[RESOLVED] Opening font file in Windows Font Viewer using ShellExecute?

[AAraya]

My app contains standard ShellExecute code to open a file using the Windows app associated with the file's extension. It works for all file types but it doesn't work for font files however (.tff for example).

When I double click a font in File Explorer, Font Viewer shows the font. When I try it from code, it doesn't? Should Windows Font Viewer open and show the font with this code or are fonts different than other file types?

Code snippet of the routine that opens files:

    strFile = "filename.tff"
    strTopic = "Open"
    strParams = vbNullString
    strDirectory = vbNullString
    
    lngRetVal = ShellExecuteW(0&, StrPtr(strTopic), StrPtr(strFile), StrPtr(strParams), StrPtr(strDirectory), 1)

[fafalone]

Fonts don't appear to have an 'Open' verb registered by default.

When you right click them in Explorer, note that the bolded item is "Preview", not open, so you're invoking the 'preview' verb on double click.

Per MSDN, if you use null instead of open, that's the equivalent of double clicking the file--- leaving it as null invokes the default action. When you specify "open", you're asking for that specific action, which an application will have needed to register to handle-- and it's not just font files that have a different one, like "preview", as their default, and don't have "open" registered at all. So if you want to simulate double clicking,

lngRetVal = ShellExecuteW(0&, 0&, StrPtr(strFile), StrPtr(strParams), StrPtr(strDirectory), 1)

[AAraya]

Brilliant! Once again to my rescue @fafalone! I've lost count of the number of times you've helped me.

Here's a follow up question. Is there a way for me to know if the "Open" verb is available for a given file - other than calling ShellExecute and checking the return code for a failure? Ideally, I'd like to continue to use "Open" if available and fall back on Null if it's not.

[AAraya]

Nevermind, I found the answer myself in this MSDN article

In general, trying to determine the list of available verbs for a particular file is somewhat complicated. In many cases, you can simply set the lpVerb parameter to NULL, which invokes the default command for the file type. This procedure is usually equivalent to setting lpVerb to "open", but some file types may have a different default command.

[fafalone]

It's indeed a large pain to list verbs. There's numerous places they can be found in the registry that varies by Windows version, and for whatever reason, even when you programmatically load the right-click context menu from Explorer... there will be many menu items that are there, can be clicked on and successfully completed, but return no verb, or sometimes, a help description but not a verb, when you use the documented method for listing them:

Private Sub dbg_EnumVerbs(pCtxMenu As oleexp.IContextMenu)
Dim hMenu As Long
Dim tCmdInfo As oleexp.CMINVOKECOMMANDINFO
Dim tCmdInfoEx As oleexp.CMINVOKECOMMANDINFOEX
hMenu = CreatePopupMenu()
Dim sVerb As String
Dim pCtxMenu2 As oleexp.IContextMenu2
'sVerb = pszVerb
Dim lpCtxMenud As Long
Dim PT As oleexp.Point
Dim nItems As Long
Dim sDesc As String
Dim i As Long
Dim bGo As Boolean
lpCtxMenud = -1
If hMenu Then
'    Set pCtxMenu2 = pCtxMenu
    If (pCtxMenu Is Nothing) = False Then
        DebugAppend "Got pCtxMenu", 11
        pCtxMenu.QueryContextMenu hMenu, 0&, 1&, &H7FFF, CMF_NORMAL
        nItems = GetMenuItemCount(hMenu)
        DebugAppend "InvokeVerb nItems=" & nItems, 11
        For i = 0 To nItems - 1
            Err.Clear
            Err.Number = 0
            lpCtxMenud = GetMenuItemID(hMenu, i)
            DebugAppend "i=" & i & ", lpCtxMenud=" & lpCtxMenud, 11
            If lpCtxMenud <= 0 Then GoTo nxt
            On Error Resume Next
            sVerb = String$(MAX_PATH, 0&)
            pCtxMenu.GetCommandString lpCtxMenud - 1, GCS_VERBW, 0&, StrPtr(sVerb), Len(sVerb)
            On Error GoTo InvokeVerb_Err
            If (Err.Number = 0&) Then
                sVerb = TrimNullW(sVerb)
                DebugAppend "CmdStr=" & sVerb, 11
                DebugAppend "InvokeVerb hMenu=" & hMenu, 11
                On Error Resume Next
                sDesc = String$(MAX_PATH, 0&)
                pCtxMenu.GetCommandString lpCtxMenud - 1, GCS_HELPTEXTW, 0&, StrPtr(sDesc), Len(sDesc)
                sDesc = TrimNullW(sDesc)
                On Error GoTo InvokeVerb_Err
                DebugAppend "HelpStr=" & sDesc, 11
'                If LCase$(sVerb) = LCase$(pszVerb) Then
'                    DebugAppend "InvokeVerb go on " & sVerb
'                    bGo = True
'                    Exit For
'                End If
            Else
                DebugAppend "InvokeVerb.GetCommandString Error::" & Err.Description, 11
                Err.Clear
            End If
nxt:
        Next i
    End If
End If
Exit Sub
InvokeVerb_Err:
DebugAppend "dbg_EnumVerbs.Error->" & Err.Description, 11
End Sub