Re: Add context menu item for background of open folder window?

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http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/CmdHerePowertoySetup.exe

Hi, Mark
Thanks for the link. I just assummed that M$ had not added a
modifed CmdHerePowerToy. I have now checked and verified that the
current power toy is the same old one which doesn't do what I want.
I personally think they should have called it 'open command window
THERE', because HERE would be navigated to the currently open
window's path and THERE would be navigated to the folder being
pointed at.

After I have displayed a folder window, I often want to open a
command prompt window and navigate it to that same folder. I want a
file system folder window and a command prompt window, both opened
to the same folder path. If the folder is empty or there are no
folder-like items in the window, then there is no right-clickable
item that has the 'Open Command Window Here' menu item. If I
navigate up one folder level, I can then right click the icon of the
folder I just got out of, and choose 'Open Command Window Here'
which opens the command window to the place I wanted, but then I
also have to navigate my explorer folder window back to its original
location if I want to see something there while working in the
command window. That is way to much navigating to get a command
window navigated to the same folder as the original open folder
window.

If the explorer window I have open includes a .zip file, which kind
of looks like a folder, then its 'Open Command Window Here' menu
item does exactly what I want, because a command window can't 'ChDir
xxx,zip' to a zip-virtual-folder window, and the command window
defaults to the folder in which the zip file resides.

I suppose one solution would be to attach the 'Open Command Window
Here' item to the context menus of everything that can be displayed
in a folder window, but I don't know what the list of 'everything'
includes, or the registry keys that would have to be modified to
include all the possible things. Being able to right click in the
white space of the background of an open explorer window and get a
'Open Command Window Here' context menu item would solve the whole
problem even for empty folders, and not clutter the context menu
lists for all the things that can be displayed in a folder window.

Update:
I thought my old 'Open Command Window Here' came as a Power Toy, but I
don't know its vintage.

My old command prompt here registry entry:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Command Prompt]
@="Open Command Prompt In Folder"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Command Prompt\Command]
@="cmd.exe /k pushd %L"

New Power Toy downloaded June 6, 2008 registry entry:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd]
@="Open Command Window Here"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd\command]
@="cmd.exe /k \"cd %L\""

I think the main difference is that my old menu item uses pushd %L to
navigatge to the path of the folder icon that was right clicked, while
the new power toy uses \"cd %L\" to do the same thing. My old one
shows up as a context menu entry for .ZIP files, but the new power toy
does not show up for .Zip files.

-Paul Randall


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