VB.NET Language in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Name

Rename Procedure

Class

Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileSystem

Syntax

Rename(oldpath, newpath)

oldpath (required; String)

The current filename and optional path

newpath (required; String)

The new filename and optional path

Description

Renames a disk file or folder

Rules at a Glance

• newpath must not already exist, or an error will be generated.

• oldpath must exist; the Rename procedure isn’t able to create a new file or directory.

• When renaming a file or folder, both newpath and oldpath should include a path to the same folder, or the function will move the file or directory. For instance, the statement:

  Rename("c:\Temp\Graphics", "Images")

  renames the Graphics folder to Images and moves it so that it becomes a subdirectory of the current directory.

• Path information included in newpath and oldpath can take the form of the local system’s path or the UNC path. The local system path can be either a fully qualified path or a relative path from the current directory.

• newpath and oldpath can be on different drives, but if they are, Rename cannot both move the files and rename them.

• newpath and oldpath cannot include the wildcard characters ? and *.

• You cannot use the Rename procedure with a file that is already open.

Programming Tips and Gotchas

The Rename procedure can be used to move a file from one folder to another and, optionally, to change the file’s name at the same time. If the folder specified in newname exists and is different from that stated in oldname, the file will be moved to the ...