[Tylerpestell]

Wow ... exactly what I was looking for some time ago. I haven't read anything about it yet though (I am going to bed soon) but a nice place for some shorcuts is the context menu of the task bar ... such as Regedit and all the various system tools would be nice right there. Will look into the posted stuff tommorow.

[spiritpyre]

@ evilvoice & matthewk

had a couple of hours today so I repackaged the dlls and wrote a sample cmd that registers them (...in case anybody was interested ) (see my first post <{POST_SNAPBACK}>)

i have a bit of work to do this weekend so i doubt i'll get time for any programming but i'm hoping i'll have some time thursday.

This post has been edited by spiritpyre: 09 September 2005 - 05:38 PM

[evilvoice]

thank you...nothing against your installers or anything, just like all stuff like that to be in one install package.

[spiritpyre]

Finally figured out a one of my major set-backs. It seems that even after installing the most up-to-date Platform SDK's, you must manually tell VC++ 6 to use them (and set it's "include" folder first in the list above any other "include" folders VC++ uses) ...or at least that's what I had to do. I was getting compiling errors (undecl. id's) on MIIM_STRING [for my SubMenu] project and also on something else related to my "alternative refresh". (And no I don't like web-installs...on psdk's or anything. lol)

[In English]: Busy with classes, but hopefully I've have something to release in around a week.

Anyway here's a Preview:
Currently I store the settings in [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\My Shell Extensions] with a SubKey for each item that will appear in the menu. I'm also considering setting some kind of ceiling on how many items can appear in the menu (to help cut down the lag) in the version that I release.

One cool feature is that you can use environment variables in the paths, but you have to double-up on the percent signs so the extension can escape them (ie. "%windir%" would be entered as "%%windir%%") and it *should* work on any environment variable defined on the system. <Edit> eliminated need for escaping the '%'s; they can now be entered like you normally would.

[i]<edit 10/13/05> fixed some bugs and got rid of some of the lag but I still have a few things to do. Here's what I'm hoping to get in before I release:
1) a way to specify parameters/arguments (currently anything called with arguments can't be launched)
2) would like to restructure things so that the value used for the caption is more like that used for adding file/folder verbs strictly via the registry.
3) opting for fully configurable settings that allow you to use either the registry or a settings file. spent the last week cleaning up my registry functions, now I just need to code file op's (should be pretty easy)
4) would like to possibly do some error proofing by having certain string-particulars taken care of by the program rather than the user
5) make a config utility for easy item entry, and changing settings
6) improve the parsing routine, so that the extension can be more flexible
7) recode Select All, Browser Back, File Extension Toggle, and Hidden File Toggle as standalone, *windowless* execuables so that they can be called from a directory background.

[Quick Update]: Finished the registry part currently working on ini support (so far main problems are 1)generating a default file if one isn't found and 2) i'm getting a high number of compiler warnings when my current ini-class is included). Finished re-designing the config utility, just need to finish off some code in some parts -- as it is now the config utility has around 3/4 of its coding left but it should be much much easier to code than the extension itself....partly because i can reuse code.


[After This Project]
1) attempt something i found that might "refresh" better
2) [IF I CAN] create a Toolbar extension
3) attempt to add bitmaps to previous extensions (either a checkmark, X, or +/- ) ... probably a checkmark or else it would be configurable

This post has been edited by spiritpyre: 19 May 2007 - 12:22 PM

[eidenk]

Hi again, with simply merging this registry file you can register and unregister dlls with the context menu instead of using the run box or a batch file. Multiple files can be selected.

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\dllfile\shell\Register]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\dllfile\shell\Register\command]
@ = "regsvr32.exe \"%L\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\dllfile\shell\UnRegister]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\dllfile\shell\UnRegister\command]
@ = "regsvr32.exe /u \"%L\""

It works on 9x. Dunno on NT+ because of privileges but otherwise I think the syntax is the same.

I also use that with ocx files and ax files (DirectShow Filters).

[spiritpyre]

eidenk, on Sep 21 2005, 11:47 AM, said:

Hi again, with simply merging this registry file you can register and unregister dlls with the context menu instead of using the run box or a batch file. Multiple files can be selected.
...
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

or if you're *REALLY* lazy you can use a shell extension...lol.

DLL Registration / Unregistration using a Shell Extension (By Sardaukar)

This post has been edited by spiritpyre: 21 September 2005 - 10:07 PM

[Kelsenellenelvian]

Nice s*** guys I like the added functionality to windows.

Too bad that image previewer "instant thumbview" isn't freeware though I kinda like the looks of it.

This post has been edited by kelsenellenelvian: 21 September 2005 - 10:28 PM

[Kelsenellenelvian]

After some testing I really like the context thumbview but I would not pay for it.

[LiquidSage]

PikyBasket 2
Download

Very useful for multiple folder/file changes (i.e. Multiboot distro's).

Also, the menu can easily be redone through a resource editor. (I posted a example long ago with pics do a search and PM me if you want a copy of my version.)

Includes :
-Send file/folder to cmd prompt
-Copy Paths to Clipboard w/ a UNC format option.
- The Basket - "you can reduce repetitive tasks when copying/moving files and folders in Windows. Piky Basket allows you to select files/folders in to a "basket" from different locations. Once you are done selecting, you can paste them all at once to the target folders. It also allows you to selectively paste the files to the target folder."

