Excel VBA PrivateProfile done right - and easy

In this post:

Introduction
PrivateProfile services
Named arguments
Installation
Usage

Introduction

PrivateProfile is the term used for information in a file organized as
[section]
<valuen-ame>=<value>
structure, typically for config- or ini- files. Word provides for example System.PrivateProfileString with a perfect syntax. Excel unfortunately offers only things like GetPrivateProfileString with a much less comfortable syntax. The Standard Module mFile provides ‘Word-like’ services which as well mainly deal with the arguments: file, section, value-name and value.

PrivateProfile services

Value

Syntax read: value = mFile.Value(file, section, value-name)
Syntax write: mFile.Value(file, section, value-name) = value

ValueExists

Syntax: If mFile.ValueExists(file[, section], value) Then

NameExists

Syntax: If mFile.NameExists(file[, section], value-name) Then

SectionExists

Syntax: If mFile.SectionExists(file, section) Then

SectionsCopy

Syntax: mFile.SectionsCopy source, target, sections

Named arguments

Part	Description	Services
pp_file	String expression, obligatory, specifies the full name of the _PrivateProfile file, automatically created with the first write if a named value.	All
pp_sections	Variant, optional, defaults to ‘all sections in file’ when omitted. Section names may be provided as a comma delimited string, or a Dictionary or Collection of name items.	SectionsCopy SectionsRemove ValueExists ValueNameExists
pp_replace	Optional, boolean, defaults to false (i.e. the copied section is merged in the target file.	SectionsCopy
pp_section	Obligatory, String expression, identifies the section	NameRemove SectionExists SectionRemove Value
pp_source	String expression, obligatory, specifies the full name of the source PrivateProfile file	SectionsCopy
pp_target	String expression, obligatory, specifies the full name of the target PrivateProfile file	SectionsCopy
pp_value_name		NameRemove Value
pp_value	Variant expression, the value written to the PrivateProfile file	Value ValueExists

Installation

Download and import mFile.bas
Download and import mDct.bas

Usage

The services may best be used in a Standard Module dedicated to the file used for the application specific values, whereby each value preferably should be implemented as a Property. The following example provides a read service for a property called RootFolder in a module called mCfg.

Option Explicit

Private Const CFG_SECTION = "Basic"
Private Const VAL_NAME_ROOT_FOLDER = "RootFolder"

Private Property Get CfgFile() As String
    CfgFile = ...... ' specifying the ProvateProfile file's full name
End Property

Private Property Get RootFolder() As String
    RootFolder = mFile.Value(CfgFile, CFG_SECTION, VAL_NAME_ROOT_FOLDER)
End Property

This service will be used subsequently in the project:
sRoot = mCfg.RootFolder

the matter of all the above is a pretty nice example how the implementation of a couple of modules each providing a service on a higher abstraction layer. I.e. each module provides a service while hiding the used technical means.