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Get Path to a File in the EXE's Folder with VBA

This VBA function retrieves the full path to a file located in the same directory as your application’s EXE. It is particularly useful for accessing external resources or companion files that you distribute alongside your protected workbook.

👉 Insert the following function into a VBA module:

Public Function PathToFile(ByVal Filename As String) As String
    Dim XLSPadlock As Object
    Dim exePath As String
    On Error GoTo Err


    Set XLSPadlock = Application.COMAddIns("GXLSForm.GXLSFormula").Object
    exePath = XLSPadlock.PLEvalVar("EXEPath")


    ' Use Application.BuildPath to correctly join the path and filename
    PathToFile = Application.BuildPath(exePath, Filename)


    Exit Function
Err:
    PathToFile = ""
End Function

You can then call the function:

Sub Test_File()
 DoSomethingWith(PathToFile("data.xls"))
End Sub

👉 See Also: VBA API Cookbook & Recipes