Convert a special folder to a path

[erix]

Hello, 

When using the "FileSelectFolder" command and the user chooses a special folder (Documents, Pictures, Vidéos) the result obtained is not the folder path but a CLSID of type :
"::{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}"

I would like to be able to recover the path of the folder even if the user uses a special folder, but I have not yet found a method to convert a CLSID to a path.

I have tested commands like _WinAPI_ShellGetSpecialFolderPath but this one doesn't seem to take into account CLSID but CSIDL.
So I tried to find a method to convert CLSIDs into CSIDL, but I didn't find anything either.

Would you have a method to retrieve the path when a user selects a special folder or command that converts CLSIDs to a path?

Thank you.

Eric

[JLogan3o13]

@erix can you please post an example of this? Also, what OS, language, and AutoIt version are you using? When I use FileSelectFolder on any of the special folders you mention I receive the path.

[erix]

@JLogan3o13 

Thank you for your answer.
Please test with this simple code:

$folder = FileSelectFolder("", "")
MsgBox(4096,"",$folder)

And select one of the special folders

I use Windows 7 French and Autoit 3.3.14.5

The result obtained is :

 

[JLogan3o13]

Not in Windows 10 and AutoIt 3.3.14.5

Perhaps someone who has a French OS will wander by to assist.

[erix]

Yes, indeed, I was not specific enough.
On Windows 7, these are libraries folders.
On Windows 10 these folders are not displayed by default.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/4026298/windows-show-libraries-in-file-explorer

Or right click in the left panel and choose "Show Libraries"

It is with these files that the problem arises.

[TheXman]

A Library is a logical representation of one or more folders.  A library does not resolve to a specific folder.  Therefore, what folder are you thinking you can get when a user selects a Library?

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by TheXman

[Deye]

erix,

when you run "explorer shell:libraries"

This  opens the root libraries folder. if I'm guessing  right ..

TheXman,

I guess that is all what erix is after ..

Deye

Edited January 23, 2019 by Deye

[benched42]

Without designating an initial path (by leaving it the null value) for FileSelectFolder, my guess is that it would open in the default opening folder for Windows Explorer. You can set that, or you can manually set it to be whatever folder you'd like in the second parameter.

[LarsJ]

This is also a problem on an English Windows 7.

Here SHCreateItemFromParsingName is used to get a pointer to an IShellItem interface. Then the name can be displayed with $oIShellItem.GetDisplayName:

#include <WinAPI.au3>

Global Const $sIID_IShellItem = "{43826D1E-E718-42EE-BC55-A1E261C37BFE}"
Global Const $tIID_IShellItem = _WinAPI_GUIDFromString( $sIID_IShellItem )
Global Const $dtag_IShellItem = _
  "BindToHandler hresult(ptr;clsid;clsid;ptr*);" & _
  "GetParent hresult(ptr*);" & _
  "GetDisplayName hresult(int;ptr*);" & _
  "GetAttributes hresult(int;int*);" & _
  "Compare hresult(ptr;int;int*);"

Func SHCreateItemFromParsingName( $sPath, $pbc, $riid, ByRef $ppv )
  Local $aRet = DllCall( "Shell32.dll", "long", "SHCreateItemFromParsingName", "wstr", $sPath, "struct*", $pbc, "struct*", $riid, "ptr*", 0 )
  If @error Then Return SetError(1, 0, 0)
  $ppv = $aRet[4]
  Return $aRet[0]
EndFunc


Example()

Func Example()
  Local $pIShellItem
  SHCreateItemFromParsingName( "::{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}", 0, $tIID_IShellItem, $pIShellItem )

  Local $oIShellItem = ObjCreateInterface( $pIShellItem, $sIID_IShellItem, $dtag_IShellItem )

  Local $pName, $sName
  $oIShellItem.GetDisplayName( 0, $pName )
  $sName = DllStructGetData( DllStructCreate( "wchar[512]", $pName ), 1 )
  ConsoleWrite( $sName & @CRLF )
EndFunc

 

[erix]

@TheXman If in the Libraries folder I click on Document, I would like to have the Document path.

@LarsJ Sorry, but my level is not high enough to understand how to get the path with this code.

I thought it was going to be something simple, but I feel like I came across something more complicated than I thought.

Thank you for your help anyway

[Bilgus]

Perhaps this will make it clearer...

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;@LarsJ
#include <WinAPI.au3>

Global Const $sIID_IShellItem = "{43826D1E-E718-42EE-BC55-A1E261C37BFE}"
Global Const $tIID_IShellItem = _WinAPI_GUIDFromString($sIID_IShellItem)
Global Const $dtag_IShellItem = _
        "BindToHandler hresult(ptr;clsid;clsid;ptr*);" & _
        "GetParent hresult(ptr*);" & _
        "GetDisplayName hresult(int;ptr*);" & _
        "GetAttributes hresult(int;int*);" & _
        "Compare hresult(ptr;int;int*);"
Global Const $SIGDN_FILESYSPATH = 0x80058000
Global Const $SIGDN_DESKTOPABSOLUTEEDITING = 0x8004c000


Func SHCreateItemFromParsingName($sPath, $pbc, $riid, ByRef $ppv)
    Local $aRet = DllCall("Shell32.dll", "long", "SHCreateItemFromParsingName", "wstr", $sPath, "struct*", $pbc, "struct*", $riid, "ptr*", 0)
    If @error Then Return SetError(1, 0, 0)
    $ppv = $aRet[4]
    Return $aRet[0]
EndFunc   ;==>SHCreateItemFromParsingName

