Windows 7 taskbar API problems
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From: C. Kevin Provance on 30 Apr 2010 14:38 : The problem is, these "APIs" are really some pretty heavy-duty COM, : which is an area I'm not particularly strong in. It's going to take : someone who's very well versed in that to define all the type libraries : needed to do this. Yeah, but you know someone who is, more or less. <eg> All I've seen so far are .Nxt related libraries, so I havn't looked at them, well...at all. But if you have docs or info related to API or COM interfaces, send it this way. Maybe we can come up with something.
From: Tony Toews [MVP] on 30 Apr 2010 14:53 "Larry Serflaten" <serflaten(a)usinternet.com> wrote: >> The problem is if the user right-clicks on the Access icon on the >> taskbar when the application is running. Then they pin the opened MDE >> file to the taskbar. When they use the pinned application, it >> completely bypasses the StartMDB.exe updating routine. > > >Apparently, your StartMDB.exe file does its thing and launches your >other app(s) on exit. If you don't want the user to launch the app(s) themselves, >why not have the StartMDB pass a command line switch (encryped if it makes >you feel better) such that the other app(s) post a notice and shutdown if the >switch is not present? > >If that is too restrictive, then bounce a command line to StartMDB indicating >what app is requesting to be launched. The app shuts down after launching >StartMDB, where StartMDB is able to do its thing and re-launch the app. > >While it gives the user the appearance of having a pinned shortcut, you still >get your StartMDB called when required.... I was actually thinking pretty much the same thing last night after I posted. I'd have to give the developers some sample code which then can just import into their app to do all this but that would be pretty easy to create and test. Hmm, I'd better double check what gets pinned to the Windows 7 taskbar. Presumably just a shortcut to the file located elsewhere on the users hard drive. Just not as clean a solution as the StartMDB.exe doing all the checking and updating. Tony -- Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP Tony's Main MS Access pages - http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/ For a convenient utility to keep your users FEs and other files updated see http://www.autofeupdater.com/ Granite Fleet Manager http://www.granitefleet.com/
From: Karl E. Peterson on 30 Apr 2010 15:02 C. Kevin Provance wrote: >> The problem is, these "APIs" are really some pretty heavy-duty COM, >> which is an area I'm not particularly strong in. It's going to take >> someone who's very well versed in that to define all the type libraries >> needed to do this. > > Yeah, but you know someone who is, more or less. <eg> > > All I've seen so far are .Nxt related libraries, so I havn't looked at them, > well...at all. But if you have docs or info related to API or COM > interfaces, send it this way. Maybe we can come up with something. I haven't dug at all yet, either. I'll start collecting interface names, and such, as see where we get! :-) -- ..NET: It's About Trust! http://vfred.mvps.org
From: Nobody on 30 Apr 2010 15:13 "Karl E. Peterson" <karl(a)exmvps.org> wrote in message news:OPRd$eJ6KHA.5016(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl... > C. Kevin Provance wrote: >>> The problem is, these "APIs" are really some pretty heavy-duty COM, >>> which is an area I'm not particularly strong in. It's going to take >>> someone who's very well versed in that to define all the type libraries >>> needed to do this. >> >> Yeah, but you know someone who is, more or less. <eg> >> >> All I've seen so far are .Nxt related libraries, so I havn't looked at >> them, well...at all. But if you have docs or info related to API or COM >> interfaces, send it this way. Maybe we can come up with something. > > I haven't dug at all yet, either. I'll start collecting interface names, > and such, as see where we get! :-) Maybe it's not necessary to create a type library. In my XP machine, I can add a reference to "Microsoft Shell Controls And Automation" which points to "C:\WINDOWS\system32\SHELL32.dll". Using Object Browser, I can see COM based shell classes such as ShellLinkObject which is used to manipulate shortcuts. There are other classes, perhaps in Windows 7 more are listed.
From: Tony Toews [MVP] on 30 Apr 2010 16:04
"C. Kevin Provance" <*@*.*> wrote: >MSFT doesn't want you messing with the pinning feature. This is by design. Like hooking the UAC, it can't be done, and this is a good thing. MSFT's reason? They gave us the Quickmenu bar and every developer and their mom abused it, pinning their app there, and every conceivable place on the start menu. Do you mean the QuickLaunch bar? Or the vertical bar when you click on the Start button in Windows XP? Or both? If so yes I've seen both abused. >Well, no more. > >In short, what you want to do cannot be done. It's left completely up to the user what they want there, and that's the way it should be. Best you could do is come up with a manual work around for your situation and post the fix instructions on your site. <sigh> Well, I probably do have a work around as Larry has suggested. Probably a lot less work too but not as clean and tidy. A bit more work for the developers using my utility but it could be setup as simple as importing some code into thier Access app. Thanks, Tony -- Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP Tony's Main MS Access pages - http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/ For a convenient utility to keep your users FEs and other files updated see http://www.autofeupdater.com/ Granite Fleet Manager http://www.granitefleet.com/ |