(SOLVED?) Options for Emulating .Desklink Functionality
Some updates, and hopefully useful info.
Re shortcuts & the Alt-Key, I didn't know this (yesterday!)
Here's the steps.
1. create the send to link as described above
2. hold down your ALT key
3. Tab your CTRL Key once (don't let go of alt)
4. Right click on your item and select the send to option that you just created (you can now let go of alt).
This will only send the shortcut.
I know it sounds strange so I'll describe why this works.
If you hold down ALT while drag and drop, it will copy the file you dropped.
If you hold down CTRL while drag and drop, it will create a shortcut of the file you dropped.
However, you can't hold down ctrl and right click unless you press alt first (i.e. it's not the same menu as a normal right click on an icon). Also selecting the icon first, then ctrl+right click doesn't give you the same result when we send to.
The default functionality is to move a file (if destination is on same drive) or to copy (if on another drive, I think!)
If you hold
SHIFT, it'll override (ignore target-based-default) and
force move.
If you hold
CTRL, it'll override and
force copy.
If you hold CTRL+SHIFT, it'll create a shortcut (same as alt*).
The good thing about CTRL/SHIFT/CTRL+SHIFT is that you can select the file, access context, n for sendto, select the target/destination, and THEN hit the modifier key to complete the copy/move/link operation...
As stated by Tim, you can't use the alt key like the other modifier keys. However, I think it's easier to either
1) select the file you want to "link" (create a shortcut to)
2) Hold down Alt+CTRL, right-click
(or shift+f10, or context-menu-key next to right-CTRL if you have it!)
3) select "Send to", and highlight the Destination (linked to via a shortcut in your Sendto folder)
4) Release CTRL (still holding alt!), then select the sendto target-destination, creating a shortcut.
This (deleted) technique I find counter-intuitive - you can't use the shortcut-letters to navigate the context-menu,
and you need to remember when to release CTRL (or else alt+ctrl = ctrl =
copy)
The technique I've always previously used is SHIFT+CTRL = create shortcut... but, like OP Apesbrain,
christantoan, and presumably many more, I want!!
I tried and tried to emulate DeskLink but hit a dead end
here
.DeskLink HKLM\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID\{9E56BE61-C50F-11CF-9A2C-00A0C90A90CE}
No Shell Extensions stipulated to facilitate the .DeskLink handling (whatever that is)
Creating Shell Extension Handlers (Windows)
(translated roughly, .DeskLink's PersistentAddin | PA Interface:IFilter = "Null filter")
the question is: can this native functionality be exploited, to allow sending to custom targets?
Only other reference is a binary shell extension cache
{9E56BE61-C50F-11CF-9A2C-00A0C90A90CE} {00000122-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} (IDropTarget with ProxyStubClsid32 {00000320-0000-0000-C000-000000000046})
0xFFFF\"="=hex:01,\
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,50,b9,50,36,06,ea,ce,01,00,00,45,00,52,00,00,00,69,00,\
6e,00,00,00,6c,00
Well, yes
On my meanderings, I checked Desktop.ini (several in fact!)
The
Links ("Favorites"? Must change to Proper English!) File Folder has this in it's config:
DefaultDropEffect=4
So, maybe... if we have a quick links folder, we could add this, and see if it affects/controls sendto, too?!
Let's see...
C:\Users\Jonny\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch already has a desktop.ini, so I added DefaultDropEffect=4 to the newly created [.ShellClassInfo] section, just above [LocalizedFileNames] and saved...
Plan B?
I just tested this with my QuickLaunch folder, and it works (Windows 7 Ultimate x64)
To emulate SendTo-DeskLink (create shortcut)
1) The target needs to have "Default drop behaviour = create shortcut" (like "Favorites").
Add the following lines to the desktop.ini config file - it's in the
target folder you want to link to, ie for QuickLaunch the full path is:
C:\Users\
Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\Desktop.ini
Code:
[.ShellClassInfo]
DefaultDropEffect=4
(This goes above the [LocalizedFileNames] section) Save the changes to the config file.
When you drag-and-drop to the folder the "create shortcut" icon should now be visible during the drag-drop operation...
2) If you want to add this as a custom location in sendto, you'll need a junction.
run cmd, cd/ go to your sendto folder ie
Code:
cd/d "C:\Users\[B][U][I]Username!![/I][/U][/B]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo"
create a (junction) link to target, ie for quicklaunch
Code:
mklink /j "Quick Launch" "C:\Users\Jonny\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch"
Now ... drumroll!!! If you send something to your custom location (using your new, sendto-junction-link) a shortcut will be sent as default (like with a .DeskLink).
Make sense? This one could be a candidate for the "Brink Treatment"
_________________________________________________________________________________________
"First, there was a Will...."
and better than advertised. Okay, this is Microsoft's "secret code:"
