Forum Discussion
saberman
Jan 01, 2024Copper Contributor
Walking Directories Finds A Directory That Doesn't Exist
I have a VBA application that walks directories and captures the number of files in each and their total size. I hit an unusual problem. A directory contains a reference to a subdirectory that doesn’t exist.
The reference is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\vfs\Common AppData\Application Data\*.*
It comes from:
FindFirstFileW(sPathFileUTF32, fdW)
Where sPathFileUTF32 is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\vfs\Common AppData
Attempt to walk it:
FindFirstFileW(sPathFileUTF32, fdW)
Where sPathFileUTF32 is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\vfs\Common AppData\Application Data\*.*
Throws an error:
Error[3]: The system cannot find the path specified.
File Manager does not see that subdirectory:
Dir in a CMD window does not see that subdirectory:
Why does FindFirstFileW return a path to a directory that does not exist?
- Tom_van_StiphoutSteel ContributorBecause the modern file system is WAY more complicated than your grandfather's file system. It contains virtual elements, and some APIs may see more than others.
- sabermanCopper ContributorI am using the same API to look at the parent directory as to look at the non-existent subdirectory.
The question is why would there be an entry in a directory for a subdirectory that doesn't exist.?