The advent of file system links in Windows Vista and up has made shell link folders less useful. This technique is used by Microsoft Windows for items like WebDAV folders. When viewed in Explorer, the shell link folder then appears to have the contents of the target folder in it-that is, the customized folder becomes the effective shortcut. Shortcuts with AppUserModelIDs are used by some desktop programs and all WinRT Modern/Universal Windows Platform apps for launching.Īlthough Windows does not provide convenient tools to create it, Explorer supports a "folder link" or "shell link folder": a folder with the system attribute set, containing a hidden "desktop.ini" (folder customization) file which tells Explorer to look in that same folder for a "target.lnk" shortcut file pointing to another folder. Instead of the target command line, AppUserModelIDs may directly be used to launch applications. īeginning with Windows 7, some shortcuts also store Application User Model IDs (AppUserModelIDs). Windows shortcuts are files and work independently of the file system, through Explorer. They serve a similar function, although they are a feature of the file system. įile system links can also be created on Windows systems (Vista and up). If the latter parameter is not entered, attempting to use the shortcut for some programs may generate "missing DLL" errors not present when the application is accessed directly. Generally, the effect of double-clicking a shortcut is intended to be the same as double-clicking the application or document to which it refers, but Windows shortcuts contain separate properties for the target file and the "Start In" directory. In Windows 2000 onwards, file shortcuts can store comments which are displayed as a tooltip when the mouse hovers over the shortcut. A hotkey can be defined in the shortcut's properties for shortcuts that are located in the Start Menu folders, pinned to the Taskbar or the Desktop. Windows Installer, introduced in Windows 2000, added another special type of shortcuts called "Advertised Shortcuts."įile shortcuts in Windows can store a working directory path besides the target path. On Windows NT-based operating systems and the NTFS file system, the target object's unique identifier is stored in the shortcut file and Windows can use the Distributed Link Tracking service for tracking the targets of shortcuts, so that the shortcut may be silently updated if the target moves to another hard drive. Windows 9x-based versions of Windows use a simple search algorithm to fix broken shortcuts. When a shortcut file that points to a nonexistent target is opened, Explorer will attempt to repair the shortcut. These files also begin with "L".Īlthough shortcuts, when created, point to specific files or folders, they may break if the target is moved to another location. lnk files cannot be used in place of the file except in Windows Explorer, and have other uses in Windows Explorer in addition to use as a shortcut to a local file (or GUID). lnk files operate as Windows Explorer extensions, rather than file system extensions. The IsShortcut option causes the arrow to be displayed.) Shortcut files can be used to launch programs in minimized or maximized window states if the program supports it. (The extension remains hidden in Windows Explorer even when "Hide extensions for known file types" is unchecked in File Type options, because it is controlled by the NeverShowExt option in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile in the Registry. Commonly referred to as "shortcuts" or "link files", both are displayed with a curled arrow overlay icon by default, and no filename extension. URL for shortcuts to remote files, like web pages. lnk as the filename extension for shortcuts to local files, and. Implementations Microsoft Windows lnk Filename extensionįile shortcuts (also known as shell links) were introduced in Windows 95. desktop files which provide additional configuration details. Unix-like systems have symbolic links which point to a target file, and often support. The functional equivalent in the Macintosh operating system is called an alias. Shortcuts are very commonly placed on a desktop, in an application launcher panel such as the Microsoft Windows Start menu, or in the main menu of a desktop environment. The shortcut might additionally specify parameters to be passed to the target program when it is run. Shortcuts are typically implemented as a small file containing a target URI or GUID to an object, or the name of a target program file that the shortcut represents. Similarly, an Internet shortcut allows the user to open a page, file or resource located at a remote Internet location or Web site. In computing, a file shortcut is a handle in a user interface that allows the user to find a file or resource located in a different directory or folder from the place where the shortcut is located.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |