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Thread: [VB6] List/Execute File Handlers: IAssocHandler and IAssocHandlerInvoker (Vista+)

  1. #1

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    [VB6] List/Execute File Handlers: IAssocHandler and IAssocHandlerInvoker (Vista+)

    Association Handlers Demo

    IAssocHandler | IEnumAssocHandlers | IAssocHandlerInvoker

    Windows Vista and above provide a shell interface to get a list of all handlers registered to open a particular file type that also returns where the icon is and what the friendly name is. Most importantly, it provider an interface to invoke that handler in a much better way than trying to make a command to launch it.

    These things were just crying out to be made into an example of how to replicate the Open With menu in VB. There's even two groups: the recommended ones that show up on that menu in Explorer, or if so inclined you could list all the ones that appear on the actual Open With dialog.

    Project Updated on April 25th, 2020 to Revision 3
    This version massively simplifies the demo. It eliminates all pidl code just using a 2-line call to IShellItem instead, eliminates all icon code replacing it with a simple call to IShellItemImageFactory instead, and also provides a new button giving a simple text list of handlers instead of building a full menu.

    Requirements
    Windows Vista or newer
    oleexp v4.0 or higher (only required for the IDE, you do not need to distribute it with a compiled .exe)

    Basic Outline

    SHAssocEnumHandlers is called to get an object that can enumerate all the handlers for the extension passed- IEnumAssocHandlers.
    That object lists IAssocHandler interfaces for each handler, and in the demo project we use the information provided by that to list them on a menu.
    When one is chosen, the handlers are cycled through again to find the desired one to launch.

    Main Code
    (Note: Not copy-pastable, for overview of technique only. You need isiRes, which is an IShellItem of the selected file, and various functions/APIs declared in the included support module).
    Code:
    Dim sFile As String
    Dim sExt As String
    Dim MII() As MENUITEMINFO
    Dim miiZ As MENUITEMINFO
    
    Dim uRec() As AssocInfo
    Dim i As Long, j As Long, k As Long
    Dim ieah As IEnumAssocHandlers
    Dim iah As IAssocHandler
    Dim hr As Long
    Dim lPtr As Long
    Dim sApp As String
    Dim sAppPath As String
    Dim hBmp As Long
    Dim PT As POINTAPI
    Dim idCmd As Long
    Dim hMenu As Long
    Dim siif As IShellItemImageFactory
    Dim si2 As IShellItem2
    Const widBase As Long = 1000
    Const sCP As String = "Choose program..."
    
    j = -1
    ReDim MII(0)
    ReDim uRec(0)
    
    isiRes.GetDisplayName SIGDN_DESKTOPABSOLUTEPARSING, lPtr
    sFile = BStrFromLPWStr(lPtr)
    
    Set si2 = isiRes
    si2.GetString PKEY_FileExtension, lPtr
    sExt = BStrFromLPWStr(lPtr)
    'First, we use an API call to get the object that will list the handlers
    'The other flag value will show all handlers- the recommended ones are the
    'ones that show up in Explorer's right click open-with menu
    
    hr = SHAssocEnumHandlers(StrPtr(sExt), ASSOC_FILTER_RECOMMENDED, ieah)
    If hr <> S_OK Then Exit Sub
    
    'now we're ready to start enumerating the handlers, in this project
    'we're going to load them into a popup menu
    hMenu = CreatePopupMenu()
    
    'Most IEnum______ classes work exactly like this. .Next fills the IAssocHandler iface
    Do While (ieah.Next(1, iah, 0) = 0)
        If (iah Is Nothing) = False Then
            j = j + 1
            ReDim Preserve MII(j)
            ReDim Preserve uRec(j) 'in case we need the info later
            
            Call iah.GetUIName(lPtr)
            sApp = BStrFromLPWStr(lPtr)
            Call iah.GetName(lPtr)
            sAppPath = BStrFromLPWStr(lPtr)
    
            
            oleexp.SHCreateItemFromParsingName StrPtr(sAppPath), Nothing, IID_IShellItemImageFactory, siif
            siif.GetImage 16&, 16&, SIIGBF_ICONONLY, hBmp
    
