This example let's you select any file type, categorize it (ie. as Word files, Excel files, Paint Files, or create your own categories) put in a starting location folder and then have it search through that folder and all subfolders for those file types. When it finds one, it stores the file location, file name, combined folder/file name, file type, category, and creation date of the file itself that it finds into a table. (it will also search within all subfolders of the folder you selected).
Click on the Word button to see where all the word docs it found and where they are located. Click on the Excel button to see where are all the Excel files it found and folders they are located in. Click on Paint to see all the *.bmp files it found, or click the dropdown and select the new category you created (ie. myFavoriteFiles). The table again, itself stores all this information.
You can then see those file in listings on a form sorted by how you want it sorted (ie. by just the foldername, just filename, both, or by the file creation date). There are 2 listings, one for files with a create date prior to X (where X is any date you specify) and the other is for files with a creation/modified date after X (note though that it doesn't automatically update the modified date in the table should you open the file - you must search and re-populate the table to do this.) You can then highlight any file in either listing and open it or create a desktop shortcut to it (there's code in the app to create a desktop shortcut to a file). Or you can filter out to show just shortcut type of files it found (ie. "shortcut to MyWordDocument").
You can do a search again, against just the folder names or just the filenames or both the folder and filename.
Note also that this app has code in it to remove all the MSAccess menu items so you only see the popup form itself and nothing that would tell you it's an MSAccess file.
You can hold down the shift key while opening it to get behind the scenes to see the tabsle itself and look at the folder names, file types, filenames, both, or the creation dates fields it stores the info in (ideal for exporting).
This can be used nicely as a menu system once all the files are searched/populated into the tables.
Lastly, it has a log table which will keep track of what user opened what file (ie. the filename they opened), and when they opened it (if the file is opened via this menu system.) It does not automatically keep track if the file is opened directly and not through this app. You can then list in the listing all the files only you or another user previously opened.
I wrote this for the City of Madison where it was helpful and extensively used.
*** Make sure to add this website to your intranet security in IE to be able to open any MSAccess files within a zip download.
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