GetAttr Function Returns an Integer representing the attributes of a file, directory, or folder.

Syntax

GetAttr(pathname)

Parameters

• pathname - Required. String expression that specifies a file name. May include directory or folder, and drive.

Return Value

Returns an Integer representing the sum of the following attribute values:

Remarks

• Use the And operator to test for a specific attribute.
• The return value can be a combination of multiple attributes.
• To check if a file has a specific attribute, use bitwise AND comparison.
• GetAttr generates an error if the file doesn't exist.
• Use Dir to check if a file exists before calling GetAttr.
• On systems other than Macintosh, vbAlias is never set.
• The vbVolume constant is used for volume labels only.

Typical Uses

• Checking if a file is read-only before attempting to modify it
• Detecting hidden or system files
• Verifying if a path points to a directory
• Determining file attributes for backup operations
• Filtering files based on attributes
• Security and permission checks

Basic Usage Examples

' Check if file is read-only
Dim attr As Integer
attr = GetAttr("C:\data.txt")
If attr And vbReadOnly Then
    MsgBox "File is read-only"
End If
' Check if path is a directory
Dim pathAttr As Integer
pathAttr = GetAttr("C:\MyFolder")
If pathAttr And vbDirectory Then
    MsgBox "This is a directory"
End If
' Check for hidden file
Dim fileAttr As Integer
fileAttr = GetAttr("C:\hidden.sys")
If fileAttr And vbHidden Then
    MsgBox "File is hidden"
End If
' Check for system file
If GetAttr("C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe") And vbSystem Then
    MsgBox "This is a system file"
End If

Common Patterns

1. Check Read-Only Before Writing

Sub WriteToFile(filename As String, content As String)
    Dim attr As Integer
    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
    attr = GetAttr(filename)
    If attr And vbReadOnly Then
        MsgBox "Cannot write to read-only file: " & filename
        Exit Sub
    End If
    ' Proceed with writing
    Dim fileNum As Integer
    fileNum = FreeFile
    Open filename For Output As #fileNum
    Print #fileNum, content
    Close #fileNum
    Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
    MsgBox "Error accessing file: " & Err.Description
End Sub

2. Detect Directory vs File

Function IsDirectory(path As String) As Boolean
    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
    Dim attr As Integer
    attr = GetAttr(path)
    IsDirectory = (attr And vbDirectory) <> 0
    Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
    IsDirectory = False
End Function
' Usage
If IsDirectory("C:\Windows") Then
    Debug.Print "Path is a directory"
Else
    Debug.Print "Path is a file"
End If

3. Find Hidden Files

Sub ListHiddenFiles(folderPath As String)
    Dim filename As String
    Dim fullPath As String
    Dim attr As Integer
    filename = Dir(folderPath & "\*.*", vbHidden)
    Do While filename <> ""
        fullPath = folderPath & "\" & filename
        On Error Resume Next
        attr = GetAttr(fullPath)
        On Error GoTo 0
        If (attr And vbHidden) And Not (attr And vbDirectory) Then
            Debug.Print "Hidden file: " & filename
        End If
        filename = Dir
    Loop
End Sub

4. Check Multiple Attributes

Function GetFileAttributeDescription(filename As String) As String
    Dim attr As Integer
    Dim description As String
    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
    attr = GetAttr(filename)
    description = ""
    If attr = vbNormal Then
        description = "Normal"
    Else
        If attr And vbReadOnly Then description = description & "Read-Only "
        If attr And vbHidden Then description = description & "Hidden "
        If attr And vbSystem Then description = description & "System "
        If attr And vbDirectory Then description = description & "Directory "
        If attr And vbArchive Then description = description & "Archive "
    End If
    GetFileAttributeDescription = Trim(description)
    Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
    GetFileAttributeDescription = "Error: " & Err.Description
End Function

5. Safe File Delete

Function SafeDeleteFile(filename As String) As Boolean
    Dim attr As Integer
    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
    ' Check if file exists and get attributes
    attr = GetAttr(filename)
    ' Don't delete system or read-only files
    If attr And vbSystem Then
        MsgBox "Cannot delete system file: " & filename
        SafeDeleteFile = False
        Exit Function
    End If
    ' Remove read-only attribute if set
    If attr And vbReadOnly Then
        SetAttr filename, attr And Not vbReadOnly
    End If
    ' Delete the file
    Kill filename
    SafeDeleteFile = True
    Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
    MsgBox "Error deleting file: " & Err.Description
    SafeDeleteFile = False
End Function

