Home > Store

Windows Shell Programming

Register your product to gain access to bonus material or receive a coupon.

Windows Shell Programming

  • Published Jun 27, 2000 by Pearson.

Book

  • Sorry, this book is no longer in print.
Not for Sale

Description

  • Copyright 2000
  • Dimensions: 7 X 9-1/4
  • Pages: 556
  • Edition: 1st
  • Book
  • ISBN-10: 0-13-025496-7
  • ISBN-13: 978-0-13-025496-2

The authoritative guide to Windows shell programming!

  • Leverage the full power of the Windows shell!
  • Techniques that leverage your existing C++, MFC, and ATL skills
  • Custom taskbars, menus, toolbars, views, and more
  • Build your own control panel applet
  • Supercharge applications with shell-related features
  • CD-ROM: Extensive library of ready-to-run sample code

Prentice Hall PTR Microsoft Technologies Series

  • The authoritative, comprehensive guide to Windows shell programming
  • Connect MFC and ATL frameworks to any part of the Windows API—graphical or not!
  • Customize the Windows taskbar and menu options
  • Provide advanced handling of folders, drives, and printers
  • Add custom toolbars and views of data
  • For all experienced Visual C++, C++, Visual Basic, and MFC developers

Leverage the hidden power of Windows shell programming!

Until now, shell programming—common in UNIX/Linux environments—has been poorly documented in Windows. Windows Shell Programming changes all that! In this breakthrough book, Scott Seely shows every experienced Windows developer how to leverage the full power of the Windows shell to build more powerful, competitive applications.

Discover how the Windows shell works, and how you can enhance it by leveraging the C++, MFC, and ATL skills you already have. Then learn how to build custom taskbars, application desktop toolbars, briefcase reconcilers, screensavers, file parsers, file viewers, disk cleanup handlers, and much more.

Want to customize Windows Explorer? Build new control panel applets? Want to add extra right-click menu options? Enhance your applications with nifty shell-related features, such as filename auto-completion? With Windows Shell Programming, you can do all that, and more. No other book covers the Windows shell in this depth!

Sample Content

Downloadable Sample Chapter

Click here for a sample chapter for this book: 0130254967.pdf

Table of Contents



1. Windows Shell Programming.

Goals of this Book. What is the Windows Shell? Chapter Summaries. Versions of the Shell. Summary.



2. The Taskbar.

How to Get Taskbar Information. How to Add and Remove Buttons From the Taskbar. How to Add Items to the Start Menu. How to Add Icons to the System Tray. Summary.



3. Application Desktop Toolbars.

Guidelines for Creating Application Desktop Toolbars. How Appbars Work. An Application Desktop Toolbar Library. An Application Desktop Toolbar Application. Summary.



4. Control Panel Applets.

When to Use the Control Panel. Applet Expectations. A Control Panel Library and Wizard. Using the Tools. Control Panel Applets. Summary.



5. Screen Savers.

Screen Saver Responsibilities. Screen Saver Internals. Writing A Screen Saver. Example: The Bouncing Ball. Summary.



6. File Viewers.

File Viewer Basics. File Viewer Internals. Building a File Viewer. Address Book Example. Summary.



7. Shell Extensions.

Common Features of Shell Extensions. Context Menu Handlers. Icon Handlers. Data Handlers. Drop Handlers. Property Sheet Handlers. Copy Hook Handler. Drag-and-Drop Handler. Summary.



8. Disk Cleanup Handlers.

The Disk Cleanup Utility and Handlers. Address Book File Consolidation. Summary.



9. Namespace Extensions.

When to Build a Namespace Extension. Types of Namespace Extensions. What is in a PIDL? Folders and Other Items. Displaying All the Contents of the Folder. Testing and Debugging Namespace Extensions. Summary.



10. Tools to Build a Namespace Extension.

1The Namespace Extension Wizard Creates A Project. 1The Implementation of IShellFolder (and its cohorts). 1The Implementation of IShellView (and its cohorts). 1Summary.



11. Namespace Extension Example: The Registry.

1Requirements for the Registry Namespace Extension. 1Defining the Registry ITEMIDLIST Structure. 1Implementing the IEnumIDList Interface. 1Implementing the IShellFolder Interface. 1Displaying the Contents of the Folder: CWinRegListView. 1Summary.



12. Explorer Bars and Desktop Bands.

1Band Object Basics. 1Creating a Band Object. 1Debugging Band Objects. 1Desk Band Example. 1Summary.



Appendix A: COM Interfaces Used by the Shell.

ICatRegister. IContextMenu. IContextMenu2. IContextMenu3. ICopyHook. IDataObject. IDeskBand. IDockingWindow. IDropTarget. IEmptyVolumeCacheCallBack. IEmptyVolumeCache. IEmptyVolumeCache2. IEnumIDList. IEnumExtraSearch. IExtractIcon. IFileViewer. IFileViewerSite. IInputObject. IInputObjectSite. IObjectWithSite. IOleCommandTarget. IOleInPlaceFrame. IOleWindow. IQueryInfo. IPersist. IPersistFile. IPersistFolder. IPersistStream. IRemoteComputer. ISequentialStream. IShellBrowser. IShellChangeNotify. IShellDetails. IShellExecuteHook. IShellExtInit. IShellFolder. IShellFolder2. IShellIcon. IShellLink. IShellPropSheetExt. IShellView. IShellView2. IStream. IUnknown.



