Filelink: what changed

Revision 0 to 1. Removed lines have a minus sign; added lines have a plus sign.

Title: Filelink

New		Line
1	+	This tutorial is about Windows programming. This tutorial shows how to create a file link (shortcut) under Windows.
2	+
3	+	The following units are required:
4	+
5	+	``` pascal
6	+	uses
7	+	Registry, ActiveX, ComObj, ShlObj, SysUtils;
8	+	```
9	+
10	+	An enumeration is used to tell the function where the link should be saved.
11	+
12	+	Depending on where the function is called, this list must be declared either in the [[Interface\|interface]] or in the [[Implementation\|implementation]] section of the [[Unit\|unit]].
13	+
14	+	Definition of the list:
15	+
16	+	``` pascal
17	+	Type
18	+	ShortcutType = (_DESKTOP, _QUICKLAUNCH, _SENDTO, _STARTMENU, _OTHERFOLDER);
19	+	```
20	+
21	+	The function for creating a link (file links) looks like this:
22	+
23	+	``` pascal
24	+	// This function works with the data of the current user
25	+	function funErstelleLink( // Function name
26	+	const strSourceFile : string; // Path and name of the original file
27	+	const enuLocation : ShortcutType; // Where the shortcut should be saved
28	+	const subdirectory : string = ''; // Optional: Alternative path to
29	+	// save the link
30	+	const strWorking directory : string = ''; // Optional: path or directory in the
31	+	// the program should work
32	+	const strParameter : string = ''; // Optional: transfer parameters to the program
33	+	const strDescription : string = ''; // Optional: Description of the shortcut
34	+	const strIconFile : string = ''; // Optional: file that contains the icon
35	+	const intIconNummer : integer = 0 // Optional: The number of the icon in
36	+	// the icon file to use for the shortcut icon
37	+	// (the number of icons starts at 1)
38	+	) : string;
39	+
40	+	const
41	+	SHELL_FOLDERS_ROOT = 'Software\MicroSoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer';
42	+	QUICK_LAUNCH_ROOT = 'Software\MicroSoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\GrpConv';
43	+
44	+	var
45	+	MyObject : IUnknown;
46	+	MySLink : IShellLink;
47	+	MyPFile : IPersistFile;
48	+	Reg : TRegIniFile;
49	+	strDirectory : string = '';
50	+	strLinkName : string = '';
51	+	wstrfilename : WideString = '';
52	+
53	+	begin
54	+
55	+	Result := '';
56	+
57	+	// Creates the objects
58	+	MyObject := CreateComObject(CLSID_ShellLink);
59	+	MySLink := MyObject as IShellLink;
60	+	MyPFile := MyObject as IPersistFile;
61	+
62	+	// Creates the name of the link
63	+	strLinkName := ChangeFileExt(strSourceFile , '.lnk');
64	+	strLinkName := ExtractFileName(strLinkName);
65	+
66	+	// Reads the location from the registry
67	+	if enuLocation = _QUICKLAUNCH then
68	+	begin
69	+	Reg := TRegIniFile.Create(QUICK_LAUNCH_ROOT);
70	+	try
71	+	strDirectory := Reg.ReadString('MapGroups', 'Quick Launch', '');
72	+	finally
73	+	Reg.Free;
74	+	end;
75	+	end
76	+	else
77	+	begin
78	+	Reg := TRegIniFile.Create(SHELL_FOLDERS_ROOT);
79	+	try
80	+	case enuLocation of
81	+	_OTHERFOLDER : strDirectory := strDirectory;
82	+	_DESKTOP : strDirectory := Reg.ReadString('Shell Folders', 'Desktop', '');
83	+	_STARTMENU : strDirectory := Reg.ReadString('Shell Folders', 'Start Menu', '');
84	+	_SENDTO : strDirectory := Reg.ReadString('Shell Folders', 'SendTo', '');
85	+	end ;
86	+	finally
87	+	Reg.Free;
88	+	end;
89	+	end;
90	+
91	+	// If something went wrong, the program ends here
92	+	// a link is not created
93	+	if strDirectory = '' then
94	+	exit;
95	+
96	+	// Passes the appropriate parameters to the objects
97	+	MySLink.SetPath(PChar(strSourceFile)) ;
98	+	MySLink.SetArguments(PChar(strParameter));
99	+	MySLink.SetDescription(PChar(strDescription));
100	+
101	+	// If the information about the icon is plausible, it will be adopted
102	+	// otherwise the default settings are used
103	+	if (strIconFile <> '') and (intIconNumber > 0) then
104	+	MySLink.SetIconLocation(PChar(strIconFile), intIconNumber);
105	+
106	+	// Defines in which directory the link is saved
107	+	if (strSubdirectory <> '') and (enuLocation <> _OTHERFOLDER) then
108	+	wstrFilename := strDirectory + '\' + strSubDirectory + '\' + strLinkName
109	+	else
110	+	wstrFilename := strDirectory + '\' + strLinkName;
111	+
112	+	// Specifies the directory in which the program is executed
113	+	if strWorkingDirectory = '' then
114	+	MySLink.SetWorkingDirectory(PChar(ExtractFilePath(strSourceFile)))
115	+	else
116	+	MySLink.SetWorkingDirectory(PChar(strWorkingDirectory));
117	+
118	+	// Creates the link
119	+	MyPFile.Save(PWideChar(wstrFilename), False);
120	+
121	+	// Returns the path of the link as a return value
122	+	Result := string(wstrfilename);
123	+
124	+	end ;
125	+	```
126	+
127	+	The function can be called as follows.
128	+
129	+	``` pascal
130	+	funErstelleLink (
131	+	'E:\Test\Test.Exe', // Path and name of the original file
132	+	_DESKTOP, // The link should be saved here
133	+	'', // Optional: An alternative path to save the link
134	+	'', // Optional: The working directory of the program
135	+	'', // Optional: transfer parameters to the program
136	+	'This is a test', // Optional: A description of the shortcut
137	+	'E:\Test\Test.Exe', // Optional: A file that contains the alternative icon
138	+	2 // Optional: The icon that should be displayed from the icon file
139	+	// (the counting of the icons starts at 1)
140	+	) ;
141	+	```
142	+
143	+	---
144	+	From the Free Pascal wiki, page "Filelink", as it stood on 2020-08-28 after a change by Trev, out of the wiki's dump of 2024-05-26. Copyright stays with the author who wrote it, according to the old wiki's [[Licensing]] page. If you have concerns about this material, [message the admin](/wiki-contact).

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