Open a file with an autoit compiled script thru windows context menu

[careca]

Hi ppl, got a problem and am kinda lost, the objective is to right click an mp3 file in windows, and have the context menu entry to open with my player, is this integration where im lost, i was thinking that maybe i could make the script grab the file location by clipboard operations, and then use that to start playback, but it's this integration where im lost, because as soon as i start the player it may load the list automatically, i mean, how can i make it detect that it is starting from a context menu entry, how can i tell it is not a "normal" startup?

[careca]

Ok so this is sort of what i need:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\BPlayer]
"MUIVerb"="BPlayer"
"SubCommands"="Play;List"
"icon"="C:\\Windows\\BPlayer\\BPlayer.ico"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Play]
@="Play"
"icon"="C:\\Windows\\BPlayer\\BPlayer.ico"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Play\command]
@="C:\\Windows\\BPlayer\\Beats Player 1.6.exe /P"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\List]
@="Add to list"
"icon"="C:\\Windows\\BPlayer\\BPlayer.ico"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\List\command]
@="C:\\Windows\\BPlayer\\Beats Player 1.6.exe /L"

If $CmdLine[1] = "/P" Then
    ;Send("^c")
    ;Sleep(50)
    ;$File = ClipGet()
    ;MsgBox(64, 'clipboard', $File)
    Exit
ElseIf $CmdLine[1] = "/L" Then
    Exit
EndIf

What i need now is to grab the path of the clicked item.

Edited September 9, 2013 by careca

[MHz]

Hi careca,

I have some concerns why you are using the Windows directory. My example is not going there.

Another is writing to HKCR. This is a merged root key created for easy reading of classes. It is not a good idea to write to it.

2 keys exist for writing classes are

• HKCUSOFTWAREClasses
• HKLMSOFTWAREClasses

Writing to HKCR can mess things up as it does not know to which of those 2 above paths that it is writing to.

Notice in the CommandStore that keys are listed as for e.g. Windows.playmusic. This is done so keys are unique. So may I suggest you follow with a similar naming scheme.

This is a regfile that I tested with

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shell\BPlayer]
"MUIVerb"="BPlayer"
"SubCommands"="BPlayer.Play;BPlayer.List"
"icon"="C:\\BPlayer\\BPlayer.ico"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\BPlayer.Play]
"MUIVerb"="Play"
"icon"="C:\\BPlayer\\BPlayer.ico"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\BPlayer.Play\command]
@="\"C:\\BPlayer\\Beats Player 1.6.exe\" /P \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\BPlayer.List]
"MUIVerb"="Add to list"
"icon"="C:\\BPlayer\\BPlayer.ico"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\BPlayer.List\command]
@="\"C:\\BPlayer\\Beats Player 1.6.exe\" /L \"%1\""

This is the script that was compiled as "Beats Player 1.6.exe" to test with

Global $action, $file_to_play
If $CMDLINE[0] Then
    For $1 = 1 To $CMDLINE[0]
        Switch $CMDLINE[$1]
            Case '/P'
                $action = 'play'
            Case '/L'
                $action = 'list'
            Case Else
                If FileExists($CMDLINE[$1]) Then
                    $file_to_play = $CMDLINE[$1]
                EndIf
        EndSwitch
    Next
EndIf

MsgBox(0, @ScriptName, _
    '$action = ' & $action & @CRLF & _
    '$file_to_play = ' & $file_to_play & @CRLF _
)

If I right click on "Beats Player 1.6.exe" and select BPlayer -> Play from the context menu then I get a Msgbox with this

---------------------------
Beats Player 1.6.exe
---------------------------
$action = play

$file_to_play = C:\BPlayer\Beats Player 1.6.exe


---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------

In the registry, %1 is replaced with the path of the highlighted file from explorer. This is how you get the path.

[careca]

Thanks for the input, the objective is to right click on audio files and open them with the player,

not right click on the player exe, so how should i use the %1? as a parameter?

I need to pass the highlighted files to the player, that's where im stuck.

[MHz]

You associated it with * key in classes in the 1st post which is any file type and my using right click on "Beats Player 1.6.exe" is just an example of a file chosen. You can see in the regfile content that I posted that "%1" is in it that gets added to the registry. The registry automatically does a substitution with %1 with the file path when you click the entry in the context menu. The substitution of "%1" is the 2nd parameter passed to the script which in my example is the value that $file_to_play is assigned to.

[careca]

Ok, so i discarted the /L parameter, and grabbing some ideas of yours, ended up with this:

If $CmdLine[1] = "/P" Then
    If FileExists($CmdLine[2]) Then
        $array4 = StringLen($CmdLine[2])
        $array3 = StringInStr($CmdLine[2], "\", 0, -1)
        $array2 = $array4 - $array3
        $SubTextFolder = StringTrimRight($CmdLine[2], $array2)
        $SubTextFile = StringTrimLeft($CmdLine[2], $array3)
        GUICtrlCreateListViewItem('1' & '|' & $SubTextFolder & '|' & $SubTextFile, $cListView)
        GUICtrlSetState(-1, $GUI_FOCUS)
        $FileT = $SubTextFolder & $SubTextFile
        Play()
    EndIf
EndIf

The line is registry is:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Play\command]
@="C:\\Windows\\BPlayer\\Beats Player 1.6.exe /P "%1""

Now to complete this, it would be nice if i was able to keep the player open, and whenever i clicked from the context menu,

it could open the files in the same window, instead of it opening a new instance of the player everytime.

know what i mean?

[TheSaint]

Personally, if you want to play safe, I'd stick to using .mp3 instead of * in your classes entry, but you really need to understand what you are doing when playing with the Registry.

You will probably find there are one or more entries already for programs that play mp3's.

You wouldn't want to corrupt one of them, but just add your own, possibly making it the default, or a right-click context menu entry, like 'Play with Careca player'.

There would be plenty of examples for players and associations in the Examples & Helps section of the forum.

Before playing with the Registry, which can be really dangerous and potentially Nuke your system, I would do some study on it.

[careca]

I appreciate ya'll concerns with my pc, but, let's focus on the actual issue.

[MHz]

To open in the same window then you are going to need to be creative. Some use a shell extension dll to handle this. Or perhaps you could use communication with the current running script and the one being started. I have no simple solution to handle this. A number of examples exist in the forums for script communication which you could look at.

[careca]

Thank you for your help.

[TheSaint]

  On 9/10/2013 at 7:58 AM, careca said:

I appreciate ya'll concerns with my pc, but, let's focus on the actual issue.

That is totally up to you of course, but your comments have shown that you have a limited understanding of the Registry.

To save you from some potentially big issue, to solve your little issue, I gave you some advice.

Which is yours to take, only if you wish. 

P.S. And I'm not impeding MHz quality help, so should be no problem.

Edited September 10, 2013 by TheSaint

[careca]

I took the advice, and wrote to HKLMSOFTWAREClasses, so no need to worry, i understand the concerns,

but i was just much more worried on how to make the script work the way i intended.

Greetz