Filename and path in excel

Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Adding a File Path and Filename.

Margo wants to insert a file path and filename in an Excel worksheet. She wants to be able to insert the information in either a cell or into the header/footer. This is rather easy to do in Excel.

To insert the file path and filename into a cell, you use the CELL worksheet function in the following manner:

=CELL("filename")

This formula returns the entire path, filename, and tab name of the current worksheet, like this:

E:My DataExcel[Budget.xls]Sheet1

If you want to strip out the brackets and the sheet name, you can use the following variation on the formula:

=SUBSTITUTE(LEFT(CELL("filename"),FIND("]",CELL("filename"))-1),"[","")

The LEFT function gets rid of everything from the right bracket to the end of the string, while the SUBSTITUTE function gets rid of the left bracket.

Putting a path and filename into a header or footer is easy:

1. Select the worksheet whose header or footer you want to change.
2. Choose the Page Setup option from the File menu. Excel displays the Page Setup dialog box.
3. Click on either the Custom Header or Custom Footer buttons, as desired. Word displays either the Header or Footer dialog box. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The Header dialog box.

4. Position the insertion point in the Left Section, Center Section, or Right Section boxes, as desired.
5. Click on the File button. (It looks like a file folder with a piece of paper sticking out.) Excel inserts the following code at the insertion point:

     &[Path]&[File]

6. Click on OK two times to close both dialog boxes.

When you print the worksheet, Excel replaces the codes in step 5 with the path name and the file name of the workbook, respectively.

If you are using Excel 97 or Excel 2000, then the above steps won’t work. Instead, you need to use a macro to insert the path and filename:

Sub DoFullPath()
    ActiveSheet.PageSetup.CenterFooter = _
      ActiveWorkbook.FullName
End Sub

This macro will also work in later versions of Excel. To specify a different place for the path and filename, simply change CenterFooter to another location (such as LeftFooter, RightFooter, LeftHeader, CenterHeader, or RightHeader). If you decide to use the macro approach, you will need to remember to run it every time that you change either the workbook’s filename (you use Save As), or you change the place where the workbook is stored on your disk.

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In this guide, we’re going to show you how to get filename from path in Excel. We will cover how to do this with and without VBA.

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File path and file name

A file path is a string identifier that specifies the unique location in a file system. It contains folders in a hierarchical order following by a file name. Each element is separated by a delimiter which is usually a backslash «». The goal of getting filename from path is to parse that filename after the last delimiter.

We will show you four different approaches to get filename from path in Excel.

Conservative method

Our first approach is using well known Excel functions MIN, SUBSTITUE and LEN to get the file name. You can use this formula in any Excel version.

This formula has couple of steps:

1. At the inner section, all separators («») get replaced with empty strings.
2. The formula subtracts the length of substituted path (1) from original path to find the number of separators.
3. The outer SUBSTITUTE function replaces the last separator («») with «*». Obviously, the last separator’s instance is equal to number of separators (2).
4. Finally, the FIND locates the «*» character, and the MID function parses the file name after the character.

VBA with FileSystemObject

You can use VBA to create your own custom functions which you can use in worksheet as well. Of course, you can use this function in your macros as well.

The code is very short. It uses GetFileName method of FileSystemObject object. The important section of the code is the initializing of the object. The following code sets FileSystemObject object to fso variable.

Set fso = CreateObject(«Scripting.FileSystemObject»)

Once the object is initialized, use the GetFileName method by providing the path.

GetFileNameFromPath_FSO = fso.GetFileName(«C:Excel FilesDashboards.xlsm»)

The above line returns «Dashboard.xlsm» string. Here is the function version you can use in your worksheets as well.

Function GetFileNameFromPath_FSO(ByVal Path As String) As String
    Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    GetFileNameFromPath_FSO = fso.GetFileName(Path)
End Function

VBA with a recursive function

A recursive function is function which calls itself. The recursive approach acts like an iteration and helps us to parse values starting from the end of a string. You could have used recursive functions only in VBA until the LAMBDA function has been released. Because the most of Excel users do not have access to the LAMBDA function, we will show you VBA version which any Excel user can use.

This function has only few rows as well. The function’s name is GetFilenameFromPath_Recursive and take a single argument named Path.

The first row is a logical test that checks if the last character in the argument is a backslash («») or not and if the argument is not an empty string. If the test is passed, the function returns itself with the argument without its last character and the last character of the path. This is where the recursion occurs.

The function runs itself until coming up a backslash («») or not a character left. It parses the characters from the right side and combines them with each run.

The last row contains a standard End If statement which determines where the If block ends.

Function GetFilenameFromPath_Recursive(ByVal Path As String) As String
    If Right$(Path, 1) <> "" And Len(Path) > 0 Then
        GetFilenameFromPath_Recursive = GetFilenameFromPath_Recursive(Left$(Path, Len(Path) - 1)) & Right$(Path, 1)
    End If
End Function

Using LAMBDA to get filename from path

If you are Microsoft 365 subscriber, you can create recursive functions without using VBA. Briefly, the LAMBDA function is a special function that converts named ranges into user defined functions. Its syntax allows you to define arguments and a custom formula which uses that defined arguments.

