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VBScript

Get FTP Filenames as XML (NLST)

See more FTP Examples

Demonstrates the Chilkat Ftp2.NlstXml method, which sends NLST and returns the matching names in XML form. The only argument is appended literally; an empty string sends a bare NLST and a value like *.txt sends NLST *.txt.

Tip: Code to parse the returned XML can be generated at Chilkat Tools.

Background: NLST is the lightweight listing command: it returns only names, with none of the sizes, dates, or type information that LIST provides. That makes it fast and simple when a bare list of filenames is all you need — for example to drive a batch of downloads. Wrapping the result as XML gives you a clean, uniform structure to iterate regardless of how the server formats the raw NLST reply.

Chilkat VBScript Downloads

VBScript
Dim fso, outFile
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
'Create a Unicode (utf-16) output text file.
Set outFile = fso.CreateTextFile("output.txt", True, True)

success = 0

'  Demonstrates the Ftp2.NlstXml method, which sends NLST and returns the matching names in XML
'  form.  The only argument is appended literally; an empty string sends a bare NLST.

set ftp = CreateObject("Chilkat.Ftp2")

ftp.Hostname = "ftp.example.com"
ftp.Username = "myFtpLogin"

'  Normally you would not hard-code the password in source.  You should instead obtain it
'  from an interactive prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
ftp.Password = "myPassword"

success = ftp.Connect()
If (success = 0) Then
    outFile.WriteLine(ftp.LastErrorText)
    WScript.Quit
End If

success = ftp.ChangeRemoteDir("public_html")
If (success = 0) Then
    outFile.WriteLine(ftp.LastErrorText)
    WScript.Quit
End If

'  NLST returns names only (no sizes, dates, or types).  "*.txt" sends NLST *.txt.
xml = ftp.NlstXml("*.txt")
If (ftp.LastMethodSuccess = 0) Then
    outFile.WriteLine(ftp.LastErrorText)
    WScript.Quit
End If

outFile.WriteLine(xml)

success = ftp.Disconnect()
If (success = 0) Then
    outFile.WriteLine(ftp.LastErrorText)
    WScript.Quit
End If


outFile.Close