For example, if the original long name is
   my document.doc

but the name I'm being sent is
   mydocu~1.doc

How can I get the original name back?  Assuming, of course that the
file still exists.

In the end, the easiest is probably
sLongName=Dir$(sShortName,vbDirectory)

--
Please reply via the newsgroup only

Here's one way of doing it.

*** Start of Code

Public Function GetLongFilePath(Path As String) As String
 On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
 ' - Path string must be a fully qualified path (i.e.
C:\Mydocu~1\testlo~1.txt")
 '   including DRIVE:\FOLDERS (If Any)\File (If any)
 ' - Does not support wildcards
 ' - Path strings that do not contain a trailing backslash will
 '   be treated as file paths, those that do contain a trailing
 '   backslash will be treated as folder paths.
 Dim avarPaths As Variant ' Stores each segment of the path
 Dim lngPathCounter As Long ' Counter for the path array
 Dim strLongPath As String ' The long file/folder path to be returned
 Dim strPath As String ' Holds the results of the DIR function for the
current path in the array
 Dim lngLBound As Long ' Holds the LBound of the path array
 Dim lngUBound As Long ' Holds the UBound of the path array

 avarPaths = Split(Path, "\") ' Split the path string into its constituent
drive/paths/file
 lngLBound = LBound(avarPaths) ' Store the lowest element of the array
 lngUBound = UBound(avarPaths) ' Store the highest element of the array
 strLongPath = avarPaths(lngLBound) & "\" ' The drive letter should be the
first element, so store it as the first part of the long path
 For lngPathCounter = lngLBound + 1 To lngUBound - 1 ' Count from the first
element after the drive letter, to the last element before the filename (or
the empty string if we are expanding a folder path)
  strPath = Dir(strLongPath & avarPaths(lngPathCounter), vbDirectory) ' See
if we can find this folder
  If strPath <> "" Then ' We found either a folder or a file
   strLongPath = strLongPath & strPath ' Add the path we just found to the
full long path
   If Not GetAttr(strLongPath) And vbDirectory Then ' Check to see if the
path we found was indeed a directory, if this test succeeds, we found a FILE
and not a directory
    Err.Raise 76 ' Raise a "Path Not Found" error, because we're looking for
a folder and not a file at this point.
   End If
   strLongPath = strLongPath & "\" ' Append a trailing backslash to the long
path.
  Else ' No folder/file was found at this path,
   Err.Raise 76 ' So raise a "Path Not Found" error.
  End If
 Next lngPathCounter ' Loop through the folders in the array
 If avarPaths(lngUBound) <> "" Then ' If this not blank, we must search for
the file, otherwise, our work is done!
  strPath = Dir(strLongPath & avarPaths(lngUBound), vbArchive Or vbHidden Or
vbReadOnly Or vbSystem) ' Test for the existance of the file
  If strPath <> "" Then ' File exists
   strLongPath = strLongPath & strPath ' Append the long file name to the
long path
  Else ' File doesn't exist
   Err.Raise 53 ' Raise a "File not found" error
  End If
 End If
 GetLongFilePath = strLongPath ' Pass the long path to the function
 Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
 Err.Raise Err.Number
End Function

*** End of Code

*** API Version Start of Code
Option Explicit

Private Declare Function GetLongPathName Lib "kernel32" Alias
"GetLongPathNameA" (ByVal lpShortPath As String, ByVal lpLongPath As String,
ByVal nBufferLength As Long) As Long
Private Const MAX_PATH = 260

Private Function GetLongFilePath(Path As String) As String
 On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
 ' Pass a short folder/file string to Path, and this will return the long
version.
 ' i.e. C:\MyDocu~1\ becomes C:\My Documents
 ' If you include a trailing backslash, it will be remain, if not, it will
not be added.
 Dim strLongPath As String ' Stores the Long folder/file path
 Dim strShortPath As String '
 Dim lngBufferLength As Long

 strLongPath = Space(MAX_PATH) ' Prepare the Long path buffer
 lngBufferLength = GetLongPathName(Path & Chr(0), strLongPath,
Len(strLongPath)) ' Try to get the long path
 If lngBufferLength > 0 Then ' If so, then we have a path! if not, the
path/file does not exist
  If lngBufferLength > Len(strLongPath) Then ' Wasn't a big enough buffer!
must resize and recall
   strLongPath = Space(lngBufferLength) ' Resize the buffer to the required
size
   lngBufferLength = GetLongPathName(Path & Chr(0), strLongPath,
Len(strLongPath)) ' Recall the API
  End If
  strLongPath = Left(strLongPath, lngBufferLength) ' Trim any extra
characters off the long path buffer
 Else ' Path/File does not exist
  Err.Raise 53 ' Raise 'File not found" error
 End If
 GetLongFilePath = strLongPath ' Return the long path
 Exit Function ' Leave before the error handler

