The .rad File
The shell extensions discussed throughout this book will be developed
for the mythical .rad
file, which is just an
imaginary file type I’ve used to demonstrate the concepts
presented in the book. An existing file type could have been used
instead, but by using a made-up type, we get to build everything from
the ground up. If I had used an existing file type, many of the
needed registry entries would already be in place, diminishing the
“hands on” approach of the book. Changing registry
settings for existing file types also has a tendency to change the
way that Windows handles your applications, something you’re
not likely to appreciate. Also, chances are that you will be writing
these extensions for your own file types, not for someone
else’s.
The format of a .rad
file is exactly the same as
an .ini
file and looks like this:
[Animal] Type = (dog, cat, fish, snake, cow, or armadillo) Gender = (M or F) Color = (Black, White, Gray, Brown, or Green) Age = (positive integer) Weight = (positive integer)
You can think of a .rad
file as an
.ini
file with a specific format. The animal
types and file format have been purposefully simplified to keep the
focus away from the file itself and on the shell extensions.
It’s not because of laziness . . . Anyway, if you suddenly find
yourself with large amounts of free time that just can’t be
used productively anywhere else, by all means extend the file in any
way you wish.
Registering the .rad File
The file association key and the application ...
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