anyone know of a file association utility?

[predmond]

I'm looking for a file association app that will allow a user to associate my app with a file type if they so desire. Something that I could include in the install and launch from my app.

[pardede]

what i know is that associations are set in the registry, you could write code to register the association you want

[MicahCarrick]

From windows explorer, a user can click "View -> Option" and click the file types tab. Then assosiate via the "Edit" button.

Or, hold shift key while right click on the file, choose "Open with.." and check "Always open with this program."

Or, you can do it via code in your app as follows:

This code was used in a project I wrote to view NFO type files. It's rather old ... I didn't know what I was doing at the time. But it can be easily optimized. I don't know where I had gotten the code ... I think from www.vbcode.com.

This was all in a module. I created the assosiation from an options dialog witha command button that called createAssosiation


Option Explicit

Public Const REG_SZ As Long = 1
Public Const REG_DWORD As Long = 4
Public Const HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT = &H80000000
Public Const HKEY_CURRENT_USER = &H80000001
Public Const HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE = &H80000002
Public Const HKEY_USERS = &H80000003

Public Const ERROR_NONE = 0
Public Const ERROR_BADDB = 1
Public Const ERROR_BADKEY = 2
Public Const ERROR_CANTOPEN = 3
Public Const ERROR_CANTREAD = 4
Public Const ERROR_CANTWRITE = 5
Public Const ERROR_OUTOFMEMORY = 6
Public Const ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER = 7
Public Const ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED = 8
Public Const ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETERS = 87
Public Const ERROR_NO_MORE_ITEMS = 259

Public Const KEY_ALL_ACCESS = &H3F
Public Const REG_OPTION_NON_VOLATILE = 0

Public Declare Function RegCloseKey Lib "advapi32.dll" (ByVal hKey As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function RegCreateKeyEx Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias "RegCreateKeyExA" _
(ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal lpSubKey As String, ByVal Reserved As Long, _
ByVal lpClass As String, ByVal dwOptions As Long, ByVal samDesired As Long, _
ByVal lpSecurityAttributes As Long, phkResult As Long, lpdwDisposition As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function RegOpenKeyEx Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias "RegOpenKeyExA" _
(ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal lpSubKey As String, ByVal ulOptions As Long, _
ByVal samDesired As Long, phkResult As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function RegSetValueExString Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias "RegSetValueExA" _
(ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal lpValueName As String, ByVal Reserved As Long, _
ByVal dwType As Long, ByVal lpValue As String, ByVal cbData As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function RegSetValueExLong Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias "RegSetValueExA" _
(ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal lpValueName As String, ByVal Reserved As Long, _
ByVal dwType As Long, lpValue As Long, ByVal cbData As Long) As Long


Public Sub CreateAssociation()

Dim sPath As String

'File Associations begin with a listing
'of the default extension under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.
'So the first step is to create that
'root extension item
CreateNewKey ".NFO", HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT


'To the extension just added, add a
'subitem where the registry will look for
'commands relating to the .xxx extension
'("MyApp.Document"). Its type is String (REG_SZ)
SetKeyValue ".NFO", "", "NFOView.Document", REG_SZ


'Create the 'MyApp.Document' item under
'HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. This is where you'll put
'the command line to execute or other shell
'statements necessary.
CreateNewKey "NFOView.Document\shell\open\command", HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT


'Set its default item to "MyApp Document".
'This is what is displayed in Explorer against
'for files with a xxx extension. Its type is
'String (REG_SZ)
SetKeyValue "NFOView.Document", "", "NFO Viewer", REG_SZ


'Finally, add the path to myapp.exe
'Remember to add %1 as the final command
'parameter to assure the app opens the passed
'command line item.
'(results in '"c:\LongPathname\Myapp.exe %1")
'Again, its type is string.
sPath = App.Path + "\NFOView.exe %1"
SetKeyValue "NFOView.Document\shell\open\command", "", sPath, REG_SZ

'All done

End Sub


Public Function SetValueEx(ByVal hKey As Long, _
sValueName As String, _
lType As Long, _
vValue As Variant) As Long

Dim nValue As Long
Dim sValue As String

Select Case lType
Case REG_SZ
sValue = vValue & Chr$(0)
SetValueEx = RegSetValueExString(hKey, _
sValueName, _
0&, _
lType, _
sValue, _
Len(sValue))

Case REG_DWORD
nValue = vValue
SetValueEx = RegSetValueExLong(hKey, _
sValueName, _
0&, _
lType, _
nValue, _
4)

End Select

End Function


Public Sub CreateNewKey(sNewKeyName As String, _
lPredefinedKey As Long)

'handle to the new key
Dim hKey As Long

'result of the RegCreateKeyEx function
Dim r As Long

r = RegCreateKeyEx(lPredefinedKey, _
sNewKeyName, 0&, _
vbNullString, _
REG_OPTION_NON_VOLATILE, _
KEY_ALL_ACCESS, 0&, hKey, r)

Call RegCloseKey(hKey)

End Sub


Public Sub SetKeyValue(sKeyName As String, _
sValueName As String, _
vValueSetting As Variant, _
lValueType As Long)

'result of the SetValueEx function
Dim r As Long

'handle of opened key
Dim hKey As Long

'open the specified key
r = RegOpenKeyEx(HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, _
sKeyName, 0, _
KEY_ALL_ACCESS, hKey)

r = SetValueEx(hKey, _
sValueName, _
lValueType, _
vValueSetting)

Call RegCloseKey(hKey)

End Sub



------------------
Micah Carrick
http://micah.carrick.com
[email protected]
ICQ: 53480225