For example, let’s say my custom function will have two arguments and returns multiplication of two arguments. All I need to is creating a named range, such as «MyLambda» and enter the following formula into Refers to box.

If you call the named range «MyLambda» in the «MyLambda» function, you will create a recursive function. Same logic can be applied to VBA function at previous section.

The following is the LAMBDA version of our VBA code. The function’s name is GetFileNameFromPath_Lambda. Check out how the function calls itself after IF function’s logical test.

Using LAMBDA Function with different approach

Alternatively, you can use the LAMBDA function without calling the «function name».  The definition may sound complicated since you must call the function in the function by its name. This structure dictates you to update each occurrence of the name every time change the function’s name.

You can overcome this necessity by using another Microsoft 365-specific function called LET. The LET function allows you to define named ranges in a formula scope. You can define repeating values or blocks into these names and use them continuously.

If you define the name of the LAMBDA function in the formula, you can use the in-formula name over and over to make the function recursive. In our example, we create the name «Func» in the formula and call it within self. Outer LAMBDA function is to give the whatever name we want, «GetFileNameFromPath_LambdaMe».

Many a time, it is good to Display the location of the file in Excel.

Not just the file name, but the entire path of the file. It is a good reference to make sure you are working on the correct file and is also good if you print out the Excel. With this option, the file path always gets printed on paper..

How to Write a Formula that will Display the File Path in Excel, automatically. 

One useful formula that can assist us is the CELL formula. I bet you didn’t know about this in-built Excel Function…

The CELL function can help us to display the address, colour, format, type or width of any cell.

The CELL Function takes a maximum of 2 arguments, and only the first one is mandatory.

=CELL(info_type, [reference])

So, if you write =CELL(“filename”) in any cell, you will get the Full Pathname of this Excel file, along with the Sheet Name.

For example, I got the filename displayed as below:

According to the Excel Help, the CELL function  has the following arguments:

• info_type Required. A text value that specifies what type of cell information you want to return. The following list shows some of the possible values of the info_type argument and the corresponding results.
  

  info_type	Returns
  “address”	Reference of the first cell in reference, as text.
  “col”	Column number of the cell in reference.
  “color”	The value 1 if the cell is formatted in color for negative values; otherwise returns 0 (zero).
  “contents”	Value of the upper-left cell in reference; not a formula.
  “filename”	Filename (including full path) of the file that contains reference, as text. Returns empty text (“”) if the worksheet that contains reference has not yet been saved.
  “format”	Text value corresponding to the number format of the cell. The text values for the various formats are shown in the following table. Returns “-” at the end of the text value if the cell is formatted in color for negative values. Returns “()” at the end of the text value if the cell is formatted with parentheses for positive or all values.

Display only the Excel File Name, without the Sheet Name

To only print the File name, you can use this long formula:

=MID(CELL("filename"),SEARCH("[",CELL("filename"))+1, SEARCH("]",CELL("filename"))-SEARCH("[",CELL("filename"))-1)

Keep in mind that the file should be saved somewhere. If you just open a new workbook, and try these formulas, you will get a #VALUE ERROR.  This error will disappear automatically once the file is saved, and the error will be replaced with the correct full file path name, and file name.

This formula to display the filename in Excel also works on the Mac. Any Excel for Mac version, including Excel X for Mac, to Excel 2004, 2008, 2011 for Mac also work fine in displaying the filename.

For example, for a file on Mac with the path HD:Users:local:Desktop, the formula returns
HD:Users:local:Desktop:(filename)Sheet1

Displaying the FilePath only

While writing macros in Excel, you may need the file’s path only, to pick up other files, or for any other reason. Just use this to get only the file’s path in Excel

=LEFT(CELL(“filename”,A1),FIND(“[“,CELL(“filename”,A1),1)-1)

In this formula, we remove the Sheet Name, which starts with the [ character.

How To Display Filename & File Path in Excel Worksheet Header or Footer

If you wish to display the file name and/or file path in the Excel sheet’s header or footer, then it is extremely simple. Simply go to the Ribbon. Choose Insert > Header & Footer

All you need to do is click on the File Path, File Name icons.

Alternatively, if you want to type it yourself, simply type the following in the header or the footer in Excel:

&[Path]&[File]

Use &[Path] for only the File Path, and &[File] for only the File’s name.

Hope it helps you in your life with Excel.

Now you can confidently display the filename and the file path in Excel

With the File Name of Excel files visible in the header, with the File Path, you won’t  lose a file in the wrong location & find what you are looking for easily!

Do let me know if you need any other functions in Excel, or if you are facing a problem in Excel. We can help you to solve everyday issues in Excel easily at ExcelChamp.Net.

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Cheers,
Vinai Prakash

Vinai is the founder and principal trainer for Microsoft Excel Tips and Techniques seminars all over the world. To book Vinai to conduct an Excel training at your office for your company, do email to vinai@excelchamp.net.