Download File Using HTTP

Microsoft ships a redistributable msinet.ocx with a number of products including Visual Basic 5.0, 6.0, Office 2000 Developer, Visual FoxPro 6.0, Visual C++ 5.0, 6.0. This file hosts Microsoft Internet Transfer Control which implements a number of protocols including HTTP and FTP. You need to know the commands that initiate the operations.

The code snippet given below shows how to use Microsoft Internet Transfer Control to download a file from a machine. To use the code, make sure that you add a reference to Microsoft Internet Transfer Control. To add a reference to it

  1. Select Tools | References....
  2. Select Microsoft Internet Transfer Control from the available references.
    1. If it is not available, click the Browse... button. You will be presented with the Add Reference dialog box.
    2. Locate and select MSINET.OCX. This file is usually present in the System folder.
    3. Click Open to dismiss the Add Reference dialog box.
  3. Click OK.

Sub HTTPDownloadFile(ByVal URL As String, ByVal LocalFileName As String)
    Dim HTTP As Inet
    Dim Contents() As Byte

    Set HTTP = New Inet
    With HTTP
        .Protocol = icHTTP
        .URL = URL
        Contents() = .OpenURL(.URL, icByteArray)
    End With
    Set HTTP = Nothing

    Open
LocalFileName For Binary Access Write As #1
    Put
#1, , Contents()
    Close
#1
End Sub

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