Version 3.4           Approx 2 MB                 First Published 2 July 2017                 Last Updated 22 July 2024

27 May 2024 - NEW VERSION with several additional features and bug fixes
9 June 2024 - Added video of presentation to the Europe chapter of AccessUserGroups.org on Wed 5 June
22 July 2024 - Added A2003 MDB & A2007 ACCDB versions

A forum thread from 2017 Windows 10 Retrieving Extended File Properties raised issues about using the GetDetailsOf method to retrieve extended file properties.

GetDetailsOf is a member of the VBA library: Microsoft Shell Controls and Automation based on Shell32.dll.

All files include several extended properties which can be retrieved as needed using this method.

For example:
•   Date created / date modified / date last accessed
•   File size / file type / author / location

Certain types of file will also contain additional extended properties including:
•   Height / width / horizontal resolution / vertical resolution / bit size (image files)
•   Contributing artist / album / year / genre / tile / track # / length / bit rate (audio files)

There are currently over 320 extended file properties, though no files will ever contain all of those.

I decided to investigate this method further and created an Access app which provides an easy way of obtaining and storing all the extended properties for:
•   an individual file
•   all files of a specified type in a selected folder
•   all files in a selected folder and (optionally) its subfolders

The Access app includes the VBA reference library: Microsoft Shell Controls and Automation

NOTE:
1.   The app also includes an example of a dynamic crosstab query where the column headers are automatically updated to match the underlying data

2.   In the latest version, the extended property names are automatically updated to match the current Office language



Example Screenshots

List of Extended File Properties (321 in total)



Main Form with Progress Bar and Estimated Time Remaining



Analyzing all Files in a Folder and its subfolders



All PDF files in folder



Extended Properties for a file



Extended Properties by File Type (Dynamic crosstab report)



Saved list for a group of files



Extended property list exported to Excel



Extended properties for a group of files (English)



Extended properties for a group of files (Spanish)




Download

The zip file contains the following items:
a)   the latest version of the example database ExtendedFileProperties_v3.4.accdb
b)   a PDF Help file with full details and screenshots
c)   several text files with examples of the extended properties obtained for different types of file

Click to download:      
      Extended File Properties v3.4                 ACCDB (for Access 2010 or later - 32/64-bit)     Approx 1.3 MB (zipped)
      Extended File Properties v3.4_A2007     ACCDB (for Access 2007 32-bit)                       Approx 1.3 MB (zipped)
      Extended File Properties v3.4_A2003     MDB (Access 2003 32-bit)                               Approx 1.3 MB (zipped)

Download and unblock the zip file. For more details, see my article: Unblock downloaded files by removing the Mark of the Web

Unzip and save all the files to the same folder in a a trusted location.



Version History

v2.0     18/03/2019    Initial release
v2.1     19/10/2019    Bug fixes mainly related to handling apostrophes
v2.2     02/09/2021    Updated to handle over 320 extended file properties
v2.5     15/05/2024    Added properties of all files in a folder and its subfolders; estimated time remaining & delete saved lists
v2.6     16/05/2024    Minor code update to simplify selecting a folder
v2.8     18/05/2024    Updated to internationalise extended property names for Office versions in any language
v3.1     21/05/2024    Various changes to manage folder names with apostrophes. Increased field sizes. Added export to Excel feature
v3.3     23/05/2024    Fixed issue where progress bar wasn't updating where very large number of files selected (10700+)
                                Modified reports to fully display multi-line extended property values
v3.4     27/05/2024    Fixed remaining issue with file names containing apostrophes
                                Now available in 3 versions: A2010+ ACCDB, A2007 ACCDB and A2003 MDB



Further Info / Videos

1.     Crystal Long (Access MVP) and I ran a joint session for the US Pacific Access User Group on 2 Sept 2021 comparing these two different methods of
        obtaining extended file properties.
        The video is available on the Access User Groups YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/fwQnhKWo1Ks or you can click below:

       

2.     I also have a separate video on this topic which is available on my Isladogs YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/7jK_qRXetNs or you can click below:

       

3.     I demonstrated version 3.4 of this app as part of my presentation to the Europe chapter of AccessUserGroups.org on 5 June 2024.
        The video is now available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/jUed-4aCUxs or you can click below:

       

4.     Wayne Phillips from EverythingAccess.com uses a different approach to obtain extended file properties.
        Wayne's utility can be found at: Accessing detailed file info provided by the operating system



Feedback

Please use the contact form below to let me know whether you found this article interesting/useful or if you have any questions/comments.

Please also consider making a donation towards the costs of maintaining this website. Thank you



Colin Riddington           Mendip Data Systems                 Last Updated 22 July 2024

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