ASCII Made Easy:  Manipulating ASCII Files with the Table Component, Delphi Informant, Cary Jensen, June 1999, pp. 26-32

Delphi Import/Export:  Part I: Getting Data into, and out of, ASCII Text Files, Delphi Informant, May 1998

Read a text file backwards
www.preview.org/q/q1038.shtml

efg's Resource Demo application shows how to use the following file types in resource files:  BMP, ICO, JPG, GIF (requires Anders Melander's TGIFImage), EMF, TXT, AVI, WAV and cursors

Fastest way to search a string in a file
www.preview.org/q/q1024.shtml

ASCII Codes
http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/~pbourke/dataformats/ascii.html 

Deepak Shenoy's UseNet Post with file stream example of converting UNIX text to DOS text

File Notification:  VB or Delphi: Which Does COM Automation Best?, Delphi Informant, April 1998.   Discusses functions FindFirstChangeNotification, FindNextChangeNotification, and FindCloseChangeNotification.

TDirectoryWatch
http://www.users.on.net/johnson/delphi 

Antonio's UseNet Post with "efficient" way to wait for a file (FindFirstChangeNotification, FindNextChangeNotification, FindCloseChangeNotification

See example with INI Files (below)

Peter Below's (Team B) Usenet Post with sample code using TMemoryStreams and CompareMem to compare files.

Neil Rubenking's PC Magazine utility WMatch32,18 March 1999,
compare directories side-by-side, with complete Delphi source code.  Includes routines MatchAllFiles and MatchDifferentFiles.

Ralph Friedman's (Team B) UseNet Post with sample code using TFileStreams

TFileCompare is a simple class for comparing the contents one file with another.
http://delphi.icm.edu.pl/ftp/d20free/FileCmpr.zip 

A two files identical?  Do a 32 bit CRC-sum?
www.preview.org/q/q1017.shtml

Compare files probabilistically using CRCs.   See the CRC Lab Report.

For comparison of bitmaps, see Comparison on efg's Delphi Graphics Algorithms:  Image Processing page.

XCeed ZIP
www.xceedsoft.com

Paszlib
www.tu-chemnitz.de/~nomssi/paszlib.html

List of Components
www.programmersheaven.com/zone2/cat56/index.htm 

// Wrapper for Windows API CopyFile
FUNCTION CopyFile(CONST SourceFile     :  TFilename;
                  CONST DestinationFile:  TFilename):  BOOLEAN;
BEGIN
  RESULT := Windows.CopyFile(pChar(SourceFile),
                             pChar(DestinationFile),
                             FALSE {Fail if Exists});
END {CopyFile};

Petr Jenicek reports in a UseNet post that when copying files to a network drive,  CopyFile does not return error code ERROR_DISK_FULL but ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED (5).

Copying a directory of a set of files
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/jescott/DelphiCodeTips1.html#CopyAllFiles

Copy, Move and Delete Files or Folders in Windows 95 just like Explorer does, Showing flying Files.  Interact with Recent Documents and Recycle Bin.  www.xploiter.com/programming/delphi/files/flying.zip

To delete a Read/Only file, use FileSetAttr to change the attribute to read/write then DeleteFile to delete the file.

See:
- "DeleteFile" example under FindFirst/FindNext/FindClose in Directories
- Calling DeleteFile function, FAQ2591D
- Deleting a directory and all the directory files, Borland FAQ777D
- Recursive delete a group of files and subdirectories, www.preview.org/q/q1016.shtml

Also see Comparing Files

Use ExcludeTrailingBackslash to modify a path name (specified by the S parameter) so that it does not end with a backslash character (‘\’). If S does not end in a backslash character, ExcludeTrailingBackslash returns a copy of S.

// Use EXE Date as program version number
FUNCTION GetEXEDate:  STRING;
  VAR
    DateTime  :  TDateTime;
    ReturnCode:  INTEGER;
    SearchRec :  TSearchRec;
BEGIN
  ReturnCode := FindFirst(ParamStr(0), faAnyFile, SearchRec);
  TRY
    IF   ReturnCode = 0
    THEN DateTime := FileDateToDateTime(SearchRec.Time)
    ELSE DateTime := 0
  FINALLY
    FindClose(SearchRec);
  END;

  RESULT := FormatDateTime('mm/dd/yyyy hh:nn:ss', DateTime)
END;

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  ShowMessage('EXE='    + ParamStr(0) + ', ' +
              'Date = ' + GetEXEDate );
end;

Expands the given filename to a fully qualified filename. This function is the same as ExpandFileName except that it will return the drive portion of the filename in the format '\\<servername>\<sharename> if that drive is actually a network resource instead of a local resource.

