SelectAndOpenFile

Shows the Open dialog and opens the file or files that the user chose.

Syntax: object.SelectAndOpenFile ( ) As Long

object

required An object expression that evaluates to a cDialog.

Returns a Long:

• 0 when the user cancelled the dialog or the dialog failed.
• Otherwise the value that OpenFile returned for the path. A value above 32 means that the file was opened.

Remarks

SelectAndOpenFile calls ShowOpen with the current properties of the object, so every option that applies to the Open dialog (Filter, InitialDir, MultiSelect and the others) applies here. It then calls OpenFile with the verb open for the path. The file is run as OpenFile describes: a program starts, and a document opens in its associated program.

Warning

With MultiSelect True and several files selected, ShowOpen returns only the folder of the files, so SelectAndOpenFile passes the folder to OpenFile, which opens the folder in File Explorer. None of the selected files is opened, and no error is raised.

The source also has a branch for an array result, which opens each element and returns 1. ShowOpen never returns an array, so the branch never runs.

Example

This example lets the user pick any file and opens it.

Dim dlg As New cDialog
Dim result As Long

dlg.DialogTitle = "Open a document"
dlg.SetDocumentFilters
result = dlg.SelectAndOpenFile()

If result = 0 Then
    Debug.Print "Nothing was opened"
ElseIf result <= 32 Then
    Debug.Print "ShellExecute failed with code " & result
End If

See Also

• OpenFile method – opens a file whose path is known
• ShowOpen method – shows the Open dialog and returns the path
• MultiSelect property – lets the user select several files
• cDialog class – overview