[skywalka]

kelsenellenelvian, on Sep 22 2005, 02:21 PM, said:

Nice s*** guys I like the added functionality to windows.

Too bad that image previewer "instant thumbview" isn't freeware though I kinda like the looks of it.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://www.firmtools...shellextension/

[skywalka]

Hey spiritpyre.

The handy dll @ the bottom of this page http://www.cognitive....com/shlext.php places a tick beside enabled attributes in the context menu. Would it B possible 2 incoporate these ticks with the "hidden files" & "extension" context menu items?

Thanx again.

[Kelsenellenelvian]

skywalka, on Sep 23 2005, 01:50 AM, said:

kelsenellenelvian, on Sep 22 2005, 02:21 PM, said:

Nice s*** guys I like the added functionality to windows.

Too bad that image previewer "instant thumbview" isn't freeware though I kinda like the looks of it.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://www.firmtools...shellextension/
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

WOW Thats even better thanks!!!

[spiritpyre]

skywalka, on Sep 23 2005, 03:56 AM, said:

Hey spiritpyre.

The handy dll @ the bottom of this page http://www.cognitive....com/shlext.php places a tick beside enabled attributes in the context menu.  Would it B possible 2 incoporate these ticks with the "hidden files" & "extension" context menu items?

Thanx again.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'll try to look into it when I get a chance. right now school's been picking up and when I get time I've been trying to improve/finish/add to the SubMenu Pack extension.
I've been going over its string parsing routine trying to make it more flexible, I'm working on a separate app that you can use to import the commands & (optionally parameters) without having to deal with the registry/settings file, and then i need to recode my previous extensions as windowless .exe's... ...the main reason for all of this being to extend windows without cluttering up my menu lol

btw would you be able to post a (cropped) screenshot of the menu? I'm not really sure what you mean by tick and the link didn't show any screens... I'm assuming its a bitmap/icon or something like that, right? (if so I think it should be do-able, but I just want to make sure) thanks.

This post has been edited by spiritpyre: 27 September 2005 - 09:27 PM

[skywalka]

Thanx SpiritPyre.

I'd always assumed the tick was an ASCII character but now that U mention it I think U R right. It is probably an icon.

[skywalka]

I just realized Windows has ticks built into it's submenus.

eg Arrange Icons by > Auto Arrange etc

[HyperHacker]

spiritpyre, on Aug 4 2005, 04:16 PM, said:

Wildcard selection shell extension (by Matthijs Hollemans)    here
- adds "Select..." to all context menu which will bring up a dialog box where you can you dos-like wildcards in your search criteria (i.e. "h*.gif" or "*.g*" etc) and it will select the results<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OK... sites that don't let you download without signing up already suck huge ones, but the signup form doesn't even work.

[spiritpyre]

@ skywalka: thanks for the screen. right now i'm still putting all my programming time into the SubMenu extension, so don't expect anything rigth away... but I'll see if i can't add that when i get time.


@ HyperHacker: yeah, I didn't like that either when i first found them, but i never had any problem signing up. sorry its not working, did you try sending them an email about it? codeprojects has a lot of cool stuff -- even if you're not interested in their coding articles, there are lots of FREE tools and demos.


anyways, quite a few of their articles have come in very handy for helping figure out how to accomplish some bast***ly programming trick or another.

This post has been edited by spiritpyre: 02 October 2005 - 01:29 AM

[Nologic]

http://www.mlin.net/misc.shtml

StartupSelector

StartupSelector will save or load the Windows configuration data that causes programs to run at system startup. This allows you to easily switch between multiple startup configurations, for a myriad of potential purposes.

PathCopyEx

A very simple shell extension that copies the text path of any file/folder in Explorer to the clipboard. Saves a bit of time on all those annoying Browse for Folder windows!

RegSvrEx

A shell extension that provides convenient and quick registration for ActiveX DLLs and OCXs. A great tool for ActiveX developers - much more convenient than regsvr32!

RdocEx

A nifty shell add-on that adds the programs you run as well as the documents you open to your Recent Documents menu.

StartXplorer

Mirrors a directory with shortcuts. Allows you to create a kind of Explorer in your Start Menu. This is neat for building a shortcut mirror of your MP3 subdirectory in the Start Menu - you can play MP3s just as if you were starting a program.

Taskbar Commander

Only for the most eccentric of Windows users - lets you control the order that buttons appear on your taskbar. Alphabetize them, etc. Requires IE4+ with shell integration.

Insert ToggleKey

Ever accidentally turn on overtype, and as a result typed over half a sentence? ITK sounds a tone whenever you press Insert.

MLHotKey

Assign an activation hotkey to any top-level window - press the hotkey, and that window is instantly activated.

WindowSizer

Sets a given window to an exact size in pixels. Useful for web developers who want to see what their site will look like at various resolutions.

[Kelsenellenelvian]

OK guys I really need a .dll extensions thats is for opening a command prompt here. NOT the ms one that .dll isnt even the actual shell extension the **** thing uses regentries. I need just a .dll extension.

[AZiZi]

That's so cool , thanks a lot spiritpyre


but how can i rename the menu in context
eg. i want to see "Hide/ Show Hidden Files" instead of "Hidden Files Toggle"

also do you know how to rename "Send to" in context (as well)

thanks so much ^_^