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OlimilO

Intermediate

  • "OlimilO" is male
  • "OlimilO" started this thread

Posts: 277

Date of registration: Jan 18th 2009

Location: Germany

Occupation: software engineer

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Thursday, August 6th 2009, 7:21pm

Open any file associated to a program by its file extension

Hi,

if you want to open a pdf-file but the path to Acrobat Reader is unknown, you could use the Desktop-Object.

The Desktop-Object is a real Singleton, this means there is only one Desktop-Object for every program.

Of course, because every computer has only one desktop :)

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If java#awt#Desktop.isDesktopSupported Then
      Dim d As java#awt#Desktop = java#awt#Desktop.getDesktop
      d.open(New File(aFileName)) 
   End If


Desktop also has other interesting procedures:

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d.browse(New URI(aFileName)) 
   d.edit(New File(aFileName)) 
   d.mail(New URI(aFileName)) 
   d.print(New File(aFileName))

looks like a new feature of the Shell-function, what do you think?
the disadvantage is:

a) you do not get the path to the program

b) it is not possible to transfer certain program dependent calling parameters

c) the Desktop-Object does not return a Process-object



But of course you can handle these things in your program:

-> a)+b) the user simply must set the path to the desired program

-> c) I also found something different

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Dim p As java#lang#Process = java#lang#Runtime.getRuntime.exec( _
      "rundll32 url.dll,FileProtocolHandler " & aFileName)


but this solution is not platformindependent, it is windows-only.



if you want to show a help-file (hlp, chm) you could use the CommonDialog.ShowHelp-command
for windows-only it could be implemented like:

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Dim myHelpFile As java#lang#String 
   Dim cmd As New java#lang#StringBuffer
   Dim windir As String = System.getenv("windir")
   Dim p As Process
   
   Dim q As String = ChrW(34) '""""
   
   cmd.append(windir).append("")
   
   'some examples:
   myHelpFile = "windows.hlp"
   myHelpFile = "edit.hlp"
   myHelpFile = windir & "\System32\cliconf.chm"
   
   If myHelpFile.endsWith(".hlp") Then
      cmd.append("winhlp32.exe")
   Elseif myHelpFile.endsWith(".chm") Then
      cmd.append("hh.exe")       
   End If
   cmd.append(" ").append(q).append(myHelpFile).append(q)
   p = Shell(cmd.toString, vbNormalFocus)




OlimilO

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