Example:
ExpandUNCFileName(ExtractFilePath(ParamStr(0)));

The resulting string is a directory name suitable for passing to the CreateDir, GetCurrentDir, RemoveDir, and SetCurrentDir functions. This string is empty if FileName contains no drive and directory parts.

ExtractFileDrive returns a string containing the drive portion of a fully qualified path name for the file passed in the FileName. For file names with drive letters, the result is in the form '<drive>'. For file names with a UNC path the result is in the form '\\<servername>\<sharename>'. If the given path contains neither style of path prefix, the result is an empty string.

Use ExtractFileExt to obtain the extension from a file name.  The resulting string includes the period character that separates the name and extension parts. This string is empty if the given file name has no extension.

The resulting string is the rightmost characters of FileName, up to and including the colon or backslash that separates the path information from the name and extension. The resulting string is empty if FileName contains no drive and directory parts.

Call ExtractRelativePath to convert a fully qualified path name into a relative path name. The DestName parameter specifies file name (including path) to be converted. BaseName is the fully qualified name of the base directory to which the returned path name should be relative.

ExtractShortPathName converts the file name, FileName, to the short 8.3 form. ExtractShortPathName returns an empty string if the file or directory does not exist.

The first parameter, FileName, can be a full path name. For example, ExtractShortPathName would convert the full path name:

C:\Program Files\Borland\Delphi\Bin\Delphi32.exe

to the short form:

C:\Progra~1\Borland\Delphi\Bin\Delphi32.exe

Add two keys to the registry
www.xploiter.com/programming/delphi/tips1.shtml#tip4 

ATShell is a Delphi 2/3 component for managing file associations. It has the following features: Create association, Remove association, Set association, shell extensions (right click menu) + many more. 
http://community.borland.com/homepages/dsp/ftp/d20free/atshell.zip 

A Windows 98 File Association Un-Mangler.  Dave Jewell begins work on a Windows file association un-mangler, teaching us a lot about the ins and outs of the registry along the way. Plus, he outlines what there is (or isn’t) for programmers to get excited about in Windows 98...   Delphi Magazine, Issue 36, August 98

Windows 98 File Associations, Part 2.  Dave Jewell concludes the construction of his Windows file association un-mangler, so now you can happily undo the damage wreaked by a certain well-known software manufacturer...  Delphi Magazine, Issue 37, Sept 98

Function HasAttr is in the FMXUtils.PAS unit of Neil Rubenking's update to PC Magazine utility WMatch32,18 March 1999, which compare directories side-by-side

See AlterFileTimeStamp.TXT example.

See efg's Dates and Times page

Section: File Date and Time
Unit PJHFileTimes: http://delphi.pjh2.de/units/download/PJHDateTimes.zip

How to Match File Date/Time, Borland TI 719D

Delphi in a Nutshell, "Forms and Files," p. 2-3

File Extensions
www.cknow.com/ckinfo/acronyms/fileaextensions.htm

Delphi File Extensions
www.sandbrooksoftware.com/DPSC/Articles/ExtExc.shtml 

File Notification:  VB or Delphi: Which Does COM Automation Best?, Delphi Informant, April 1998.

D2-D4:
function FileAge(const Filename:  string):  Integer;

Returns the age of the file or -1 if the file does not exist.
Use FileDateToDateTime to convert to a TDateTime value.

Look for example on efg's Dates and Times page

See EXE Date example above

Borland TI 541D
Look for example on efg's Dates and Times page

FileExists Using IOResult:   UseNet Post by Sean Kendrick

See example under Append in File I/O

FileGetAttr returns the attributes of the file as a string of bits. This value is the same as the Attr field of a TSearchRec record. Check for individual attributes with code such as the following:

Attrs := FileGetAttr('MyFile.sys');

if Attrs and faHidden <> 0 then
FileSetAttr('MyFile.sys', Attrs – faHidden);

A return value of -1 indicates that an error occurred.

Garth S. Wilcox's UseNet Post with example of removing read-only attribute.

