VB Shell Programming

Integrating Applications with the Windows Shell

Larger Cover

Integrating Applications with the Windows Shell

By J.P. Hamilton

Publisher: O'Reilly Media

Released: July 2000

Pages: 392

Visual Basic's outstanding set of resources for rapidly developing stand-alone applications doesn't include shell extensions for integrating those applications or their data files with the Windows shell. Typically, such extensions as customized context menu handlers, per instance icons (such as a data file icon that's based on the contents of the file), and customized property sheets are written in C++, and all of the available documentation focuses on using C++ for shell extensions.

But even C++ programmers find the task rough going, given the woefully inadequate state of the documentation. Very few programmers know that writing shell extensions is not tied to a single language or development environment, and that Visual Basic is an excellent tool for creating shell extensions that more closely tie an application to the Windows shell.

That, however, is precisely the focus of Visual Basic Shell Programming. It shows how to take advantage of shell services to develop shell extensions and it provides the basic documentation needed for accomplishing this. Each major type of shell extension gets attention, including:

Context menu handlers that can add items to the popup menu that appears when the user right clicks a file.
con handlers for displaying per instance icons that, like the standard Recycle Bin icon, vary depending on some condition
Property sheet pages, which appear when the user selects the Properties option from a file's context menu.
InfoTip handlers, which display tooltips, or "info" tips for a file object on a per instance basis.

In showing how to integrate applications with the Windows shell by building shell extensions, author J.P. Hamilton provides a concrete tutorial on COM programming with Visual Basic. And while developing their own shell extensions, readers get to learn advanced VB concepts and techniques such as:

Pointers. Since VB tends to hide pointers from the programmer, Hamilton shows how to take advantage of the undocumented VarPtr, StrPtr, and ObjPtr functions, as well as the Win32
RtlMoveMemory function.
Using class identifiers (CLSIDs) from Visual Basic.
VTable modification, which allows control of the HRESULT (or status code) returned by a call to a COM method.

Visual Basic Shell Programming ventures where none have gone before by giving readers both the know-how to develop shell extensions and an advanced treatment of COM programming with Visual Basic.

Introduction to the Shell and the Basics of COM
1. Chapter 1 Introduction
  1. COM and the Shell
  2. Programming for the Shell
  3. Kinds of Shell Extensions
  4. Conclusion
2. Chapter 2 COM Basics
  1. What Is COM?
  2. Interfaces
  3. Classes
  4. Type Libraries
  5. IUnknown
  6. IDispatch
  7. Conclusion
3. Chapter 3 Shell Extensions
  1. Folders and File Objects
  2. Shell Extensions
  3. Registry Settings
  4. The .rad File
  5. The Shell Extension Project
  6. Restarting the Shell
  7. When the Shell Crashes
Shell Extensions
1. Chapter 4 Context Menu Handlers
  1. Static Context Menus
  2. Static Context Menus in IE 5.0
  3. Dynamic Context Menus
  4. Context Menu Handler Interfaces
  5. Creating a Context Menu Handler
2. Chapter 5 Icon Handlers
  1. How Icon Handlers Work
  2. Icon Handler Interfaces
  3. Creating an Icon Handler
3. Chapter 6 Property Sheet Handlers
  1. How Property Sheet Handlers Work
  2. Property Sheet Handler Interface
  3. Creating a Property Sheet Handler
  4. Registering the Property Sheet Handler
4. Chapter 7 Drop Handlers
  1. How Drop Handlers Work
  2. Drop Handler Interfaces
  3. Creating a Drop Handler
  4. Registering the Drop Handler
5. Chapter 8 Data Handlers
  1. How Data Handlers Work
  2. Data Handler Interfaces
  3. Creating a Data Handler
  4. Adding Additional Formats
6. Chapter 9 Copy Hook Handlers
  1. How Copy Hook Handlers Work
  2. Copy Hook Handler Interface: ICopyHook
  3. Implementing ICopyHook
  4. Registering Copy Hook Handlers
  5. Testing the Handler
7. Chapter 10 InfoTip Handler
  1. How InfoTip Handlers Work
  2. InfoTip Interfaces
  3. The Project
Namespace Extensions
1. Chapter 11 Namespace Extensions
  1. Namespace Fundamentals
  2. Explorer Architecture
  3. The PIDL
  4. Namespace Interfaces
  5. Creating the Namespace Extension
  6. The PIDL Manager
  7. Registering DemoSpace
  8. Practical Coding Examples
Browser Extensions
1. Chapter 12 Browser Extensions
  1. Browser Helper Objects
  2. Browser Extensions
2. Chapter 13 Band Objects
  1. How Band Objects Work
  2. Band Object Interfaces
  3. The Project: FileSpider
  4. Registry
  5. Tool Bands
3. Chapter 14 Docking Windows
  1. How Docking Windows Work
  2. Docking Window Interfaces
  3. The Project
  4. Registration
Appendixes
1. Appendix VBShell Library Listing
2. Appendix Pointers
  1. CopyMemory
  2. The Undocumented VBA Functions
  3. Some CopyMemory Examples

