VB Shell Programming: Integrating Applications with the Windows Shell

by J.P. Hamilton

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, 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 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.

373 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2000