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Implementing Windows Explorer address bar


LarsJ
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The address bar in Windows Explorer on Windows 7 seems to be a hot-track enabled toolbar menu with popup listviews and a combo box. The toolbar buttons shows the folders in the current path. The popup listviews shows the child folders.

The toolbar menu can be implemented as a mixture of script 6 (split buttons) and 9 (popup windows) in Hot-Track Enabled and Custom Drawn Toolbar Menu. The combo box is implemented as a combination of an input box and a listview.

ImplementingWindowsExploreraddressbar_zp

The picture shows the last three folders in the path. The split part of AutoIt button is clicked to open a popup listview with child folders. The toolbar is hot-track enabled. If you move the mouse cursor over the neighbour buttons, the neighbour listviews opens automatically without the need to click the buttons.

The listview for the leftmost button (without a folder name) contains the folders, which doesn't fit into the toolbar, because the window is too narrow. If you increase the width of the window, folders from this listview will be moved into the toolbar. If you decrease the width, folders from the toolbar will be moved into the listview.

If you click a toolbar button or a folder in a listview, this folder will become the current folder.

If you click in the empty area of the toolbar between the rightmost button and the combo button, the toolbar will be replaced by an input box. Paste the full path of a folder into the input box and press Enter to make this folder the current folder. If the folder is invalid, the Enter is canceled and the input box stays open. Press Escape or click the title bar or edit box to cancel the input box.

Click the combo button to the right to open a listview with previous folders. Click a folder to make this folder the current folder. When you click the combo button, the input box is opened too. Press Escape or click the combo button again to close the listview and set focus to the input box. Press down arrow in the input box to open the listview. Click the title bar or edit box to cancel listview and input box.

When the script is opened, or when you paste a folder into the input box and press Enter, or when you click a folder in the combo listview, all folders and child folders along the path are extracted. While the code is running the cursor is shown as an hourglass. You'll only be able to see the hourglass, if the cursor is over the title bar or the toolbar. If the cursor is over the edit box, you'll not see the hourglass.

$sFolderPath contains the full path of the current folder.

The zip contains two small DLL files, WSP.dll (6 KB) and WSP_x64.dll (10 KB), by Yashied to handle Enter key in listviews. See post 16 in this thread.

Windows Explorer address bar.7z

Testet on XP 32 bit and Win 7 32/64 bit.

Run AddressBar.au3.

Edit: $sFolderPath

Edited by LarsJ
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