PDF file association REG or Batch Script

Technet249 · 03 Mar 2012

At work i use 2 different PDF viewing software. One is Adobe for editing and the other is Foxit for quick viewing. They have their pros and cons and so I use them interchangeably.

For some work I will use Foxit for several hours at a time and only open something in Adobe on an as needed basis using the right click "open with" context. The opposite is true, for some work I use Adobe for hours and then use Foxit as needed with "open with" context.

I want a registry file or some application that will enable me to simply double click on it and KNOW that my file association for PDF is now Foxit (or Adobe depending on what batch or registry file I double click on).

I see there is "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\FileExts\.pdf" which changes when I edit the file association in control panel. It does update, but I can't manually change the "UserChoice" Progid item. It changes only through file association in control panel.

I realize there are some in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT but they dont update when i update it in file association in Control panel.

I don't know what to do or where else to look. It is tedious to have to go to the control panel -> file association manually.

Can someone help?

Neutron16 · 04 Mar 2012

As for Foxit file association, that is easy.

Code:

"PathTo\Foxit Reader.exe" -Register

should do the trick.

But with Adobe Reader that is more complicated.
You can run repair function of it's MSI package with parameters /fum (f -to allow further parameters, u - rewrites user specific registry entries, m - rewrites other registry entries).

Or you can use registry monitoring software (some even in trial mode) like Total Uninstall to see what values are changed when you switch between Abode and Foxit. Once you will get these changes you can create two reg files for both cases. Or just one for Adobe and use code above for Foxit