            With MII(j)
                .cbSize = Len(MII(j))
                .fMask = MIIM_ID Or MIIM_STRING Or MIIM_BITMAP
                .wID = widBase + j
                .cch = Len(sApp)
                .dwTypeData = sApp
                .hbmpItem = hBmp
                
                Call InsertMenuItem(hMenu, j, True, MII(j))
                
            End With
                  
        Else
            Debug.Print "iah=Nothing"
        End If
        Set iah = Nothing
    Loop
    
    'Add separator and open with other
    miiZ.cbSize = Len(miiZ)
    miiZ.fMask = MIIM_ID Or MIIM_TYPE
    miiZ.fType = MFT_SEPARATOR
    miiZ.wID = 9999
    Call InsertMenuItem(hMenu, -1, False, miiZ)
    
    miiZ.fMask = MIIM_ID Or MIIM_STRING
    miiZ.wID = 3000
    miiZ.cch = Len(sCP)
    miiZ.dwTypeData = sCP
    Call InsertMenuItem(hMenu, -1, False, miiZ)
    
    Call GetCursorPos(PT)
    PT.y = PT.y + 5
    
    idCmd = TrackPopupMenu(hMenu, TPM_LEFTBUTTON Or TPM_RIGHTBUTTON Or TPM_LEFTALIGN Or TPM_TOPALIGN Or TPM_HORIZONTAL Or TPM_RETURNCMD, PT.x, PT.y, 0, Me.hWnd, 0)
    
    Set ieah = Nothing
    
    If idCmd Then
        If idCmd = 3000 Then
            OpenWith sFile, OAIF_ALLOW_REGISTRATION Or OAIF_EXEC, Me.hWnd
        Else
            k = idCmd - widBase
            Dim ido As oleexp.IDataObject
            Dim zc As Long
            isiRes.BindToHandler 0&, BHID_DataObject, IID_IDataObject, ido
            Dim invk As IAssocHandlerInvoker
            hr = SHAssocEnumHandlers(StrPtr(sExt), ASSOC_FILTER_RECOMMENDED, ieah)
            Do While (ieah.Next(1, iah, 0) = 0)
                If (iah Is Nothing) = False Then
                    If zc = k Then
                        'theoretically, we could take the path to the executable and
                        'run a launch command, but the actual invoke interfacer is a
                        'far better choice
                        Call iah.CreateInvoker(ido, invk)
                        invk.Invoke
                        Exit Do
                    Else
                        zc = zc + 1
                    End If
                End If
                Set iah = Nothing
            Loop
        End If
    End If
       
    
    Set ido = Nothing
    Set invk = Nothing
    Set iah = Nothing
    Set ieah = Nothing
    End Sub

    Included in ZIP
    -All the core and supporting code required to generate a menu like that in the picture.

    Future Goals
    This is the very first release, and I do plan on trying to simplify things a bit as well as test out Unicode support. Please report any and all bugs so they can be fixed in the next version.
    Attached Files Attached Files
    Last edited by fafalone; Apr 25th, 2020 at 03:32 AM. Reason: Project updated

  2. #2

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    Re: [VB6] List/Execute File Handlers: IAssocHandler and IAssocHandlerInvoker (Vista+)

    You know... I linked to this project lately, and was looking at the post, there's a lot of different methods I use now. You can eliminate all the manual pidl processing and IShellFolder stuff if you want to simplify... here's the idCmd block through the rest of the sub, just copy and paste over, no definitions are needed they're all in oleexp:

    (code removed, new version is much simpler now)
    Last edited by fafalone; Apr 25th, 2020 at 01:28 AM.

  3. #3

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    Re: [VB6] List/Execute File Handlers: IAssocHandler and IAssocHandlerInvoker (Vista+)

    So I once again linked someone to this Demo, and in the years since I last posted, I've learned a lot of new shell programming methods that made it possible to *massively* simplify this project, even compared to the first revision, so...

    Project Updated on April 25th, 2020 to Revision 3
    This version massively simplifies the demo. It eliminates all pidl code just using a 2-line call to IShellItem instead, eliminates all icon code replacing it with a simple call to IShellItemImageFactory instead, and also provides a new button giving a simple text list of handlers instead of building a full menu.

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