GetAttr Function

Note: The function, method, object, or property described in this topic is disabled if the Microsoft Jet Expression Service is running in sandbox mode, which prevents the evaluation of potentially unsafe expressions. For more information on sandbox mode, search for "sandbox mode" in Help.

Returns an Integer representing the attributes of a file, directory, or folder.

Syntax

GetAttr ( pathname )

The required pathnameargument is a string expression that specifies a file name. The pathname may include the directory or folder, and the drive.

Return Values

The value returned by GetAttr is the sum of the following attribute values:

Constant	Value	Description
vbNormal	0	Normal.
vbReadOnly	1	Read-only.
vbHidden	2	Hidden.
vbSystem	4	System file. Not available on the Macintosh.
vbDirectory	16	Directory or folder.
vbArchive	32	File has changed since last backup. Not available on the Macintosh.
vbAlias	64	Specified file name is an alias. Available only on the Macintosh.

Note: These constants are specified by Visual Basic for Applications. The names can be used anywhere in your code in place of the actual values.

Remarks

Note: Examples that follow demonstrate the use of this function in a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) module. For more information about working with VBA, select Developer Reference in the drop-down list next to Search and enter one or more terms in the search box.

To determine which attributes are set, use the And operator to perform a bitwise comparison of the value returned by the GetAttr function and the value of the individual file attribute you want. If the result is not zero, that attribute is set for the named file. For example, the return value of the following And expression is zero if the Archive attribute is not set:

Result = GetAttr(FName) And vbArchive

A nonzero value is returned if the Archive attribute is set.

Example

This example uses the GetAttr function to determine the attributes of a file and directory or folder. On the Macintosh, only the constants vbNormal, vbReadOnly, vbHidden and vbAlias are available.

Dim MyAttr
' Assume file TESTFILE has hidden attribute set.
MyAttr = GetAttr("TESTFILE")  ' Returns 2.
' Returns nonzero if hidden attribute is 
' set on TESTFILE.
Debug.Print MyAttr And vbHidden    
' Assume file TESTFILE has hidden and 
' read-only attributes set.
MyAttr = GetAttr("TESTFILE")  ' Returns 3.
' Returns nonzero if hidden attribute is 
' set on TESTFILE.
Debug.Print MyAttr And (vbHidden + vbReadOnly)    
' Assume MYDIR is a directory or folder.
MyAttr = GetAttr("MYDIR")  ' Returns 16.