Unzip and the copyHere command (with vUseless vOptions)

If you want to copy a file from one location to another you can certainly do it with using a folder shell object. A bonus: using the shell object enables you to copy from a zipped location. this is great until you need to use it as a hidden process requiring no user input. The problem is that if the file you are unzipping already exists you’ll get a prompt asking if you want to overwrite. The solution that doesn’t work: the shell32.folder.copyhere(sourcefolder, vOptions) has a vOptions which enables you to answer ‘yes to all’ for all overwrite prompts. Let me save you some time: contrary to the msdn article, it doesn’t work. My solution: create an unzip application and call it from another application as a process…setting the visible property to false.

Unzip vb script:

 

Dim sourcefile As String = Command$()
If Right(sourcefile, 1) = “\” Then sourcefile = Left(sourcefile, Len(sourcefile) – 1)
Dim sPath As String = Left(sourcefile, InStrRev(sourcefile, “\”))

Dim myShell As New Shell32.Shell
Dim sourceFolder As Shell32.Folder = myShell.NameSpace(sourcefile)
Dim destinationFolder As Shell32.Folder = myShell.NameSpace(sPath)
Try
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To sourceFolder.Items.Count – 1
If System.IO.File.Exists(destinationFolder.Items.Item.Path & “\” & sourceFolder.Items.Item(i).Name) Then _
System.IO.File.Delete(destinationFolder.Items.Item.Path & “\” & sourceFolder.Items.Item(i).Name)
destinationFolder.CopyHere(sourceFolder.Items.Item(i))
Console.WriteLine(“Unzipped ” & sourceFolder.Items.Item(i).Name & ” to ” & destinationFolder.Items.Item.Path)
Next
Return 0
Catch ex As Exception
Console.WriteLine(“Could not unzip from ” & sourcefile & ” to ” & destinationFolder.Items.Item.Path)
Console.WriteLine(“Error: ” & Err.Description)
Return Err.Number
Finally
destinationFolder = Nothing
sourceFolder = Nothing
myShell = Nothing
End Try

After you create this exe you can call it as a process:

 

Dim iProcess As New System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo(AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory + “unzip.exe”)

iProcess.CreateNoWindow = True
Dim sArgs As String = ZippedFile
iProcess.Arguments = sArgs
iProcess.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden
Dim p As New System.Diagnostics.Process
iProcess.UseShellExecute = False
p = System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(iProcess)
p.WaitForExit(30000)
Dim s As Integer = p.ExitCode
iProcess.UseShellExecute = True

p.Dispose()
iProcess = Nothing

edit 1/13/2011: please read all the comments as some others have posted some great additions to this method and made it even better. Thank you everyone for the great input!!

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