6. List Files by Attribute

Sub ListFilesByAttribute(folderPath As String, attributeFlag As Integer)
    Dim filename As String
    Dim fullPath As String
    Dim attr As Integer
    filename = Dir(folderPath & "\*.*", vbNormal + vbHidden + vbSystem)
    Do While filename <> ""
        fullPath = folderPath & "\" & filename
        On Error Resume Next
        attr = GetAttr(fullPath)
        On Error GoTo 0
        If (attr And attributeFlag) And Not (attr And vbDirectory) Then
            Debug.Print filename & " (Attribute: " & attr & ")"
        End If
        filename = Dir
    Loop
End Sub
' Usage
ListFilesByAttribute "C:\Temp", vbArchive  ' List files needing backup

7. Backup File Scanner

Function NeedsBackup(filename As String) As Boolean
    Dim attr As Integer
    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
    attr = GetAttr(filename)
    ' Check if archive bit is set
    NeedsBackup = (attr And vbArchive) <> 0
    Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
    NeedsBackup = False
End Function
Sub FindFilesNeedingBackup(folderPath As String, lst As ListBox)
    Dim filename As String
    Dim fullPath As String
    lst.Clear
    filename = Dir(folderPath & "\*.*")
    Do While filename <> ""
        fullPath = folderPath & "\" & filename
        If NeedsBackup(fullPath) Then
            lst.AddItem filename
        End If
        filename = Dir
    Loop
End Sub

8. File Permission Check

Function CanModifyFile(filename As String) As Boolean
    Dim attr As Integer
    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
    attr = GetAttr(filename)
    ' File can be modified if it's not read-only and not a system file
    CanModifyFile = Not ((attr And vbReadOnly) Or (attr And vbSystem))
    Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
    CanModifyFile = False
End Function
Sub ModifyFileIfAllowed(filename As String)
    If CanModifyFile(filename) Then
        ' Proceed with modification
        Debug.Print "File can be modified"
    Else
        Debug.Print "File is protected"
    End If
End Sub

9. Directory Tree Walker

Sub WalkDirectory(path As String, Optional level As Integer = 0)
    Dim filename As String
    Dim fullPath As String
    Dim attr As Integer
    Dim indent As String
    indent = String(level * 2, " ")
    filename = Dir(path & "\*.*", vbDirectory)
    Do While filename <> ""
        If filename <> "." And filename <> ".." Then
            fullPath = path & "\" & filename
            On Error Resume Next
            attr = GetAttr(fullPath)
            On Error GoTo 0
            If attr And vbDirectory Then
                Debug.Print indent & "[DIR] " & filename
                WalkDirectory fullPath, level + 1
            Else
                Debug.Print indent & filename
            End If
        End If
        filename = Dir
    Loop
End Sub

10. File Attribute Report

Sub GenerateAttributeReport(folderPath As String)
    Dim filename As String
    Dim fullPath As String
    Dim attr As Integer
    Dim normalCount As Long
    Dim readOnlyCount As Long
    Dim hiddenCount As Long
    Dim systemCount As Long
    Dim archiveCount As Long
    filename = Dir(folderPath & "\*.*", vbNormal + vbHidden + vbSystem)
    Do While filename <> ""
        fullPath = folderPath & "\" & filename
        On Error Resume Next
        attr = GetAttr(fullPath)
        On Error GoTo 0
        If Not (attr And vbDirectory) Then
            If attr = vbNormal Then normalCount = normalCount + 1
            If attr And vbReadOnly Then readOnlyCount = readOnlyCount + 1
            If attr And vbHidden Then hiddenCount = hiddenCount + 1
            If attr And vbSystem Then systemCount = systemCount + 1
            If attr And vbArchive Then archiveCount = archiveCount + 1
        End If
        filename = Dir
    Loop
    Debug.Print "File Attribute Report for: " & folderPath
    Debug.Print String(50, "=")
    Debug.Print "Normal: " & normalCount
    Debug.Print "Read-Only: " & readOnlyCount
    Debug.Print "Hidden: " & hiddenCount
    Debug.Print "System: " & systemCount
    Debug.Print "Archive: " & archiveCount
End Sub