Use FileGetDate to determine the timestamp of a file given its handle. The return value is -1 if the handle is invalid. The FileDateToDateTime function can be used to convert the returned value to a TDateTime value.

Borland TI 541D
Look for example on efg's Dates and Times page

The FileMode variable determines the access mode to use when typed and untyped files (not text files) are opened using the Reset procedure.

The default FileMode is 2 (Read/Write access). Assigning another value to FileMode causes all subsequent Resets to use that mode. The sysutils unit declares a number of file open mode constants that can be assigned to the FileMode variable.

FileSearch searches through the directories passed in DirList for a file named Name. DirList is a semicolon delimited set of DOS path names. If FileSearch locates a file matching Name, it returns a string specifying a fully-qualified path name for that file. If no matching file exists, FileSearch returns an empty string.

see also FindFirst/FindNext/FindClose in Directories

FileSetAttr sets the file attributes of the file given by FileName to the value given by Attr. The value of Attr is formed by combining the appropriate file attribute constants, as in the following:

FileSetAttr('MyFile.sys', faReadOnly or faSysFile);

FileSetAttr returns zero if the function was successful. Otherwise the return value is a Windows error code.

Garth S. Wilcox's UseNet Post with example of removing read-only attribute.

Recursive delete a group of files and subdirectories
www.preview.org/q/q1016.shtml

FileSetDate sets the DOS date-time stamp of the file given by Handle to the value given by Age. The DateTimeToFileDate function can be used to convert a TDateTime value to a DOS date-time stamp.

The return value is zero if the function was successful. Otherwise the return value is a Windows error code.

How to Match File Date/Time, Borland TI 719D
Look for example on efg's Dates and Times page

Eddie Shipman's UseNet Post to use Find Files or Folders Dialog

From the Shell:  Dialog Boxes You've Always Needed, Delphi Informant, May 1999
Examples:  Finding Files,  Browsing for Files, ...
Vol. 5, No. 5, pp. 28-36

Use FileGetDate to determine the timestamp of a file given its handle. The return value is -1 if the handle is invalid. The FileDateToDateTime function can be used to convert the returned value to a TDateTime value.

Borland TI 541D

GetFileSize using FindFirst in UseNet Post by Freter

When was that file last accessed?
www.chami.com/tips/delphi/012797D.html

Call MatchesMask to check the Filename parameter using the Mask parameter to describe valid values. A valid mask consists of literal characters, sets, and wildcards.

Each literal character must match a single character in the string. The comparison to literal characters is case-insensitive.

Each set begins with an opening bracket ([) and ends with a closing bracket (]). Between the brackets are the elements of the set. Each element is a literal character or a range. Ranges are specified by an initial value, a dash (-), and a final value. Do not use spaces or commas to separate the elements of the set. A set must match a single character in the string. The character matches the set if it is the same as one of the literal characters in the set, or if it is in one of the ranges in the set. A character is in a range if it matches the initial value, the final value, or falls between the two values. All comparisons are case-insensitive. If the first character after the opening bracket of a set is an exclamation point (!), then the set matches any character that is not in the set.

Wildcards are asterisks (*) or question marks (?). An asterisk matches any number of characters. A question mark matches a single arbitrary character.

MatchesMask returns True if the string matches the mask. MatchesMask returns false if the string does not match the mask. MatchesMask raises an exception if the mask is syntactically invalid.

Note:  The Filename parameter does not need to be a file name. MatchesMask can be used to check strings against any syntactically correct mask.

In Chapter 14 of  Mastering Delphi 5 (pp. 675-677), Marco Cantů explains "Sharing Data with Memory-Mapped Files."

Memory Mapped Files -- Client
www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/1636/mmapcli.htm

Memory Mapped Files -- Server
www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/1636/mmapsrv.htm

Patrick Martin's example TBitmap descendant using memory mapped files

Neil Rubenking's TNEHeader Record in his PC Magazine FindOrphans utility, 6 June 2000.

See
- example with INI Files
- example under Append in File I/O

Delphi Jedi Code Library (JCL), JCLFileUtils.PAS unit

Call ProcessPath to parse a file name into its drive, path, and file name. Pass the full file name that should be parsed as the EditText parameter. ProcessPath returns the indicated drive, directory, and file name as the Drive, DirPart, and FilePart parameters.

