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How to watch for a file in a folder in VBS and handle locked files

The following Visual Basic Script allows you to  monitor a folder for new files. The script will try to process the file if the file is still locked by the application that created the file, an error will occur and the script will handle it by waiting a growing amount of time and then retrying to use the file.

The script will also send an email alert about the error raised:

strComputer = "."
strPathToWatch = "C:\backups\"

Sub SendMailMessage(to_address, subject, msg)
	dim sch, cdoConfig, cdoMessage
    sch = "http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/" 
    Set cdoConfig = CreateObject("CDO.Configuration") 
    With cdoConfig.Fields 
        .Item(sch & "sendusing") = 2 ' cdoSendUsingPort 
        .Item(sch & "smtpserver") = "yoursmtpserver" 
        .update 
    End With 
    Set cdoMessage = CreateObject("CDO.Message") 
    With cdoMessage 
        Set .Configuration = cdoConfig 
        .From = "script-error@yourcompany.com" 
        .To = to_address 
        .Subject = subject
        .TextBody =  msg
        .Send 
    End With 
    Set cdoMessage = Nothing 
    Set cdoConfig = Nothing  
End Sub

'Build the queries that will monitor for new files
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & _
        strComputer & "\root\cimv2")

'Change the following query when you want to watch a folder different from D:\\\\
Set colMonitoredEvents = objWMIService.ExecNotificationQuery _
    ("SELECT * FROM __InstanceCreationEvent WITHIN 10 WHERE " _
        & "Targetinstance ISA 'CIM_DirectoryContainsFile' and " _
            & "TargetInstance.GroupComponent= " _
                & "'Win32_Directory.Name=""C:\\\\backups\\\\""'") 

				
'Keep getting the next event. Each event represents the creation of a new file in the specified folder
Do
    Set objLatestEvent = colMonitoredEvents.NextEvent
    strNewFile = objLatestEvent.TargetInstance.PartComponent
    arrNewFile = Split(strNewFile, "=")
    strFileName = arrNewFile(1)
    strFileName = Replace(strFileName, "\\", "\")
    strFileName = Replace(strFileName, Chr(34), "") 'Gets the full path of the file created
		
	Dim fso
	Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
	file_needs_processing = true
	time_to_wait = 40000 'wait 40000 milisenconds (40 seconds) before retrying
	
	Do While file_needs_processing = true
		On Error Resume Next
		Err.Clear
		
		'Do processing here
		if  Err.Number = 0  then  
			'File was succesfully processed, disable the error handling, rename and delete the file
			On Error GOTO 0
			'Stop trying to process this file, we are done
			file_needs_processing = false
		else
			'An error occurred, send an email with the error message, make the script wait a period of time and then try again to process the file
			err_msg = "Error # " & CStr(Err.Number) & " " & Err.Description & " File: " & strFileName
			On Error GOTO 0
			SendMailMessage "you@yourcompany.com" , "File Failed, going to re-try in " & Cstr(time_to_wait / 1000) & " seconds", err_msg
			WScript.Echo err_msg
			WScript.Echo "Waiting for file to be ready... going to re-try in " & Cstr(time_to_wait / 1000) & " seconds"
			WScript.Sleep time_to_wait
			time_to_wait = time_to_wait + 30000 'add 30 seconds to wait period
		end if
	loop
Loop

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