Advanced Usage

1. File Attribute Manager Class

' Class: FileAttributeManager
Private m_Filename As String
Private m_Attributes As Integer
Public Sub LoadFile(filename As String)
    m_Filename = filename
    RefreshAttributes
End Sub
Private Sub RefreshAttributes()
    On Error Resume Next
    m_Attributes = GetAttr(m_Filename)
    On Error GoTo 0
End Sub
Public Property Get IsReadOnly() As Boolean
    IsReadOnly = (m_Attributes And vbReadOnly) <> 0
End Property
Public Property Let IsReadOnly(value As Boolean)
    If value Then
        SetAttr m_Filename, m_Attributes Or vbReadOnly
    Else
        SetAttr m_Filename, m_Attributes And Not vbReadOnly
    End If
    RefreshAttributes
End Property
Public Property Get IsHidden() As Boolean
    IsHidden = (m_Attributes And vbHidden) <> 0
End Property
Public Property Let IsHidden(value As Boolean)
    If value Then
        SetAttr m_Filename, m_Attributes Or vbHidden
    Else
        SetAttr m_Filename, m_Attributes And Not vbHidden
    End If
    RefreshAttributes
End Property
Public Property Get IsDirectory() As Boolean
    IsDirectory = (m_Attributes And vbDirectory) <> 0
End Property
Public Property Get AttributeValue() As Integer
    AttributeValue = m_Attributes
End Property

2. Smart File Filter

Type FileFilter
    IncludeReadOnly As Boolean
    IncludeHidden As Boolean
    IncludeSystem As Boolean
    IncludeArchive As Boolean
    ExcludeDirectories As Boolean
End Type
Function MatchesFilter(filename As String, filter As FileFilter) As Boolean
    Dim attr As Integer
    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
    attr = GetAttr(filename)
    ' Check exclusions first
    If filter.ExcludeDirectories And (attr And vbDirectory) Then
        MatchesFilter = False
        Exit Function
    End If
    ' Check inclusions
    MatchesFilter = True
    If Not filter.IncludeReadOnly And (attr And vbReadOnly) Then
        MatchesFilter = False
    ElseIf Not filter.IncludeHidden And (attr And vbHidden) Then
        MatchesFilter = False
    ElseIf Not filter.IncludeSystem And (attr And vbSystem) Then
        MatchesFilter = False
    ElseIf Not filter.IncludeArchive And (attr And vbArchive) Then
        MatchesFilter = False
    End If
    Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
    MatchesFilter = False
End Function

3. Attribute Change Monitor

Type FileSnapshot
    Filename As String
    Attributes As Integer
    Timestamp As Date
End Type
Private m_Snapshots As Collection
Sub InitializeMonitor()
    Set m_Snapshots = New Collection
End Sub
Sub TakeSnapshot(filename As String)
    Dim snapshot As FileSnapshot
    snapshot.Filename = filename
    snapshot.Attributes = GetAttr(filename)
    snapshot.Timestamp = Now
    m_Snapshots.Add snapshot, filename
End Sub
Function DetectAttributeChanges(filename As String) As Boolean
    Dim currentAttr As Integer
    Dim snapshot As FileSnapshot
    Dim i As Long
    currentAttr = GetAttr(filename)
    ' Find snapshot
    For i = 1 To m_Snapshots.Count
        snapshot = m_Snapshots(i)
        If snapshot.Filename = filename Then
            DetectAttributeChanges = (snapshot.Attributes <> currentAttr)
            Exit Function
        End If
    Next i
    DetectAttributeChanges = False
End Function

4. Bulk Attribute Operations

Sub SetAttributeForMultipleFiles(filenames() As String, _
                                 attributeToSet As Integer, _
                                 enable As Boolean)
    Dim i As Long
    Dim currentAttr As Integer
    Dim newAttr As Integer
    For i = LBound(filenames) To UBound(filenames)
        On Error Resume Next
        currentAttr = GetAttr(filenames(i))
        If enable Then
            newAttr = currentAttr Or attributeToSet
        Else
            newAttr = currentAttr And Not attributeToSet
        End If
        SetAttr filenames(i), newAttr
        On Error GoTo 0
    Next i
End Sub
' Usage
Sub MakeFilesReadOnly()
    Dim files() As String
    files = Array("file1.txt", "file2.txt", "file3.txt")
    SetAttributeForMultipleFiles files, vbReadOnly, True
End Sub

5. File Security Analyzer

Type SecurityIssue
    Filename As String
    IssueType As String
    Severity As String
End Type
Function AnalyzeFileSecurity(folderPath As String) As Collection
    Dim issues As New Collection
    Dim filename As String
    Dim fullPath As String
    Dim attr As Integer
    Dim issue As SecurityIssue
    filename = Dir(folderPath & "\*.*", vbNormal + vbHidden + vbSystem)
    Do While filename <> ""
        fullPath = folderPath & "\" & filename
        On Error Resume Next
        attr = GetAttr(fullPath)
        On Error GoTo 0
        If Not (attr And vbDirectory) Then
            ' Check for security issues
            ' Issue 1: System files that are not hidden
            If (attr And vbSystem) And Not (attr And vbHidden) Then
                issue.Filename = filename
                issue.IssueType = "System file not hidden"
                issue.Severity = "Medium"
                issues.Add issue
            End If
            ' Issue 2: Important files not marked read-only
            If InStr(1, filename, "config", vbTextCompare) > 0 Then
                If Not (attr And vbReadOnly) Then
                    issue.Filename = filename
                    issue.IssueType = "Config file not read-only"
                    issue.Severity = "Low"
                    issues.Add issue
                End If
            End If
        End If
        filename = Dir
    Loop
    Set AnalyzeFileSecurity = issues
End Function