;;https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/3123-clsid-key-guid-shortcuts-list-windows-10-a.html
Local Const $sMyDocs = "::{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}"
Local Const $sControlPanel = "::{5399E694-6CE5-4D6C-8FCE-1D8870FDCBA0}" ; (not actually a valid path...)
Local Const $sUserFiles = "::{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}"
Local Const $sGames = "::{ED228FDF-9EA8-4870-83b1-96b02CFE0D52}"
Local Const $sThisPc = "::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}"

Example($sMyDocs)
Example($sControlPanel)
Example($sUserFiles)
Example($sGames)
Example($sThisPc)
Example("C:\Windows")



Func Example($spath_clsid)
    Local $pIShellItem
    SHCreateItemFromParsingName($spath_clsid, 0, $tIID_IShellItem, $pIShellItem)

    Local $oIShellItem = ObjCreateInterface($pIShellItem, $sIID_IShellItem, $dtag_IShellItem)
    If Not IsObj($oIShellItem) Then
        ConsoleWrite("!Error no object" & @CRLF)
        Return ;
    EndIf

    Local $pName, $sName, $pAttribs
    $oIShellItem.GetAttributes($SFGAO_FILESYSTEM, $pAttribs)
    If BitAND($pAttribs, $SFGAO_FILESYSTEM) = $SFGAO_FILESYSTEM Then
        $oIShellItem.GetDisplayName($SIGDN_FILESYSPATH, $pName)
        $sName = DllStructGetData(DllStructCreate("wchar[512]", $pName), 1)
        ConsoleWrite($sName & @CRLF)
    Else ;; In relation to Desktop
        $oIShellItem.GetDisplayName($SIGDN_DESKTOPABSOLUTEEDITING, $pName)
        $sName = DllStructGetData(DllStructCreate("wchar[512]", $pName), 1)
        ConsoleWrite(@DesktopDir & "\" & $sName & @CRLF)
    EndIf
EndFunc   ;==>Example

 

Edited January 24, 2019 by Bilgus

[erix]

I am beginning to understand how it works and also that it is not that simple. 

Thank you for all this information.

[vincend]

the result is mediocre, the best way is _WinAPI_ShellGetKnownFolderPath ()

[Bilgus]

16 hours ago, vincend said:

the result is mediocre, the best way is _WinAPI_ShellGetKnownFolderPath ()

AFAICT folderIDs <> Folder CLSIDs

 

#include <WinAPIShellEx.au3>
ConsoleWrite('"' & _WinAPI_ShellGetKnownFolderPath('{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}') & '" @error = ' & @error & ' @extended = 0x' & Hex(@extended) & @CRLF)

;Results:
;"" @error = 10 @extended = 0x80070002

 

[Bilgus]

Here is the same example but using WinAPI instead of COM

 

expandcollapse popup

#include <WinAPI.au3>

Func GetShellPath($sPath_Clsid)
    ;@Bilgus
    Local Const $SIGDN_FILESYSPATH = 0x80058000
    Local Const $SIGDN_DESKTOPABSOLUTEEDITING = 0x8004c000
    Local $iError = 0, $iErrExt = 0, $sReturn = ""
    Local $aRet = DllCall("shell32.dll", "LONG", "SHParseDisplayName", _
                                         "WSTR", $sPath_Clsid, _
                                         "PTR", 0, _
                                         "PTR*", 0, _
                                         "ULONG", $SFGAO_FILESYSTEM, _
                                         "ULONG*", 0)
    If @error Or $aRet[0] Then
        $iError = 1
        $iErrExt = $aRet[0]
    Else
        Local $pPIDL = $aRet[3]
        Local $bFileSystem = ($aRet[5] = $SFGAO_FILESYSTEM)
        Local $iSIGDN = $SIGDN_FILESYSPATH
        If Not $bFileSystem Then $iSIGDN = $SIGDN_DESKTOPABSOLUTEEDITING

        ; Retrieve the path from PIDL
        $aRet = DllCall("shell32.dll", "INT", "SHGetNameFromIDList", _
                                       "PTR", $pPIDL, "LONG", $iSIGDN, "PTR*", 0)
        If Not (@error And $aRet[0]) Then
            $sReturn = _WinAPI_GetString($aRet[3])
            _WinAPI_CoTaskMemFree($aRet[3])
        Else
            $iError = 2
            $iErrExt = $aRet[0]
        EndIf

        DllCall("shell32.dll", "NONE", "ILFree", "PTR", $pPIDL) ; Free PIDL
    EndIf
    Return SetError($iError, $iErrExt, $sReturn)
EndFunc   ;==>GetPath

;;https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/3123-clsid-key-guid-shortcuts-list-windows-10-a.html
Local Const $sMyDocs = "::{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}"
Local Const $sControlPanel = "::{5399E694-6CE5-4D6C-8FCE-1D8870FDCBA0}" ; (not actually a valid path...)
Local Const $sUserFiles = "::{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}"
Local Const $sGames = "::{ED228FDF-9EA8-4870-83b1-96b02CFE0D52}"
Local Const $sThisPc = "::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}"
Local Const $sLibraries = "::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}"

Example($sMyDocs)
Example($sControlPanel)
Example($sUserFiles)
Example($sGames)
Example($sThisPc)
Example($sLibraries)
Example("C:\Windows")



Func Example($spath_clsid)
    ConsoleWrite(GetShellPath($spath_clsid) & @CRLF)
EndFunc   ;==>Example

 

Edited January 26, 2019 by Bilgus