SetAttr Procedure

SetAttr Procedure

---

Class

Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileSystem

Syntax

     SetAttr(pathname, attributes) 

pathname (required; String)

The file or directory whose attribute details are to be set.

attributes (required; FileAttribute enumeration)

One or more of the following Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileAttribute enumeration values, added or Or'd together. Each member also has a related Visual Basic intrinsic constant that can be used instead.

Enumeration	Constant	Description
Normal	vbNormal	Normal file (the absence of other attributes)
ReadOnly	vbReadOnly	Read-only file
Hidden	vbHidden	Hidden file
System	vbSystem	System file
Archive	vbArchive	File has changed since the last backup

Description

The SetAttr procedure modifies the attributes of a file or directory.

Usage at a Glance

• pathname can be either an absolute or relative path to a file. It can exist on the local or remote drive and can use the drive-letter or UNC path format.

• An error occurs if pathname is invalid or cannot be found.

• Attempting to set the attributes of an open file generates a runtime error.

• Setting file attributes clears any attributes that are not included in the attributes argument. For example, if somefile.txt is a read-only file, the statement:

       SetAttr("somefile.txt", vbArchive) 

  
  

  sets the archive attribute but clears the read-only attribute. To retain a file's attributes while setting new ones, first retrieve its attributes using the GetAttr function.

• The FileAttribute.Directory enumeration member cannot be applied to a file or directory; it can only be set by the operating system.

Version Differences

Visual Basic 2005 includes My.Computer.FileSystem.GetDirectoryInfo and My.Computer.FileSystem.GetFileInfo methods that provide access to related functionality.

See Also

GetAttr Function