Recycle bin function

[Egbert Zijlema]

Don't KILL files-to-delete anymore, but send them to the Recycle Bin, in the way Windows Explorer itself does.
This example code sends a file MYFILE.TXT from the root directory to the bin.

#COMPILE EXE
#INCLUDE "WIN32API.INC"
   
FUNCTION RecycleBin(FilNam AS STRING) AS LONG
  LOCAL shfo AS SHFILEOPSTRUCT                 ' predefined structure
  LOCAL szSource AS ASCIIZ * 64

  szSource = FilNam + CHR$(0)                  ' convert to ASCIIZ
  shfo.wFunc = %FO_DELETE                      ' function delete file
  shfo.pFrom = VARPTR(szSource)                ' pointer to file
  shfo.fFlags = %FOF_ALLOWUNDO                 ' enable undo

  dummy& = SHFileOperation(shfo)               ' call funtion
  FUNCTION = shfo.fAnyOperationsAborted        ' return value, either 0 or non-zero
END FUNCTION
  
FUNCTION PBMAIN()
  LOCAL RetVal AS LONG
  RetVal = RecycleBin("C:\MYFILE.TXT")
   
  ' use the following lines only when the deleted file is part of an array or in  a listbox
  IF RetVal = 0 THEN
    ARRAY DELETE StringArray(index)
    LISTBOX DELETE hDlg,  %IDLISTBOX,  position&
  END IF
END FUNCTION

[Ken Lundberg]

Hello Egbert,

Thank you for the code you post on this forum. I have a quick question for you. After successfully calling the RecycleBin function, is the recycled file supposed to appear in the Recyle Bin..?

After "recycling" 2 files, my recycle bin is as empty as before I started.

- ken

[Egbert Zijlema]

Ken,
Look in your recycle bin's properties. If "Do not move files to the Recycle Bin" is checked, files will be definitely deleted immediately.
Egbert

[Ken Lundberg]

Ahhhhhh, the plot thickens.

It appears the failure was not from the checkbox, but from this slight code modification:

RetVal = RecycleBin(command$) ' for command line guys like me

In this case, the file is always "deleted", rather than recycled. Any ideas..?