ErrorHandler:
 If Err.Number = 53 Then ' File not found
  MsgBox Err.Description & vbCrLf & "'" & Path & "'", vbExclamation +
vbOKOnly, "GetLongFilePath Error"
 Else ' Unhandled error...uh oh
  MsgBox "Unhandled error in GetLongFilePath: " & vbCrLf & Err.Description,
vbCritical + vbOKOnly, "GetLongFilePath Error"
 End If
End Function

*** API Version END of code

*** Non-API Version Start of code

Public Function GetLongFilePath(Path As String) As String
 On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
 ' - Path string must be a fully qualified path (i.e.
C:\Mydocu~1\testlo~1.txt")
 '   including DRIVE:\FOLDERS (If Any)\File (If any)
 ' - Does not support wildcards
 ' - Path strings that do not contain a trailing backslash will
 '   be treated as file paths, those that do contain a trailing
 '   backslash will be treated as folder paths.
 Dim avarPaths As Variant ' Stores each segment of the path
 Dim lngPathCounter As Long ' Counter for the path array
 Dim strLongPath As String ' The long file/folder path to be returned
 Dim strPath As String ' Holds the results of the DIR function for the
current path in the array
 Dim lngLBound As Long ' Holds the LBound of the path array
 Dim lngUBound As Long ' Holds the UBound of the path array

 avarPaths = Split(Path, "\") ' Split the path string into its constituent
drive/paths/file
 lngLBound = LBound(avarPaths) ' Store the lowest element of the array
 lngUBound = UBound(avarPaths) ' Store the highest element of the array
 strLongPath = avarPaths(lngLBound) & "\" ' The drive letter should be the
first element, so store it as the first part of the long path
 For lngPathCounter = lngLBound + 1 To lngUBound - 1 ' Count from the first
element after the drive letter, to the last element before the filename (or
the empty string if we are expanding a folder path)
  strPath = Dir(strLongPath & avarPaths(lngPathCounter), vbDirectory) ' See
if we can find this folder
  If strPath <> "" Then ' We found either a folder or a file
   strLongPath = strLongPath & strPath ' Add the path we just found to the
full long path
   If Not GetAttr(strLongPath) And vbDirectory Then ' Check to see if the
path we found was indeed a directory, if this test succeeds, we found a FILE
and not a directory
    Err.Raise 76 ' Raise a "Path Not Found" error, because we're looking for
a folder and not a file at this point.
   End If
   strLongPath = strLongPath & "\" ' Append a trailing backslash to the long
path.
  Else ' No folder/file was found at this path,
   Err.Raise 76 ' So raise a "Path Not Found" error.
  End If
 Next lngPathCounter ' Loop through the folders in the array
 If avarPaths(lngUBound) <> "" Then ' If this not blank, we must search for
the file, otherwise, our work is done!
  strPath = Dir(strLongPath & avarPaths(lngUBound), vbArchive Or vbHidden Or
vbReadOnly Or vbSystem) ' Test for the existance of the file
  If strPath <> "" Then ' File exists
   strLongPath = strLongPath & strPath ' Append the long file name to the
long path
  Else ' File doesn't exist
   Err.Raise 53 ' Raise a "File not found" error
  End If
 End If
 GetLongFilePath = strLongPath ' Pass the long path to the function
 Exit Function ' Leave before the error handler

ErrorHandler:
 Select Case Err.Number
 Case 53, 76 ' File not found, Path not found
  MsgBox Err.Description & vbCrLf & "'" & Path & "'", vbExclamation +
vbOKOnly, "GetLongFilePath Error"
 Case 9
  MsgBox "No path to expand.", vbExclamation + vbOKOnly, "GetLongFilePath
Error"
 Case Else ' Unhandled error...uh oh
  MsgBox "Unhandled error in GetLongFilePath: " & vbCrLf & Err.Number & " -
" & Err.Description, vbCritical + vbOKOnly, "GetLongFilePath Error"
 End Select
End Function

*** NON-API Version End of code