Appendix B: Shell Functions, Structures, and Enumerations.

BrowseCallbackProc. BROWSEINFO. CSIDL_XXXX. EXTRASEARCH. FOLDERFLAGS. FOLDERSETTINGS. FOLDERVIEWMODE. FORMATETC. FVSHOWINFO. CMINVOKECOMMANDINFO. ITEMIDLIST. NOTIFYICONDATA. REGSAM. SHAddToRecentDocs. SHAppBarMessage. SHAutoComplete. SHBindToParent. SHBrowseForFolder. SHChangeNotify. SHCONTF. SHCopyKey. SHCreateShellPalette. SHDeleteEmptyKey. SHDeleteKey. SHDeleteValue. SHDESCRIPTIONID. Shell_NotifyIcon. ShellAbout. SHELLDETAILS. ShellExecute. ShellExecuteEx. SHELLEXECUTEINFO. SHELLFLAGSTATE. ShellProc. SHEmptyRecycleBin. SHEnumKeyEx. SHEnumValue. SHFILEINFO. SHFileOperation. SHFILEOPSTRUCT. SHFreeNameMappings. SHGetDataFromIDList. SHGetDesktopFolder. SHGetDiskFreeSpace. SHGetFileInfo. SHGetFolderLocation. SHGetFolderPath. SHGetInstanceExplorer. SHGetMalloc. SHGetNewLinkInfo. SHGetPathFromIDList. SHGetSettings. SHGetSpecialFolderLocation. SHGetSpecialFolderPath. SHGetValue. SHGNO. SHInvokePrinterCommand. SHITEMID. SHLoadInProc. SHNAMEMAPPING. SHOpenRegStream. SHQueryInfoKey. SHQUERYRBINFO. SHQueryRecycleBin. SHQueryValueEx. SHRegCloseUSKey. SHRegCreateUSKey. SHREGDEL_FLAGS. SHRegDeleteEmptyUSKey. SHRegDeleteUSValue. SHREGENUM_FLAGS. SHRegEnumUSKey. SHRegEnumUSValue. SHRegGetBoolUSValue. SHRegGetUSValue. SHRegOpenUSKey. SHRegQueryInfoUSKey. SHRegQueryUSValue. SHRegSetUSValue. SHRegWriteUSValue. SHSetValue. SHStrDup. STGMEDIUM. STRRET. StrRetToBuf. StrRetToStr. SV2CVW2_PARAMS. WIN32_FIND_DATA.

Preface

While writing this book I got a lot of help and encouragement from many people. This whole project started as a result of an interview I went on almost two years ago. While going through my technical evaluation, one interviewer asked me if I had ever done any interesting side projects. Of course I had. I explained an animated icon class I had written that allows an individual to easily put icons into the system tray (the area by the clock on the taskbar) and animate them. The person asked if I read Windows Developers Journal (WDJ) and mentioned that the whole idea might make good article.

About four months later, I proposed the idea to Ron Burk at WDJ. He liked the idea, so I wrote the article. By November 1998, I had my first article published. I got a lot of positive feedback on it, which encouraged me to keep writing. Exhilarated by the first article, I wrote a second for WDJ this time on screen savers. While waiting for the article to be published in the March 1999 WDJ, I got an e-mail from Tim Moore at Prentice Hall. He liked the style of the November 1998 article and wondered if I had a desire to write a book. We talked on the phone and I threw the idea of a book on the Windows shell at him. As a result of that conversation, I wrote up a proposal, sent it to Tim, and waited. By March 1999, I had a signed contract and started writing this book. Almost a year later, I finished the darn thing.

During the course of this project, I received help from a lot of people. First and foremost, my wife Jean and my son Vince have been unbelievably supportive and helpful throughout the whole project. If they had not taken up the slack in the household duties, this book would have been impossible to write. I also need to thank my parents and my in-laws for helping out when I needed some extra time to get a chapter done. My grandparents and my sister also helped motivate me when the job seemed to take forever.

I received a good deal of help from people outside of my family, as well. Thanks to Andy Skwierawski, Thad Phetteplace, Arjen deKlerk, and Hunter Hudson for reviewing the book. I also want to thank the Microsoft shell development team for answering my questions on the msnews.microsoft.com news server. If you ever need their help, they hang out in the microsoft.public.platformsdk.ui_shell group and will answer most questions quickly. Be careful about flaming the documentation or the product – the tech writers and developers read the group too, and they prefer constructive comments. Most of them do this on their own time, so be happy that they are willing to answer your questions without making you go through Microsoft support.

Finally, I want to thank the staff at Prentice Hall for all the effort that they put into developing this book, from the idea stage to the final product. If I did not have the support of this great company, I would not have been able to get this book out. This has been a lot of fun.

Updates

Submit Errata

More Information

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020