How To Get a Short File Name from a Long File Name (192827)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows 3.0b
  • Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows 5.0
  • Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows 5.0a
  • Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows 6.0
This article was previously published under Q192827

SUMMARY

Occasionally, it is convenient to be able to convert a Win32 long file name to a Win16-style (8.3 format) short file name. For example, file names may need to be stored in a table that is shared by both Visual FoxPro and FoxPro for Windows.

This information is stored in the Win32 file system, and can be looked up using the GetShortPathName function.

MORE INFORMATION

Enter and run the following program. It creates a file with a long name in the FoxPro temporary drive and directory, converts it to a short file name, and deletes the file: 
   * create a long file name in the FoxPro temp drive and directory
   lcTempFileName = SYS(2023) + "\" + "this is a very long filename.txt"
   liHandle = FCREATE(lcTempFileName)
   = FCLOSE(liHandle)

   ? "Original long filename is: " + lcTempFileName
   ? "Short filename is: " + lfn2sfn(lcTempFileName)

   * delete when finished
   DELETE FILE (lcTempFileName)

   FUNCTION lfn2sfn
   *
   * Converts a Win32 long file name to its short file name equivalent
   *
   * passed: long file name, must already exist for this to work
   *
   * returns: fully qualified short file name, or empty string
   * if error is encountered
   *

   PARAMETERS lcInputString

   DECLARE INTEGER GetShortPathName IN Kernel32 STRING @lpszLongPath, ;
      STRING @lpszShortPath, INTEGER cchBuffer
   DECLARE INTEGER GetLastError IN Win32api

   #DEFINE MAX_PATH 255

   * buffer to receive converted file name
   lcOutputString = SPACE(MAX_PATH)

   * length of receiving buffer
   llcbOutputString = LEN(lcOutputString)

   * if successful, llretval will contain the length of the
   * output string
   llretval = GetShortPathName(@lcInputString, @lcOutputString,;
      llcbOutputString)
   IF llretval = 0
   * uncomment for error code
   * wait window "Error occurred, code is: " + ltrim(str(GetLastError()))
      RETURN ""
   ENDIF

   * truncate it at the length the return value indicates
   lcOutputString = LEFT(lcOutputString, llretval)

   RETURN lcOutputString

REFERENCES

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

175512 How To Get a Short Filename from a Long Filename

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:6/30/2004
Keywords:kbhowto KB192827
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.