Visual Basic for Windows does not provide you with path information in the project window. If you are like me, you have a number of files with the same names in different directories. If you've ever seen a 'Can not locate' message when you open a Visual Basic project you probably know what I mean. This is a simple little program to provide you with the path specifications that are stored in the VB make files.
This program may be freely distributed provided that it is not modified in any way, that this file (README.CSO) be included in the distribution, and that there be no fees charged for this program or it's use without CSO consent. CSO provides no warranty, what so ever, for this product and recommends that this program as well as any other programs obtained via BBS be run only after backing up your disk(s).
INSTALLING VBPATHS
VBPATHS is a Visual Basic program and requires VBRUN100.DLL. If you don't have this file you can download it from virtually any BBS (though I have no idea why you would want this program if you don't have this file already).
Included in this ZIP are four files, VBPATHS.EXE, COMMDLG.DLL, CMDIALOG.VBX , and README.CSO. If you've gotten this far you know about README.CSO. VBPATHS.EXE is the primary execution file. It need not be in you computers path or opened from it's directory.
It is recommended that you examine your WINDOWS and WINDOWS/SYSTEM directories to determine if the files COMMDLG.DLL and CMDIALOG.VBX exist therein. If those files already exist, try to run this program from a different directory than the one where VBPATHS.EXE resides. If the program runs, delete the COMMDLG.DLL and CMDIALOG.VBX files included in this ZIP. If these files do not exist in your WINDOWS or WINDOWS/SYSTEM directories, move them to the WINDOWS/SYSTEM directory. If these files already exist, and the program fails to run (this shouldn't happen but who knows what Microsoft might do in the future), you have two options.
1) Rename the COMMDLG.DLL and CMDIALOG.VBX in your WINDOWS or WINDOWS/SYSTEM directories then replace them with the COMMDLG.DLL and CMDIALOG.VBX in this ZIP. If at this point, you have problems opening common dialogs in any of your other programs, move these files to a separate directory where VBPATHS.EXE is located, then rename the files changed earlier back to COMMDLG.DLL and CMDIALOG.VBX, then follow the instructions in option 2.
2) Copy the COMMDLG.DLL and CMDIALOG.VBX files included in this ZIP to the directory where VBPATHS.EXE is located. Always start VBPATHS.EXE from the directory where VBPATHS.EXE is located (VB looks in the current directory for support files before checking your computers path).
USING VBPATHS
VBPATHS does only a couple of things and has only four option buttons to select from. Click the 'Get File' button to select a Visual Basic project (mak) file to view. Click the 'Print' button to print the project file name and the form and module file names therein. Click the 'Get Path' button to show your computers path. Click 'End Program' button to end the program.
If you click 'Get File' and then select anything other than a VB make file you will get an error message and be returned to the program to try again. If you select a valid VB project file you will see the paths (or lack there of) of the forms and modules in your project.
Unless there is a specific path identified in the project file, VB will look in the directory where the make file is located and then through your computers path to find the forms and modules noted in your project files. If the VB make file notes a '..\' as a preface to the path and file name, it will search for a sub directory of the directory where your make file is located.
The other buttons are self explanatory so I won't waste your time explaining them except to note that if you click the 'Get Path' button a second time (it will have changed caption to 'Clear Path') you will be advised of how to contact the Contract Services Organization.
Happy Organizing;
Tim Brown
CSO
P.S.
It wouldn't be to hard to modify this program to allow alterations of the VB project files or provide file search capabilities. If you have any interest in seeing these capabilities in the program, send a letter to me at CSO. If there is enough interest I'll see what I can do.
