Creating Shortcut by IShellLink

[FastCode2010]

Hii

I need a help how to create shortcut in c++ by using the IShellLink method .
I try to make one like this
http://www.intelliproject.net/articl...ortcut_cpp_com
but It gives many errors using Dev C++ compiler.
I dont know what files shall I include.

Can someone help me by provding small example .

Thanks in advance

[VictorN]

Could this article help you?

[Igor Vartanov]

Well, both articles are almost twins. So I belive the key point is

but It gives many errors

most likely than

using Dev C++ compiler.

And the suggestion is to focus on the errors first. What about them?

[FastCode2010]

The code is
-----------------------------
#include <windows.h>
#include <shobjidl.h>
#include <shlguid.h>
BOOL CreateShortCut(CString file , CString shortCut)
{
IShellLink* pISL;
IPersistFile* pIPF;
HRESULT hr;
hr = CoCreateInstance(CLSID_ShellLink,NULL,CLSCTX_INPROC_SERVER,IID_IShellLink,(void**)&pISL);
if(!SUCCEEDED(hr))
{
return FALSE;
}
else
{
hr = pISL->SetPath(file);
if(!SUCCEEDED(hr))
{
return FALSE;
}
else
{
hr = pISL->QueryInterface(IID_IPersistFile,(void**)&pIPF);
if(SUCCEEDED(hr))
{
hr = pIPF->Save(CA2W(shortCut),FALSE);
pIPF->Release();
}
else
{
return FALSE;
}
}
pISL->Release();
}
return TRUE;
}
int main()
{
CoInitialize ( NULL );
CreateShortCut("C:\\Test.exe", "C:\\Test.lnk");
}
-----------------------------------


The errors by Dev C++

------------------------

4: error: `CString' was not declared in this scope
4: error: `CString' was not declared in this scope
5: error: initializer expression list treated as compound expression
5: error: expected `,' or `;' before '{' token
In function `int main()':
41: error: `CreateShortCut' cannot be used as a function

Execution terminated

[carl666]

Instead of copying wrong and newbie code, simply copy-paste the official MSDN sample on IShellLink + IPersistFile...

[Igor Vartanov]

The errors by Dev C++

------------------------

4: error: `CString' was not declared in this scope
4: error: `CString' was not declared in this scope
5: error: initializer expression list treated as compound expression
5: error: expected `,' or `;' before '{' token
In function `int main()':
41: error: `CreateShortCut' cannot be used as a function

Execution terminated

Well, as I can see the problem is CString only (all further ones are caused by that), and it has nothing to do with shell link. You have to provide an implementation of CString class, or otherwise go with some other string implementation.

#include <comdef.h> // for _bstr_t
BOOL CreateShortCut(LPCTSTR file , LPCTSTR shortCut)
. . .
hr = pIPF->Save(_bstr_t(shortCut),FALSE); 
. . .

[FastCode2010]

Igor ....Thanks it working good now but by Visual studio .
using Dev c++ required
#include <comdef.h> // for _bstr_t
which required some more headers file .

....any suggestion how can I use someting else than _bstr_t to make it work on Dev
( I need Dev becuse my whole app compiled by Dev)

[Igor Vartanov]

In fact, the point is to provide OLESTR string (which is just a WCHAR string). So this would do:

WCHAR wshortcut[MAX_PATH] = {0};
mbstowcs(wshortcut, shortCut, MAX_PATH); // you need this only if your original string is MBCS one
hr = pIPF->Save(wshortcut,FALSE);

[FastCode2010]

Thanks Igor ...it is working perfect

[rajanisk]

I want to delete the shortcut thus created. How do I do it?

[carl666]

I want to delete the shortcut thus created. How do I do it?

Like for a file...

[strawbinator]

IShellLink::SetPath() seems to jerk with the slashes and quotes that are passed in. I need to have something like

c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /C "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Is Killing Me\ForReal.bat"

in the shortcut target. This exact string above works if I use the GUI and type it into the Target field on the shortcut properties. However, SetPath() adds a leading and trailing quotation mark and changes the forward slash to a backslash.

Is there a way to use the IShellLink interface and specify *exactly* what is used for the target string?

[hoxsiew]

Well both the double quote character and the backslash character are special characters in C/C++ so you have to "escape" them with a backslash:

  "c:\\windows\\system32\\cmd.exe /C \"C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Is Killing Me\\ForReal.bat\""

[strawbinator]

Please read my original post more carefully. My problem is not with the escaping of the quotes or backslash.

My problem is

#1 - IShellLink::SetPath() changes a *forward slash* to a backslash. This is the "/C" following the "cmd.exe" in my string. You don't need to escape forward slashes in C++ strings

#2 - Having the quotes put at the beginning and end of my string makes the shortcut not work. What I want to be the target is

c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /C "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Whatever\something.bat"

But what IShellLink::SetPath makes it is

"c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe \C "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Whatever\something.bat""

The foward slash to backslash issue is not as big of a deal as the quote issue. If I want to call out cmd.exe followed by a path with spaces in it, it's not possible with IShellLink::SetPath().

[Igor Vartanov]

You evidently failed to read documentation carefully. SetPath is intended for path specification only. And SetArguments does the trick in its turn.