Question

I have some const in a VBA module but I would like to put them in a INI file because I have other applications that use the same constants. This works:

Public Const PATH_DB As String = "\\server\folder\bdd.mdb"

This however doesn’t work:

Public Const PATH_DB As String = getFromIni("path","db","C:\config.ini")

Public Function getFromIni(ByVal strSectionName As String, ByVal strEntry As String, ByVal strIniPath As String) As String
    Dim x As Long
    Dim sSection As String, sEntry As String, sDefault As String
    Dim sRetBuf As String, iLenBuf As Integer, sFileName As String
    Dim sValue As String

    sSection = strSectionName
    sEntry = strEntry
    sDefault = ""
    sRetBuf = Strings.String$(256, 0) '256 null characters
    iLenBuf = Len(sRetBuf$)
    sFileName = strIniPath
    x = GetPrivateProfileString(sSection, sEntry, "", sRetBuf, iLenBuf, sFileName)
    sValue = Strings.Trim(Strings.Left$(sRetBuf, x))

    If sValue <> "" Then
        getFromIni = sValue
    Else
        getFromIni = vbNullChar
    End If
End Function

# C:\config.ini
[path]
db=\\server\folder\bdd.mdb

My getFromIni function actually works pretty well but not when I want to declare constants (it doesn’t compile at all). I tried a global variable instead but for some reason, it doesn’t work either, the variable cannot be found when used from another form in the same project (it only works when it’s declared as a const, but I can’t declare it as a const when getting the value from a function).

What’s wrong?

Answer 1

Change

Public Const PATH_DB As String = getFromIni("path","db","C:\config.ini")

to

Public PATH_DB As String 

Place the following call that gets the value from INI file in a initialize method (say Database Open event)

PATH_DB = getFromIni("path","db","C:\config.ini")