How to copy INDIVIDUAL folder icon to another folder?


  1. One
    Posts : 4
    xp
       #1

    How to copy INDIVIDUAL folder icon to another folder?


    Hello,
    I have just discovered this forum, and I have to say I only have Win XP, but I don't know of another forum where I could get help with my question (not DC, anyway, I tried!). Perhaps, you could answer for XP specifically, or for Win7, and I would have a look if your solution works similarly in XP then.

    I know you can assign individual icons to folders, instead of the default one, but I want to make groups, i.e. some folders red, some folders blue, etc., for hundreds of folders, so I want to do this by an AHK script, working on such groups; I know AHK but don't know anything about folder icons, except for the fact there are several, concurrent tools, both free and paid, but as said, I would like to work by scripting the things to do.

    Now I started with the Folderico tool, and I saw that in each folder you reassign the icon of, it puts a desktop.ini, and the icon file:

    desktop.ini with:

    [.ShellClassInfo]
    IconFile=ShedkoFolderico3_0627.ico
    IconIndex=0
    ConfirmFileOp=0

    or with:

    [.ShellClassInfo]
    IconFile=ShedkoFolderico3_16409495.ico
    IconIndex=0
    ConfirmFileOp=0

    and then the icon files,

    ShedkoFolderico3_0627.ico

    and

    ShedkoFolderico3_16409495.ico

    respectively.

    First discovery: Even when it was the very same icon, Folderico named the icon files differently, most of the time, but not in every case, and even, in some instances, it gave the same name "_0627" to different icons (in different folders of course).

    Then I played around a bit with these .ini files, and with the .ico names, and my second discovery was that I was free to rename the icon files as I pleased; whenever the .ico file name was identical with its listing within the .ini file, the icon of the respective .ico file was shown, not the default one. But it's important to bear in mind these were .ini files originally created by Folderico.

    Then I replaced those .ico files by other .ico files, i.e. I took the .ico file of a "blue" folder, copied it into a "red" folder, adjusted the .ini file of the "red" folder to the new .ico name (or vice versa, renamed the freshly imported "blue" .ico file to the one listed in the "red" .ini file, and indeed, my third discovery, all this worked perfectly, i.e. the individual icon went to "blue". But again, it's important to bear in mind I did these renames, of the .ico files and within the respective .ini files, with folders to which I had originally assigned individual icons by Folderico.

    These remarks are so important because my fourth discovery now was, my tries to copy existing .ico files, and the assorted, existing .ini files, from one of these folders, to another folder, to which previously I had NOT assigned an individual icon by Folderico, the icon remained the default one, and I tried this with several such combinations. So this playing around of mine was successful only with folders having been properly assigned any individual folder icon beforehand, but not with "virgin" folders with their default icon yet.

    So this indicates that Folderico, or any of its competitors, does not only create those .ico files and the respective .ini files for these folders, but does something more, within the dephts of Windows: What might this be?

    It is evident the tasks mentioned above, could easily be scripted, and depending on what would have to be done in Windows, additionally, that could also be scripted, even to the point of API accesses and such, but I need to know what is the missing element here such tools do, on top of just copying .ico files and creating the respective .ini files within those folders in question.

    I would greatly appreciate any help, hint, explanation, link...
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 20,583
    Win-7-Pro64bit 7-H-Prem-64bit
       #2
      My Computer


  3. One
    Posts : 4
    xp
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thank you, I had read that thread before posting my question. Due to your hint, I read it a second time, but I cannot find any help there for my problem, which is about how to assign an individual icon to a given folder, not by right-click menu dialogs, etc., but by triggering the internal proceedings yet unknown to me, as explained above.

    Perhaps it should be added that "default folder icon" is a very misleading term here:

    - The article under the above link treats the replacement of the OVERALL default icon by ONE OVERALL individual one, has nothing to do with my problem.

    - When I speak of "default icon", I mean one INSTANCE of the default icon in an individual folder, and which is to be replaced by an individual icon to be placed, obviously, into that individual folder, replacing that INSTANCE ONLY of the overall default icon THERE.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 53,363
    Windows 10 Home x64
       #4

    Welcome to Seven Forums One. I can't help with the coding, especially in XP, but here is an open source program that might help you in your search for information in how it works.

    Customize Your Folder Icons in Windows XP

    A Guy
      My Computer


  5. One
    Posts : 4
    xp
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Thank you very much, A Guy, your link gave me several other icon tools Ich did not know yet; I did know about 5 others or so.

    I must admit that up to now, I did not yet look into every single file on my system, then create a new custom folder icon with such a tool, then check any of my files again (this would have to be done with a complete file-by-file image, then by some file compare tool) - this would be the hard way, and I am not sure I would get some info about the goings-on.

    I had hoped somebody could tell me about what would be done by the operating system, Win7, for such a change, and then I could look if it is similar in my XP.

    As said, above the creation of the new icon file and the desktop.ini within the folder in question, these tools seem to do something other, since just copying both into another folder will NOT change its icon.

    Two questions:

    - Do you know other help forums where I could have a chance to encounter some expert? (A google search for "windows help forum" didn't bring good forums; I just know DC where they don't know the answer; yahoo and such is nil.)

    - Do you know what more precise search terms I could enter in google in order to get to some technical sites? (For my search terms, I only get hundreds of pages describing various tools, but not the real functioning behind them.)
      My Computer


  6. One
    Posts : 4
    xp
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Thank you again, A Guy, I first misunderstood your hint, in fact you wanted to say I could get the sourcecode of that tool, and see in there what it does. This is perfect help, thank you so much! Will report back.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 53,363
    Windows 10 Home x64
       #7

    Yes, I figured you might find some clues. I am unaware of how to do what you wish in 7 either. I even asked the Gurus here if anyone had any ideas. No replies, so I assume not. Let us know how it goes. A Guy
      My Computer


 

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