Colophon

Title:

VB Shell Programming

By:

J.P. Hamilton

Publisher:

O'Reilly Media

Formats:

Print
Safari Books Online

Print:

July 2000

Pages:

392

Print ISBN:

978-1-56592-670-7

| ISBN 10:

1-56592-670-6

Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Visual Basic Shell Programming is a Globigerina foraminifer, commonly referred to as a foram. Forams are single-celled protozoans that are rarely visible to the naked eye. Their sizes range from 100 micrometers to 20 centimeters. A foram's physiology consists primarily of a calcium carbonate exoskeleton, which is a porous shell (or test) divided into multiple chambers and separated by partitions. The final chamber built in the shell acts as an aperture that opens to the exterior. Forams use various organic materials to build their shells—including calcite, sand grains, sponge spicules, and mica flakes—and pack these particles together with a natural cement-like substance. Strands of cytoplasm known as reticulopodia extend through the pores of the shell and aid with the forming of additional shell, as well as with swimming and feeding. Some species eat dissolved organic molecules, bacteria, and single-celled phytoplankton. Other species of forams derive their nourishment from algae living within their shells, sharing in a symbiotic relationship. In addition, forams play a large part in the food chain as a food source for other animals, including snails, sand dollars, and fish.

The 4,000 species of living foraminifera are mostly marine organisms, found in all temperatures and depths of the world's oceans. Many species are planktonic and float in the water. Others live on the ocean floor in the sand and mud or attach themselves to shells, rocks, or seaweed. In Bermuda, the ocean's bottom sediment is so dense with the foram shells of Homotrema rubrum that the beach sand is pink in color. Forams also contribute in part to the oceans' complex coral reef systems.

Of all the species of forams, 90% are extinct and have only been discovered as fossils. In fact, much of the Earth's sedimentary rock consists of fossilized foraminifer shells. These fossils are extremely helpful in the dating techniques used by paleontologists. Since many foram species have short geological life spans and are found in very specific marine environments, paleontologists use their fossils to determine the age and past environmental conditions of sedimentary rock. Jeffrey Holcomb was the production editor for Visual Basic Shell Programming. Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary was the copyeditor. Mary Sheehan, Nancy Kotary, and Madeleine Newell provided quality control. Mary Sheehan and Emily Quill provided production assistance. Nancy Crumpton wrote the index.

Ellie Volckhausen designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

Alicia Cech and David Futato designed the interior layout based on a series design by Nancy Priest. Mike Sierra implemented the design in FrameMaker 5.5.6. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Rhon Porter using Macromedia FreeHand 8 and Adobe Photoshop 5. This colophon was written by Jeff Holcomb.

Whenever possible, our books use RepKover, a durable and flexible lay-flat binding. If the page count exceeds RepKover's limit, perfect binding is used.

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Customer Reviews

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oreilly VB Shell Programming

4.4

(based on 8 reviews)

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Reviewed by 8 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-8

2/26/2004

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Visual Basic Shell Programming Review

By Haroeris Astrum

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly VB Shell Programming:

I should have written this review years ago. This book is largely for the VB programmer who can actually program but knows little about extending the windows shell. It shows you how to create useful objects such as band objects that may live inside internet explorer. The main of the example refer to Win98 / Win2000. However, when packaged as an msi file, the compiled code seems to be easily distributable on any 32 bit Microsoft operating system. The filespider project that he provide is rather useful and extensible. Here is a snapshot of my version: http://fof.daisyblossom.com/thisiswhatitlookslike.jpg ... The whole package is available here: http://fof.daisyblossom.com/archives/2004_02_22_dphilc_archive.html#107762687662807528

8/20/2001

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Visual Basic Shell Programming Review

By Guy

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly VB Shell Programming:

Loads of detailed information. Just wish it would have been a little more linear in the way examples were introduced.

For anyone that gets stuck on the first example, context menus, and are using W2k and have at some point set the extension to OPENWITH with ALLWAYS enabled check and delete the value in "Application" for the ".RAD" in

KEY:HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.RAD

DWORD:Application

VALUE:NOTEPAD.EXE<<<<<<<DELETE THIS

Took some time and frustration to figure this one out. Now I am back to thinking the book is GOOD

Just remember that it was written pre W2k and give the author a break.;)

7/8/2001

5.0

Visual Basic Shell Programming Review

By Syd Shewchuk

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly VB Shell Programming:

Wow! I thought I was a pretty good VB programmer. I thought I had a good handle on COM and what it could do for me. This book has provided a whole new dimension to my programming language of choice.

