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Learn how to efficiently retrieve files from a directory using VBA by prioritizing specific patterns. This guide provides a clear solution to handle criteria-based file retrieval with exceptions.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/68317137/ asked by the user 'smartini' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/9121235/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/68317605/ provided by the user 'Toddleson' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/14608750/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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How to Retrieve Files from a Folder Based on Criteria with VBA: Prioritizing RD_ Over SD_

Are you facing a challenge in extracting files from a folder based on specific criteria using VBA? Do you want to prioritize certain file patterns when searching? If your answer is yes, you're in the right place! In this guide, we'll walk through a common use case and provide a hands-on solution to effectively retrieve your desired files.

The Problem: File Retrieval with Exceptions

Imagine you have a folder filled with various files, and you need to find a file that matches certain criteria. Specifically, your criteria includes patterns like ABC and 11111, and you want to give priority to files containing RD_ over those with SD_. The challenge is to ensure that:

If a file containing RD_ is found, the search should stop immediately.

If only SD_ files are found, the search should continue until all files are checked for a possible RD_ match.

The Solution

To tackle this problem, we'll implement a solution in VBA that runs the file search twice – once prioritizing RD_ and then SD_ if necessary. Here's how we can achieve this in a few structured steps:

Step 1: Set Up the Function for File Retrieval

First, let's recap the core function that you already have for retrieving files based on criteria. This function checks each file in the specified directory against the provided criteria.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Create a Function That Handles Prioritization

Next, we create a new subroutine that will utilize the existing function for prioritization. This solution makes the retrieval process cleaner and easier to manage.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code:

Setting Up Paths: We define the directory and criteria we want to search for.

First Search: We first attempt to find any file that matches the RD_ pattern in addition to our specified criteria.

Second Search: If no such file is found, we fall back to searching for files that match the SD_ pattern.

Benefits of This Approach

Simplicity: By running the searches sequentially, the code remains simple and easy to follow.

Flexibility: This approach can easily be adapted should you need to prioritize additional patterns in the future.

Conclusion

In conclusion, prioritizing file retrieval in VBA based on specific patterns allows for efficient data management. By implementing the solution outlined above, you can streamline your file search processes while ensuring that the most critical files are found first. Whether you're handling large directories or specific file criteria, this method offers a robust way to tackle your challenges.

Now you can confidently implement this solution in your own projects. Happy coding!