Modifying the Context Menu for a File Class - Win32 Programmer's Reference

Custom Search

Modifying the Context Menu for a File Class

When the user clicks a file object using mouse button 2, the system displays a context menu for the object. The context menu contains a set of menu items that allow the user to perform various operations on the file object, such as opening or printing it. A context menu contains two types of items: dynamic items and static items. Dynamic items are added to a context menu by a context menu handler.

Static menu items are listed in the system registry and are automatically added to a context menu by the system. Because static items are listed in the system registry based on their class, the context menus for all file objects belonging to a particular class receive the same set of static items.

You specify static menu items for a file class by adding a shell key below the application identifier key of the file class and then adding verb and command value entries below the shell key. Following is the registry format for static items.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

shell

command = <"command string">

Each verb value entry specifies a menu-item text string for the system to add to the context menu. The command value entry specifies the action that the system takes when the user chooses the menu item. Typically, the command string value specifies the path and filename of an application and includes command-line options that direct the application to perform an action on the corresponding file object. For example, the following registry keys add an Open command and a Print command to the context menu for all files with the .WRI filename extension.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

wrifile = Write Document

shell

open

command = C:\Progra~1\Access~1\WORDPAD.EXE %1

command = C:\Progra~1\Access~1\WORDPAD.EXE /p "%1"

printto

command =

C:\Progra~1\Access~1\WORDPAD.EXE /pt "%1" "%2" "%3" "%4"

In the preceding commands, the %1 parameter is the filename, %2 is the printer name, %3 is the driver name, and %4 is the port name. In Windows 95, you can ignore the %3 and %4 parameters (the printer name is unique in Windows 95).

The system defines a set of verbs called canonical verbs that introduce an element of language-independence to context menus. When you include a canonical verb in the registry, the system automatically generates a localized menu item string for the verb before adding it to the context menu. The canonical verbs include the open, print, explore, find, openas, and properties verbs. The printto verb is also canonical, but it is a special case because it is never actually displayed. Instead, it allows the user to print a file by dragging it to a printer object. Canonical verbs are also used with context menu handlers.

If the open canonical verb is included in the registry entries for a file class, the system adds an Open menu item to the corresponding context menu and makes it the default item. If the open verb is not included, the menu item corresponding to the verb listed in the registry is the default item. A context menu handler can change the default item. For more information about context menu handlers, see Context Menu Handlers.

Last news from Greatis Software

    Nostalgia .Net     .Net is powerful, but not all-powerful, so sometimes we need to use Win32 API for our .Net applications. It's simple enough with Platform Invoke if you have Win32 skill, but we do not always have time to dig the ancient documentation, declare the special types that are compatible with Win32, find the values of the Win32's constants and so on. Nostalgia .Net offers several simple-to-use classes, and components that will allow you to forget about the headache of Win32 and just use the power of Win32 in your application the same way as you use the native. Net classes. More »

Recommended software for developers

    Ultimate Pack     Component pack for Delphi and C++ Builder that contains runtime form designer, runtime object inspector, print suite and much more for the very special price. More »

    Form Designer .Net     Unique runtime form design solution that allows to edit any form in .Net WinForms application at runtime with full source codes for only 300 euro! More »

    Print Suite .Net     Print Suite .Net is a set of components for easy printing texts, images and grids from your WinForms applications. Full C# source codes are available More »

    Gradient Controls .Net     Gradient Controls .Net offers controls with gradient background feature. Labels, panels and so on... Full C# source codes are available More »

    Greatis iGrid     iGrid plots drawing grid right over your desktop, so you can use it everywhere, with any drawing application without any special plugins for different graphic editors. More »

All the contacts and projects

Dmitry Vasiliev (just.dmitry)

More Online Helps

Win32 Programmer's Reference
Win32 Multimedia Programmer's Reference
OLE Programmer's Reference
Microsoft Windows Pen API Programmer's Reference
Microsoft Windows Sockets 2 Reference
Microsoft Windows Telephony API (TAPI) Programmer's Reference
Unix Manual Pages

greatis just4fun network