How to make context menu item to many files? - c#

I make context menu item for images(for example), it should open my console application, using target file as string argument. When I use it for many files it opens many application copies, and for each one it has one string argument, but I want to send array of string to one application.
As I researched, it is impossible on registry level, so my application should search for it's copies and get their string arguments. How to realize it in c# console application?

Related

Open file with associated application and with specific user in C#

I need to open files of different types with their associated application. It works fine like this:
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(#"C:\foo.jpg");
But when I need to open it with a specific user, I need to supply an executable, I can't open a document/image etc. ("The specified executable is not a valid application for this OS platform") Is there a smart workaround or would I need to get the associated application's data from registry and run the application with the document/image as argument? (So the question is not about how to run Process.Start() with arguments!)

How to open a file using a specified third party program in C#?

so what I'm trying to do is open a file (well, actually two folders, but I figure I'll start with a single file for now) using a third party comparison tool called UltraCompare. I'm working in a C# website project in Visual Studio 2010 (Express edition). I've seen how to open a file using a different program, here: Open a file with Notepad in C#.
Problem is, this only lets you open it using the default program for that file type. But I want to open it in a specified program. For example, a text file should open in UltraCompare, not notepad. Here's the code which does this:
string textBoxContents1 = TextBox1.Text;
Process.Start(textBoxContents1);
The textbox on the webform accepts a string, in which the user types the file's full path (not the most user-friendly design I know, but I'm not sure how to allow them to browse for a folder using a GUI interface in asp.NET). The file is then passed into the Process.Start() method, which opens it using the default program for that file type.
Is there any way to modify this to make it open using UltraCompare??
You can specify the program you want to open the file in:
Process.Start("yourprogram.exe", textBoxContents1);
Update
To open two files in Ultracompare, you'd probably do something like that:
Process.Start("yourprogram.exe", "file1.txt file2.txt");
Keep in mind that the second parameter of Process.Start method are the arguments passed to the program.
I said this is probably going to work because I assumed to be very likely that Ultracompare expects 2 arguments, but this might not be the case.
Quick question: Are you trying to do this for the client machine? Hope not
And I guess it looks into the PATH variable for finding your exe

Generate an .exe file with embedded settings

I have a window application which performs some tasks, One of which is opening some files and we all know .net provides exe file for the application, which can be used as click to start.
I am calling this application application1.
Now I want to generate one more window application(simple exe), let us call it application2, which will open a form with some options(say the names of the files to be opened by application1) and a generate button.
On clicking the generate button, it should generate the exe file for the application1 with the data passed from application2.
Please suggest how can I do it.
EDIT
I need to generate exe which will be available on different systems which will perform some task on regular intervals. and the interval colud be different for different computers.
so I am asked to generate which will accept the time interval and will generate the exe for that interval
There are a number of ways to consider doing this:
use a reg key with the name of the settings file to read in, and then store the settings you write from app2, for app1 in the file, so app 1 can run it
you call app1 with a parameter with either the name of a file, or commandline parameters, and it updates its own applications settings file.
put the settings in a database, so any copy of app1 anywhere can find it, assuming all users would be able to see the db server
if app1 is always to be running while app2 is you could go with some interprocess communication but probably this is the more complex of the 4
Rather than recompiling an exe, it would make sense to have a config file that goes with.
Failing that, compiling .net is only that, you can have an exe that generates a .cs file (or updates one, and reruns the whole compile and outputs an exe.. take a google, on command line compilation) but I wouldnt be my choice.
I think what your looking for is for application1 to be able to receive command line arguments and application2 to allow you to pick files and run application1 and pass in those arguments.
I don't think its wish to be generating .exe's
Another way, although not that easy, would be to
write application 1 to try and read settings from class that does not exist, say SettingsOverride, by reflection; if not found, fall back to its own hard-coded settings
application 2 uses CodeDOM or similar to create a new assembly that provides a SettingsOverride class with the new saved settings
application 2 uses ILMerge to build the new .exe from application 1 and the settings assembly; the reflection code in application 1 should now pick up the new settings.
It's probably also possible to do this with embedded resources, though I'm not sure how. Finally you could put a string constant in your .exe, say 400 X characters, and then application 2 could scan the file to find that (as Unicode/UTF-16 text) and replace that with a string containing the new settings - but I'm not 100% if you then need to recompute a checksum or similar.

How to write a Config App for a Console App - sharing data?

My console app uses a bunch of string variables entered by the user. Currently the user can type these as parameters to the console app which then persists them using Properties.Settings.
Instead I'd like a GUI app which has a bunch of text boxes and a 'Save' button.
How can I make this work? I presume there needs to be a way for each app to read/save the common variables. It should work without needing admin privileges when installed on customer's machines.
.NET supports XML (De)Serialization.
Define a class with your setting parameters as fields, connect those fields to your GUI elements, the way you want. Write that class to the XML file and restore the values on application launch.

Converting a C# (Windows application) into commandline application?

I am looking to convert a C# (Windows platform application) into a commandline version.
The scenario is: I have implemented a C# (Windows application) in VS 2010. The output of this application is to generate a txt (log) file (in simple explanation).
Now the case is, there is one other application which need to use my this C# application, by calling my C# application from the command line at the run time.
My question is, how is it possible to convert an already existing C# application into commandline application, so that this C# application can be called from the calling (other) program? There is one input parameter which need to be passed on the commandline to my C# application. And then this C# application will process the data according to input parameter and then generate the output log(txt) file.
Added explanation
I am really impressed by the solutions here. Just a bit more expertise is required from readers. I want one application only to work as both commandline application as well Windows-application (forget to mention it before, sorry!), depending on the number of input parameter pass to the application. From this point of view, I have two options to implement it,
1) Make separate functions for both applications (commandline and windows-forms). Call them according to the input parameter pass. In each function implement the complete functionality of each application without disturbing (or going into the code of other application). Also I will be able to re-use 2 main functions, already built in windows-form application into my commandline application after some editing.
Disadvantage: This will make the code size nearly 50% more than case 2.
2) The second idea is same as describe by one of the expert here, to use the same application/functions for commandline as that of already built windows-form application. The only way to distinguish is to look at the input parameter pass, and decide accordingly whether to show the GUI interface or just use the commandline input (and do processing).
Disadvantage: This case will make the code bit messy and difficult to maintain/implement due to extra adding of check for number of input parameter decisions.
Which strategy should I follow for implementation?
Sure - just:
Create a new VS2010 command-line project
You'll now have a "main ()" (or, in MS-Land, "_tmain()") function instead of a root class.
Cut and paste the relevant code into "main()" (or into a function called by main (), or into a class created from main() - your choice).
Do a search-and-destroy mission to find anyplace where you're doing GUI input, and substitute command line parameters instead.
Parse your command line.
Voila! Done!
You don't have to convert it. Your application can stay as a Windows application. You simply need to handle command line arguments.
To get the command line arguments from ANYWHERE in the application, just use Environment.GetCommandLineArgs();
You want to get value from command line is not a good reason to convert winform app to console app. You may use,
string[] args = Environment.GetCommandLineArgs();
However you can change application type by opening project properties (right click on project name) and change the Output type.
Just don't show the GUI if you get paramater passed in, as when called from the other program.

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