The material is simply great, very absorbing. I became more and more fascinated as each page went by.

My only complaint is that the book ended. I certainly hope that J.P. Hamilton doesn't make this the last book on the topic of VB Shell programming. I, for one, would like to see more material of this quality.

6/29/2001

4.0

Visual Basic Shell Programming Review

By Rodrigo Vieira

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly VB Shell Programming:

This book is very good.

I was looking for a way to build those fancy IE toolbands and was really disappointed with the Microsoft site, since all the reference about this subject there is on C++. Since those bands are COM objects, I was wondering whether someone had implemented it on VB already. Tried all the search engines and got nothing. Well this book is the only place (by now) where you'll find this information!

Programming the windows shell is a HUGE topic and certainly would require one of those "brick-sized" books to cover it properly. But J.P. Hamilton made a great effort on abridging the most "juicy" stuff, and then it's up to the programmer to develop on top of that information.

Some examples don't work on Windows 2000, but that's something I can understand since I guess most of the techniques shown on this book were developed before the Win2k release. Anyway, as the author states on the preface, this book is not intended for beginners or people who need to be guided on baby steps, but for programmers with some intermediate VB skills at least. This book is all about COM programming, so if you nothing about COM, this book may still be useful (there's a decent COM introduction on chapter 2), but I'd suggest you to play with COM first.

All in all, this is a "cover to cover" interesting book and that kind of book we should keep nearby for reference. Shell programming is a brave new world for VB programmers. I think there are lots of subjects which could be explored on a volume II.

Great job Mr. Hamilton.

2/24/2001

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Visual Basic Shell Programming Review

By Dombeu Mozert

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly VB Shell Programming:

hmm...

a good work, mr. Halminton.

The book is excelent, I didn't have enough experience in COM programming, but I fully understood the book !!

For everyone reading me at the moment, don't losts the occasion to become one of the first vb-programmer using this book.

But I have a question:

Microsoft develop Visual Basic, ok. but why doesn't Microsoft include in VB all the interfaces, APIs, documentations for accessing fully Windows ???

I will never understand Microsoft !!!

Please if someone have an answer to that question, mail me at [...].

Tank you.

8/24/2000

5.0

Visual Basic Shell Programming Review

By R Pingleton

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly VB Shell Programming:

The O'Reilly staff has promptly corrected the source code that I questioned in my former review.

I have to say this book really is a definitive guide to shell programming and really does clarify the murky waters of the MS documentation.

8/14/2000

3.0

Visual Basic Shell Programming Review

By R. Pingleton

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly VB Shell Programming:

I was excited to see a book detailing practical COM applications using Visual Basic. The core material is solid, though the book could stand to go into a little more detail (373 pages is not quite enough, I feel.)

I think more explanation could have been given to the basics of COM, though the author himself admits this is not a book for beginners.

A major complaint is that certain important details (such as using regsvr32 to register the DLLs) aren't repeated more often. The reader shouldn't have to read the book cover to cover, just to be able to get an example to work.

Another big complaint I have is that the FileSpider program simply does not work the way it is. The code to traverse the DOM is there, but the code to actually download the files is simply not there. It simply displays message boxes telling you what you selected. This was a huge disappointment and seems to be indicative of a product rushed too quickly to market without adequate review.

Take note O'Reilly. Your books have no compare on the market in terms of depth, but that doesn't mean you can let your quality control slip. Simply providing examples that work the way the book says they do would have changed this review from a 3 to a 5.

8/14/2000

5.0

Visual Basic Shell Programming Review

By Matthew Leverton

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly VB Shell Programming:

In a nutshell, this book was exactly what I was looking for. Hamilton does a great job with this ever-so difficult topic. He starts out with a simple example based upon his imaginary file type, and builds upon it every chapter. In the end, you can easily see how the different aspects of the shell can work together.

Although I was well versed in VB before reading this book, I had virtually no experience with COM. This posed no problem, since Hamilton does an excellent job quickly covering the basics. That said, shell programming is still no walk in the park. But with a bit of determination, it is well within grasp - even for the VB programmer.

The book does suffer minorly from "first edition" bugs. The downloadable examples that go with the book did not work fully on my Windows 2000 machine. The drop handler crashed Explorer every time the ".RAD" file was right-clicked on. Also there were a few mistakes in the source code in the book, but nothing that couldn't be figured out. Also, a couple of the examples could have been a little more detailed, such as the Property Sheet section.

All in all, this is a great book that you will not regret reading.

Displaying reviews 1-8