Project Format Reference

Every VBA Padlock project is stored as a directory next to your Office file. Understanding this layout makes backup, version control, CI builds, and troubleshooting much easier.

When you open an Office file, VBA Padlock automatically looks for a folder with the same base name and .vbapadlock suffix.

1. Open MyWorkbook.xlsm in VBA Padlock Studio.
2. VBA Padlock checks for MyWorkbook.vbapadlock/ in the same folder.
3. If missing, it creates the folder and initializes project files.

project.xml is the central settings file for your project (managed internally by VBA Padlock Studio). It stores:

• Application metadata (title, version, company, description)
• Compilation and publishing settings
• Licensing configuration (activation/deactivation/trial/EULA/online validation)
• Hardware ID and key generator parameters

Each .bas file corresponds to a VBA module that will be compiled into your protected DLL.

Recommended format:

• Encoding: UTF-8
• Line endings: CRLF or LF (both supported)
• Content: Standard VBA + built-ins from script functions

Example Main.bas:

' Main module - entry point for the compiled application
Public Function Initialize() As String
    Initialize = "Application initialized successfully"
End Function

Public Function CalculatePrice(quantity As Long, unitPrice As Double, taxRate As Double) As Double
    CalculatePrice = quantity * unitPrice * (1 + taxRate)
End Function

If present, mainicon.ico is embedded into generated DLL resources.

• Format: Windows ICO
• Recommended multi-size icon: 16, 32, 48, 256 px

After compilation/publish, VBA Padlock creates runtime artifacts in bin/ next to the Office file:

Track source and configuration, ignore generated artifacts.

Include in repository:

• Office file (.xlsm, .docm, etc.)
• .vbapadlock/ directory (project.xml, .bas modules, optional mainicon.ico)

Exclude from repository:

• bin/ output folder
• Temporary .vbaplcode files

# VBA Padlock build output
bin/
*.vbaplcode