From comp.windows.ms Thu Jan 10 12:18:20 1991
From: fredf@microsoft.UUCP (Fred FREELAND)
Date: 10 Jan 91 05:08:01 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Default Directory for Word for Windows solution


I've seen a lot of discussion in recent weeks about how to get Microsoft
Word for Windows to remember the last directory you were in from session
to session.  While there are a number of somewhat kludgy ways to do this,
I offer the following programatic solution. It's what I use every day and
it works without fail.  Hopefully someone else out there in netland can
make some good use of it.

There are three routines that probably do not already exist in your version
of Word for Windows, but they are recognized.  All you have to do is add
the code shown below to macros with the names shown just above Sub MAIN for
each case..

The key to this whole scheme is the API call into Windows used by the
AutoExit macro.  This is what writes the WIN.INI entry that can be retrieved
when Word for Windows is next started.

Enjoy!

-------------------------Code Begins Here-----------------------------------
AutoeExec
Sub MAIN
  ' This procedure checks attempts to return to the last directory used by
  ' Microsoft Word for Windows. It checks the WIN.INI file for a
  ' DefaultDirectory entry and changes to the directory path found there.
  ' No action is taken if no entry exists

  AName$ = "Microsoft Word"                   ' Set Application Name.
  KName$ = "DefaultDirectory"                 ' Set Key name.
  NewDir$ = GetProfileString$(AName$, KName$) ' Get the last directory used.
  ChDir NewDir$                               ' Change directory.
End Sub

AutoOpen
Sub MAIN
  ' This procedure determines the path of the file that was just opened.
  ' It then causes Word for Windows to make that directory the current
  ' default directory for future FileOpen operations.

  Path$ = ""                              ' Initialize Path$.
  LastFile$ = FileName$(1)                ' Get path of last file opened.
  I = Len(LastFile$)                      ' Get length of filespec.
  While Path$ = ""
    If Mid$(LastFile$, I, 1) = "\" Then   ' Starting from the right,
      Path$ = Left$(LastFile$, I - 1)     ' look for the last directory
    End If                                ' delimiter (\). Take everything
                                          ' to the left of the delimiter
                                          ' for the path.
    I = I - 1
  Wend
  ChDir Path$                             ' Change directory
End Sub

AutoExit
'WIN API procedure to write a WIN.INI entry.
Declare Function WriteProfileString Lib "Kernel"(AName$, KName$, Repl$) As Integer

Sub MAIN
  ' This procedure determines the directory path of the last file opened.
  ' It then writes the path to the DefaultDirectory entry in the WIN.INI.

  AName$ = "Microsoft Word"                ' Set Application Name.
  KName$ = "DefaultDirectory"              ' Set Key Name.
  Repl$ = ""                               ' Initialize replacement string.
  LastFile$ = FileName$(1)                 ' Get path of last file opened.
  I = Len(LastFile$)                       ' Get length of filespec.
  While Repl$ = ""
    If Mid$(LastFile$, I, 1) = "\" Then    ' Starting from the right,
      Repl$ = Left$(LastFile$, I - 1)      ' look for the last directory
    End If                                 ' delimiter (\). Take everything
                                           ' to the left of the delimiter
                                           ' for the path.
    I = I - 1
  Wend
  X = WriteProfileString(AName$, KName$, Repl$)   ' Write to WIN.INI file.
End Sub
---------------------------Code Ends Here-----------------------------------

-- 
Frederick F. Freeland Jr.                        "Of all the things I've lost,  Microsoft Corporation                               I miss my mind the most!"   One Microsoft Way  
Redmond, WA 98052 (206) 882-8080                                                                                                                                internet: fredf@microsoft.beaver.washington.EDU                                 arpanet:  fredf%microsoft@uw-beaver.ARPA
uucp:     uunet!microsoft!fredf                                                                                                                                 Opinions expressed over this signature are my OWN and not those of my employer!