Context Options

[TheSaint]

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A place that links to many useful Scripts & Scraps

THIS POST

For those of you who (like me), would like to have a sub-menu on their Windows context (right-click) menu, here is a little program that is a sort of work-a-round. I've set it up for right-clicking on folders and files.

Context Options (Version 2.2) (previous downloads: 251) (updated on 10 July 2006) See my latest post below for details.

ReadMe.txt (previous downloads: 159) (updated on 8 July 2006) (new features mentioned in this file)

WARNING - 2 registry entries for your context menu are created when you enable the option - 'Context entry' (ticked). To remove those entries, just de-select that item (unticked). The program will not work in the manner proscribed, without those registry entries.

Once the registry items have been created, you will see one of two variations near the top of your context menu. These items will only appear when right-clicking on a folder or file, and will be either 'Folder Options' or 'File Options' respectively.

I believe that this program, has a unique option that I've never seen or heard of before - the ability to create a folder or folders at a destination targeted by a folder/drive shortcut. How handy this is, remains to be seen?

This is a work-a-round for a process I've mentioned elsewhere - the ability to create sub-menus on the Windows right-click context menu. If anyone knows how to do this properly, I would love to be told how. I would also like to be able to right-click on the desktop or in a folder, and have my program appear on that context menu to i.e. as 'Folder Options'.

Please give feedback!

Edited October 4, 2008 by TheSaint

[Valuater]

C Menu by MHz is also a context menu

http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/index.ph...057&hl=context#

have you checked this one out???

8)

[TheSaint]

C Menu by MHz is also a context menu

http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/index.ph...057&hl=context#

have you checked this one out???

8)

Thanks Valuater

I've just checked that post and downloaded the file to check it out.

[TheSaint]

I've checked out C Menu by MHz, which was kindly pointed out by Valuater.

1) It's a very cleverly written program, with heaps of features - too many for me, I just want something simple!

2) It uses a third party dll from a program I used years ago, and which gave me lots of grief with Win98SE. In fact the grief was a rather bad memory leak, that took quite a while to trace. No doubt they probably fixed that, but it no longer seems supported, and I'm wary ... once bitten, twice shy!

3) I kinda like what I've implemented, especially with the bug fixes and new features (see the ReadMe.txt file).

4) I'd really like to be able to add legitimate sub-folders to the Windows context menu, without using 3rd party programs or dlls (unless it is a standard Windows dll). I'd also like to be able to click on the desktop or in a folder, and have my options appear in that context menu also.

I've updated both the file links above, with new versions.

I've added a couple of items, like decompiling scripts, etc and fixed a few bugs, which I list below -

Fixed an annoying bug, where the program would sometimes crash or not exit properly. This happened particularly when a file was right-clicked on, and if you then clicked elsewhere than the context menu after it appeared. Also if you clicked on an open textfile while the context was visible, the context would no longer be visible, it would still be runnning but have no way to close itself down. I've implemented a timer, that continually checks if the menu program is active - if not, then it will re-activate the context menu ... this check occurs about every second or so. This was a problem that kept re-occurring for a lot of different reasons, and I tried several different methods to prevent this, before I settled on the current timer version. Because I haven't found a good reason to remove them, some of the other methods are still in vogue, and may be playing a part.

Fixed/disabled the menu items, that appear if using 'Folder Options' for .zip files. If it doesn't work with a .zip file, it no longer appears ... whilst none of these seemed to cause any trouble, I think it better to not make them available anyway. Essentially all you gain by using 'Folder Options' instead of 'File Options', is the ability to open a .zip file in a separate window. You can also change one or two settings and view some info, but you'd get them using 'File Options' anyway.

I've also had time to work on a few other programs, one of which (the latest version) is almost finished ... just waiting on an answer from the GUI Support section, relating to timed key presses. The program in question, is basically another AutoIt tool, to place Author & Email defaults into your script template, or to modify an existing script, where you can also add the script/function purpose or summary. Hopefully this will be posted soon ... for those who wish to simplify their programming life, even more.

Edited May 23, 2006 by TheSaint

[TheSaint]

The new version (download from above - first post) has some great new changes -

1) Custom stored folder names (up to 14).

2) An option for right-clicking on a compiled AutoIt script, and de-compiling it.

3) An option to run the "AutoIt Window Info" tool.

4) A Hotkey option, so that right-clicking for folder options is no longer required to activate the context menu.

If you are already using an earlier version of my program, then you will find this one, is much better ... if not then you may be surprised by it's features.

The Hotkey option in particular is very good ... though I had to use some work-a-rounds to get this working correctly.

If you are sick of having to always re-type, the same folder names day in & day out ... then this is the program you've always wanted. But if you check out my new program - "New Folders" (when it becomes available ... need more space), you will find that this works even better in this area ... and is an offshoot of this program.

PLEASE NOTE, that certain aspects of the program, only work when it has been compiled. It also expects to find a shortcut for the program at - @ProgramsDir & "\Tools\Context Options"

if it isn't found there, it will create it there, when the Hotkey option is enabled.

Edited July 8, 2006 by TheSaint

[TheSaint]

The program has now been updated to version 2.1, which should fix some issues that people might have had with the hotkey element.

Thanks go out to Uten, who pointed out some valuable code to me, which helped improve my program.

Please as always, give feedback!

Hopefully I've enough space to now upload my completed 'New Folders' program, which is an offshoot of this program, and which many people might find quite useful ... especially if you get sick of having to right-click to create a new folder, or often create the same or similarly named folder!

[TheSaint]

The program has now been updated to version 2.2, which should fix some issues that people might have had with classnames & the Windows Explorer tree.

Thanks to marfdaman for pointing some of this out at the post of my offshoot program New Folders.

Please let me know if there are any other issues.

[TheSaint]

I just thought I'd add some tips, about how I most often use this program!

TIP 1

1) You have a save dialog open.

2) You right-click on the parent folder you are saving to (in that window).

3) You select "Folder Options" from your context menu.

4) You select the top entry on the menu that appears - "Create within".

5) Then create any of the folders/sub-folders/etc you wish!

N.B. If you create stored entries, for folders you create often, this of course simplifies matters.

TIP 2

IF YOU UPDATE OR RE-INSTALL THE PROGRAM, YOU WILL NEED TO TOGGLE THE HOTKEY SETTING A COUPLE OF TIMES (IF IT WAS SET) ... or edit the ini file!

[TheSaint]

The latest version of the Context Options program can now be downloaded from TheSaint's Toolbox post ... along with many of my other programs.