AssignFile(F, Filename);
FileMode := 0;     // set access to read/only
Reset(F);
...

Neil Rubenking's RecycleFile in the AllFuncs.pas unit of his ColorClue utility.

Daniel U. Thibault's DUTUtilsTrash Unit that contains standalone "Trash" (Recycle Bin) utilities, including GetTrashContents, RestoreFromTrash, and EmptyTrash.  Now works under WinNT as well as Win95.  The zip also includes a very simple demo applet.

Sending Files to the Recycle Bin (link broken 3 March 2000)
www.bhnet.com.br/~simonet/tipstricks/recycle.htm

Bernd Ua's UseNet Post about "How to empty recycle bin?"
Martin Thorsten Heintze's E-mail about how to use SHEmptyRecycleBin 

UseNet Thread about quoting Steve Schafer about Recycle Bin Internals

MS Q136517 "How the Recycle Bin Stores Files"
MS Q171694 "Differences Between the Recycle Bin and the Recycle Folder"

• Find Registry Facts Fast:  Registry Detective's search facility can integrate with RegEdit.
• Safely Edit Your Registry:  RegEdit+ makes editing your Registry less of a hassle and a lot safer.

See examples of reading registry keys under FileDateToDateTime examples

A complement to Delphi 3.02's ShellAPI.pas (Explorer).  Project JEDI Conversion Library by Daniel U. Thibault.   
ftp://delphi-jedi.org/api/ShellAPIAdditional.zip 

A complement to Delphi 3.02's ShlObj.pas (Explorer).  Project JEDI Conversion Library by Daniel U. Thibault. 
ftp://delphi-jedi.org/api/ShlObjAdditional.zip 

Bernd Ua's UseNet Post about "How to empty recycle bin?"

Charles Hacker's UseNet Post with SHFileOperation example to copy network drive to local drive

"Using the SHFileOperation Function," Delphi 5 Developer's Guide (pp. 404-406) by Teixeria and Pacheco  (Worked in Windows 98/2000, but failed in original Win 95 -- I likley need an updated Shell32.DLL.)

According to Johannes Berg in a UseNet post, you have to give SHFileOperation the fully qualified filename due to a bug (or feature?) of Windows.

Peter Below's UseNet Post with example of how to delete a folder
Xavier Pacheco's UseNet Post with CopyDirectoryTree procedure

Utilisation de l'API SHFileOperation
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/bardou/michel/zip/shfileoperation.zip 

TFileOperation component performs a copy, move, rename or delete operation on a file system object along with the folder animations first introduced in Microsoft Windows 95. It encapsulates the SHFileOperation provided as Shell API in Win32 environment.
http://delphi.icm.edu.pl/ftp/d20free/fileop11.zip

Drag and Drop with Files, FAQ 529D

Probing into the Shell's File Operations (Move/Copy/Delete Files)
www.undu.com/DN970101/00000024.htm

With this single component, a wrapper around the Windows SHFileOperation API, you can Copy, Rename, Move, Delete, and Recycle any list of files with a single operation. Wayne Niddery's TShellFileOp

SHGetFielInfoCaches Drive Information
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q235/6/30.ASP 

Adding shortcuts to Win95/WinNT4 Desktop/StartMenu
Borland TI 1597D

In Chapter 15 of  Mastering Delphi 5 (pp. 708-710), Marco Cantů explains "Creating Shortcuts."

Non-Delphi:
http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/stories/solutions/0,8224,2385358,00.html 

TextFile SWAG.   81 examples
www.gdsoft.com/swag/textfile.zip

Also see, GetTempFileName.

  TFilename = TYPE STRING;  // D4, D5  (stronger typing)

See
- FileDateToDateTime (above)
- FindFirst/FindNext/FindLast in Directories

When was that file last accessed?
www.chami.com/tips/delphi/012797D.html

Using FindFirst and the WIN_32_FIND_DATA structure, Borland TI 1512D

UNIX DateTime to Delphi DateTime

Deepak Shenoy's UseNet Post with file stream example of converting UNIX text to DOS text

Mike (TeamB) UseNet Post about parsing UNIX files

Use AdjustLineBreaks to "fix" line ends.  Read the whole file as one string using TFileStream, call AdjustLineBreaks and then save in the converted file.

"Working with Files," Delphi 5 Developer's Guide, Chapter 12, by Teixeria and Pacheco