Direct-window :

'##################################'
Private Sub VBA_Window_Direct_003()
'
'myfind
' ==>> searching for : 'Product 1' , starting in location : 'B:\' <<==
'__1           B:\                                          //Name-Part =
'1;__2         B:\Test Root Folder                          //Name-Part = Test Root Folder
'1;2;__3       B:\Test Root Folder\Category 1               //Name-Part = Category 1
'1;2;3;__4     B:\Test Root Folder\Category 1\Product 1     //Name-Part = Product 1
'              searching for : Product 1 ==>> FOUND !
'1;2;3;__5     B:\Test Root Folder\Category 1\Product 2     //Name-Part = Product 2
'1;2;3;__6     B:\Test Root Folder\Category 1\Product 3     //Name-Part = Product 3
'1;2;__7       B:\Test Root Folder\Category 2               //Name-Part = Category 2
'1;2;7;__8     B:\Test Root Folder\Category 2\Product 6     //Name-Part = Product 6
'1;2;7;__9     B:\Test Root Folder\Category 2\Product 7     //Name-Part = Product 7
'1;2;__10      B:\Test Root Folder\Category 3               //Name-Part = Category 3
'1;2;__11      B:\Test Root Folder\Category 4               //Name-Part = Category 4
'1;2;11;__12   B:\Test Root Folder\Category 4\Product 12    //Name-Part = Product 12
'              searching for : Product 1 ==>> FOUND !
' ==>> Found :
B:\Test Root Folder\Category 1\Product 1;
B:\Test Root Folder\Category 4\Product 12;
' <<==
End Sub

In the first column, the numbers are an abbreviation for the different subfolders: 1=B:, 2=Test Root Folder, 3=Category 1 and so on.

Find specific subfolder

2 Answers2