VBScript FTP Login with Username and Password - vbscript

Question

I am trying to update a VBScript (very little experience with this, I do a lot of VB.NET), that reads an FTP directory and moves certain files to a new local directory on a daily basis. I have old code that works on an FTP site that uses anonymous logins, but I now need it to access an FTP site that requires username and password.
Here is my current code -
Sub MoveNSPurolatorFile()
Dim NSPurolatorFTPSite, NSPurolatorMoveFilePath, NSPurolatorFTPFolder, NSPurolatorFTPFileName
Dim folder, files
Dim fso
set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
NSPurolatorFTPSite="\\xxx.xxx.x.xx\"
NSPurolatorMoveFilePath = "F:\TestDirectory"
NSPurolatorFTPFolder = "TestFolder"
NSPurolatorFTPFileName = "MAN0201.CSV"
If InStr(NSPurolatorFTPFileName, "_processed") = 0 and InStr(NSPurolatorFTPFileName, ".CSV") > 0 Then
If fso.FolderExists(NSPurolatorFTPSite & NSPurolatorFTPFolder) Then
If fso.FileExists(NSPurolatorFTPSite & NSPurolatorFTPFolder & NSPurolatorFTPFileName) Then
objfile.writeline "NS Purolator File Found: " & NSPurolatorFTPSite & NSPurolatorFTPFolder & NSPurolatorFTPFileName
fso.copyFile NSPurolatorFTPSite & NSPurolatorFTPFolder & NSPurolatorFTPFileName, NSPurolatorMoveFilePath & "\"
Else
objfile.writeline "File does not exist: " & NSPurolatorFTPSite & NSPurolatorFTPFolder & NSPurolatorFTPFileName
End If
End If
End If
Next
End Sub
It says the folder does not exist, but I know it does and when I run this code against an ftp site that does not require username and password it works fine. I guess my question is - How do I pass in the username and password using VBScript to the ftp site before trying to access folders, etc?
Thanks.

Answer 1

This really is an incredibly bad way to do this. You can't just treat folders on a remote FTP site as local folders.
You really should be using InetCtrls.Inet.1
Here's an example I lifted from somewhere else that does not do what you want, but contains all the parts you need - you need to pick it apart to suit your needs.
'Option Explicit
'const progname="FTP upload script by Richard Finegold"
'const url = "ftp://ftp.myftpsite.com"
'const rdir = "mydir"
'const user = "anonymous"
'const pass = "myname#mymailsite.com"
'This is an example of ftp'ing without calling the external "FTP" command
'It uses InetCtrls.Inet.1 instead
'Included is a "hint" for simple downloading
'Sources:
'http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/partbook/ipwvb5/loggingontoftpserver.htm
'http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/partbook/egvb6/addinginternettransfercontrol.htm
'http://cwashington.netreach.net/ - search on "ftp" - inspiration only!
'Insist on arguments
dim objArgs
Set objArgs = Wscript.Arguments
If 0=objArgs.Count Then
MsgBox "No files selected for operation!", vbOkOnly + vbCritical, progname
WScript.Quit
End If
'Force console mode - csforce.vbs (with some reorganization for efficiency)
dim i
if right(ucase(wscript.FullName),11)="WSCRIPT.EXE" then
dim args, y
For i = 0 to objArgs.Count - 1
args = args + " " + objArgs(i)
Next
Set y = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
y.Run "cscript.exe " & wscript.ScriptFullName + " " + args, 1
wscript.quit
end if
'Do actual work
dim fso, ftpo
set fso = WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
set ftpo = WScript.CreateObject("InetCtls.Inet.1") 'Msinet.ocx
ftpo.URL = url
ftpo.UserName = user
ftpo.Password = pass
WScript.Echo "Connecting..."
ftpo.Execute , "CD " & rdir
do
' WScript.Echo "."
WScript.Sleep 100 'This can take a while loop while ftpo.StillExecuting
for i = 0 to objArgs.Count - 1
dim sLFile
sLFile = objArgs(i)
if (fso.FileExists(sLFile)) then
WScript.Echo "Uploading " & sLFile & " as " & FSO.GetFileName(sLFile) & " "
ftpo.Execute , "Put " & sLFile & " " & FSO.GetFileName(sLFile)
'ftpo.Execute , "Get " & sRemoteFile & " C:\" & sLFile
do
'WScript.Echo "."
WScript.Sleep 100 'This can take a while
loop while ftpo.StillExecuting
else
MsgBox Chr(34) & sLFile & Chr(34) & " does not exist!", _
vbOkOnly, progname
end if
next
WScript.Echo "Closing"
ftpo.Execute , "Close"
WScript.Echo "Done!"

Answer 2

Here's a pretty nice way to do it - I'm sure this could be improved upon, but I just got it going.. :-)
Dim fso, folder1, folder2, folder2a
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set folder2a = fso.GetFolder("C:\temp")
ftpFolderString = "ftp://username:password#ftp.ftpsite.com/folderpath"
targetFoldder = "C:\temp"
fileSearchStr = "searchstring"
Dim SH, txtFolderToOpen, thing
Set SH = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
'SH.Open txtFolderToOpen
Set folder1 = SH.NameSpace(ftpFolderString)
Set folder2 = SH.NameSpace(targetFoldder)
For Each item In folder1.items
If InStr(LCase(item.Name),fileSearchStr) > 0 Then
Debug.WriteLine item.Name
folder2.CopyHere item,4
WScript.Sleep(200)
For Each item2 In folder2a.Files
If item2.Name = item.Name Then
While item2.Size < item.Size
WScript.Sleep(200)
Wend
End If
Next
WScript.Sleep(200)
End If
Next
Set SH = Nothing
Debug.WriteLine "Done"

Answer 3

How is the script being run? Manually, automatically? By a service?
Mapped-letter drives are not always available when running as a service.
Experiment with the script to ensure that it even able to see the F:\ drive, and then see what else is visible.

Answer 4

Is the FTP site accessed by a UNC path (looks like it is)? If it is just a standard FTP address then you can incorporate the username / password in the URL e.g. ftp://user:pass#myftpsite.com. If it is a UNC path that you are trying to access using different credentials then the easiest way would probably be to map a drive, do the work and then unmap the drive. 2 different approaches can be found here