VBA GetOpenFilename

GetOpenFilename is a method which is also an attribute of FSO, this method is used in VBA to find a certain file with a file name and select it, the important factor in this method is the path of the file name provided to open it, we can either pass the path of the file name in the function or we can ask the user to present a file path to select it.

Excel VBA Application.GetOpenFilename

There are situations where we need to access the specific file name and this can be possible with VBA coding. In order to access to the file, we need to mention the folder path as well and file name along with its file extension. In order to get the file name, many coders will give VBA input box as the options to enter the file path and file name. But this is not a good option to practice, because when you present an input box in front of the user, they don’t always remember the file path, backslashes to separate one folder from another folder, file names, and extension of the files. This makes the input given by the user messier and at the end, everything will be screwed up even if there is a small space character mistake. The best way is to replace the input box with VBA’s method called “GetOpenFileName”.

In this article, we will show you how to use VBA GetOpenFileName to get the file name without any errors.

What Does GetOpenFilename do in Excel VBA?

VBA “GetOpenFileName” allows the user to select the file from the computer we are working on without opening the file.

With the help of “GetOpenFileName” method, we can actually present a dialogue box in front of the user to select the file in the required folder. “GetOpenFileName” will copy the file location along with file name and file extension.

Syntax of GetOpenFilename in Excel VBA

Take a look at the syntax of the “GetOpenFilename” method.

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File Filter: In this argument, we can specify what kind of files to be displayed to select. For example, if you mention “Excel Files,*.xlsx” it will display only Excel Files saved with the excel extension “xlsx”, no other files will be displayed. If you ignore all kinds of files will be displayed.
Filter Index: With this, we restrict the user to select the file type. We can list specify the number of filters to be visible under File Filter.
Title: It shows the select file dialogue box title.
Button Text: This is only for Macintosh.
Multi-Select: TRUE if you want to select multiple files or else FALSE. The default value is FALSE.

Example of GetOpenFilename in Excel VBA

Below are the examples of VBA Application.GetOpenFilename.

You can download this VBA GetOpenFilename Excel Template here – VBA GetOpenFilename Excel Template

Let’s write a code to get the file name and path address.

Step 1: Start the subroutine.

Code:

Sub GetFile_Example1()

End Sub

Step 2: Declare a variable as String.

Code:

Sub GetFile_Example1()

   Dim FileName As String

End Sub

Step 3: For this variable, we will assign the GetOpenFileName.

Code:

Sub GetFile_Example1()

  Dim FileName As String

  FileName = Application.GetOpenFilename()

End Sub

As of now, I have ignored all the parameters.

Step 4: Now show the result of the variable in the message box.

Code:

Sub GetFile_Example1()

  Dim FileName As String

  FileName = Application.GetOpenFilename()

  MsgBox FileName

End Sub

Now run the code through the excel shortcut key F5 or manually, it will show the below dialogue box to select the file.

I will select any one file and click on ok.

As soon as I select the file I got a message box in VBA like this. It shows the full folder path and selected excel file name along with file extension.

As we can see in the above image we could see all kinds of files. Now I will add the first parameter i.e. File Filter as “Excel Files,*.xlsx”.

Code:

Sub GetFile_Example1()

  Dim FileName As String

  FileName = Application.GetOpenFilename(FileFilter:="Excel Files,*.xlsx")

  MsgBox FileName

End Sub

Now if I run this code using F5 key or manually, I will see only Excel files with the extension “xlsx”.

Like this, we can use “VBA Application.GetOpenFileName” method to get the folder path along with File Name & extension of the file.

Excel VBA Application.GetOpenFilename

What Does GetOpenFilename do in Excel VBA?

Example of GetOpenFilename in Excel VBA

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