6. Attribute Comparison Tool

Function CompareFileAttributes(file1 As String, file2 As String) As String
    Dim attr1 As Integer
    Dim attr2 As Integer
    Dim differences As String
    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
    attr1 = GetAttr(file1)
    attr2 = GetAttr(file2)
    differences = ""
    If (attr1 And vbReadOnly) <> (attr2 And vbReadOnly) Then
        differences = differences & "Read-Only differs" & vbCrLf
    End If
    If (attr1 And vbHidden) <> (attr2 And vbHidden) Then
        differences = differences & "Hidden differs" & vbCrLf
    End If
    If (attr1 And vbSystem) <> (attr2 And vbSystem) Then
        differences = differences & "System differs" & vbCrLf
    End If
    If (attr1 And vbArchive) <> (attr2 And vbArchive) Then
        differences = differences & "Archive differs" & vbCrLf
    End If
    If differences = "" Then
        CompareFileAttributes = "Attributes are identical"
    Else
        CompareFileAttributes = "Differences found:" & vbCrLf & differences
    End If
    Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
    CompareFileAttributes = "Error: " & Err.Description
End Function

Error Handling

Function SafeGetAttr(pathname As String, _
                     Optional defaultValue As Integer = -1) As Integer
    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
    SafeGetAttr = GetAttr(pathname)
    Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
    Select Case Err.Number
        Case 53  ' File not found
            Debug.Print "File not found: " & pathname
        Case 76  ' Path not found
            Debug.Print "Path not found: " & pathname
        Case 68  ' Device unavailable
            Debug.Print "Device unavailable: " & pathname
        Case Else
            Debug.Print "Error " & Err.Number & ": " & Err.Description
    End Select
    SafeGetAttr = defaultValue
End Function

Common errors: - Error 53 (File not found): The specified file doesn't exist. - Error 76 (Path not found): The specified path doesn't exist. - Error 68 (Device unavailable): Network drive or removable media not available.

Performance Considerations

• GetAttr is a fast file system call
• Use Dir to check existence before calling GetAttr if unsure
• For multiple files, consider caching attribute values
• Network paths may be slower than local paths
• Accessing removable media can cause delays if not present

Best Practices

1. Always use error handling - file may not exist
2. Use bitwise AND to test individual attributes
3. Check Dir first if file existence is uncertain
4. Cache results when checking attributes repeatedly
5. Use constants (vbReadOnly, etc.) instead of numeric values
6. Handle network paths carefully - may be unavailable
7. Don't assume attributes - always check explicitly

Comparison with Other Functions

GetAttr vs FileLen

' GetAttr - Returns file attributes
attr = GetAttr("file.txt")  ' Returns attribute flags
' FileLen - Returns file size
size = FileLen("file.txt")  ' Returns size in bytes

GetAttr vs Dir

' GetAttr - Gets attributes of specific file
attr = GetAttr("file.txt")
' Dir - Searches for files matching pattern
filename = Dir("*.txt", vbNormal)

GetAttr vs FileDateTime

' GetAttr - Returns attributes
attr = GetAttr("file.txt")
' FileDateTime - Returns modification date/time
dt = FileDateTime("file.txt")

Limitations

• Returns Integer (limited to values 0-32767 due to VB6 Integer type)
• vbAlias only works on Macintosh systems
• Cannot set attributes (use SetAttr for that)
• No support for extended attributes or NTFS features
• Limited to file system attributes only
• Does not provide security descriptor information

Bitwise Operations

Testing for specific attributes:

' Test if read-only
If (attr And vbReadOnly) Then ' Has read-only attribute
' Test if NOT read-only
If Not (attr And vbReadOnly) Then ' Doesn't have read-only
' Test for multiple attributes
If (attr And (vbReadOnly Or vbHidden)) Then ' Has either attribute
' Test for exact attribute combination
If attr = (vbReadOnly Or vbHidden) Then ' Has exactly these two

Related Functions

• SetAttr - Sets the attributes of a file
• Dir - Returns a file or directory name matching a pattern
• FileLen - Returns the length of a file in bytes
• FileDateTime - Returns the date and time a file was created or last modified
• FileAttr - Returns the file mode or file handle for an open file
• FileExists - Checks if a file exists (custom function using Dir)