How to create shortcuts?

Reid Roman <rkroman@pacbell.net>

Borland Tech Doc #3234

This sample project demonstrates an easy way to add shortcuts to your Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 desktop or start menu.

1. Launch Delphi 3.

2. 2. In a new project, drop a TButton on the form (make sure it's called Button1). Then double click on Button1. Now you can go ahead and directly replace the code for Unit1 with the code for Unit1 below.

The program will set up a shortcut either (see the code) on the desktop or on the start menu. The shortcut will be called FooBar and it will open up your AUTOEXEC.BAT in NOTEPAD when executed.

It will read the value of the "Desktop" and "Start Menu" strings from the registry key named (under HKEY_CURRENT_USER):

Software\MicroSoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders

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The Unit1 unit

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unit Unit1;

interface

uses

Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms,

Dialogs, StdCtrls;

type

TForm1 = class(TForm)

Button1: TButton;

procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject);

private

{ Private declarations }

public

{ Public declarations }

end;

var

Form1: TForm1;

implementation

{$R *.DFM}

uses

ShlObj, ActiveX, ComObj, Registry;

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);

var

MyObject : IUnknown;

MySLink : IShellLink;

MyPFile : IPersistFile;

FileName : String;

Directory : String;

WFileName : WideString;

MyReg : TRegIniFile;

begin

MyObject := CreateComObject(CLSID_ShellLink);

MySLink := MyObject as IShellLink;

MyPFile := MyObject as IPersistFile;

FileName := 'NOTEPAD.EXE';

with MySLink do begin

SetArguments('C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT');

SetPath(PChar(FileName));

SetWorkingDirectory(PChar(ExtractFilePath(FileName)));

end;

MyReg := TRegIniFile.Create(

'Software\MicroSoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer');

// Use the next line of code to put the shortcut on your desktop

Directory := MyReg.ReadString('Shell Folders','Desktop','');

// Use the next three lines to put the shortcut on your start menu

// Directory := MyReg.ReadString('Shell Folders','Start Menu','')+

// '\Whoa!';

// CreateDir(Directory);

WFileName := Directory+'\FooBar.lnk';

MyPFile.Save(PWChar(WFileName),False);

MyReg.Free;

end;

end.