Create Custom Context Menus by File Type
Windows tip: An Ask MetaFilter thread has a simple-yet-excellent tip for setting up quick methods for opening files based on file type by adding custom menu items to the right-click context menu. Say, for example, that you want your JPG images to open with the Windows image viewer by default, but that you want quicker access to editing the file than what you get through the Right-click -> Open with menu. Here’s what you can do: Open the Control Panel, then go to Folder Options -> File Types, choose the file type you want to create a custom command for (like JPG), then click the Advanced button. Name your action (for example, “Edit with Paint.NET”), choose the application you want to open the file with when you perform this action, and click OK. Next time you right-click on this file-type, your action will be easily accessible near the top of your context menu.
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Cool tip; just what my impatient clicks require!
harmx
You should give awxShellFish a try which Lets you do this and much much more.
[arniworld.de]
Some of its features are
- Allows you to specify extension specific actions or global actions which appear for all the files irrespective of their extensions.
- Action can work on multiple selected files. For example you have flexibility of selecting multiple .jpg files and opening all of them in Paint.NET or opening them in multiple instances of Paint.NET at the same time.
- You can specify custom icon next to your menu item
- Its free and very easy to configure.
xplorer2user
@TheWillum
Woot! Thanks for the link. It DOES indeed resize the folder options window. It doesn't do it perfectly, but it's much better than it was. Thanks again.
bugmenot21
@BugMeNot21... Found it... ResizeEnable - [lifehacker.com]
thewillum
@BugMeNot21
I want to say that LH featured a program that claimed it could do that. I want to say it was called "Resize Anything/Everything" something along those lines? I didn't download it though, so I'm just working off of a fuzzy memory.
thewillum
This is useful. I have a related question though... can I get rid of items off my context menu? When I right click on a simple shortcut I have 25 items on my context menu from Open at the top to Properties at the bottom, and this number just goes up if it's an audio or video file. I simply will never need 5 different options from winrar in my context menu ... ever.
thewillum
is there a way to make those tiny little windows - like the "Folder Options" maximized or larger? By windows default, there is only the 'help' and 'close' options on the bar, so you can't resize...
bugmenot21
If you install the Windows Live Photo Gallery on XP then you lose this feature for images. It just overtakes all other settings.
In the File Types area select the "Restore" button. That button will then become the "Advanced" button. Add your programs using the program name (I named the jpg association as "Photoshop"). If you just change "edit" then Photo Gallery will overrun it. Once you have the settings you want then you can change the default back to Windows Live Photo Gallery.
Bob Brown
I did exactly what the article suggested and for some reason Paint.NET can still open JPGs from the Open With context menu and from inside Paint.NET itself, but the new Edit with Paint.NET context menu item causes the program to open and then a dialog appears which says "The image type is not recognized, and cannot be opened." Any ideas?
Also the Editing Action for Type: JPG dialog keeps trying to force DDE (check), should I care?
pschroeter
Hum... AWESOME???
Bobly
@thewillum: See this article...
jarhead
good tip thanks!
padfoot_007
Interesting. I always added my context items via the Registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\*WHATEVER*\shell\*LABEL*\command). It never occurred to me to use the File Types dialog (probably because I hate waiting for it to open).
Whelkman
thanks a lot jarhead.
thewillum
A hidden Windows "feature" - holding the shift button when you right-click displays more entries in the context menu (if available).
@thewillum: If you want to reduce your list of 25 items, but you don't want to permanently lose the actions, open the registry editor and add the a new blank string named "Extended" under the shell action for your file type. I'll walk you through an example for hiding the "burn" command for a mp3 file:
1. In the registry editor, navigate to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mp3
2. The (Default) value is "mp3file", so navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mp3file\shell
3. Each key under the shell key is an entry on your context menu. So if you want the "burn" entry on your right-click menu to be hidden, navigate to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mp3file\shell\burn
and create a new string named "Extended" (leave the value blank).
4. Repeat for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\.mp3
Now when you right-click on an mp3 file in Windows Explorer, you won't see the "burn" command; but when you shift-right-click, it will be visible.
(The article from @jarhead has more registry info if you really want to get in there and hack.)
bobbo33
I'd appreciate a simple app to remove existing menu items. I don't need Windows Media Player items for mp3 files, or OneNote or Groove on every folder.
davebarboza