At 03:25 PM 11/9/2006 -0500, you wrote:
All,
I've just had a Windows users/programmer ask me a question that's new to me.
Apparently in Windows if you have a command prompt the file extension associations work.
Typically you have to use the CMD shell built-in "start" but I noticed that in XP the shell consults the file "associations" in the registry and starts the associated "open" action. Note that for this to work you have to specify the file and type. typing zapotec will not work, if zapotec is a bitmap image, but typing zapotec.bmp will. Other examples: start localtext.html start somefile.txt even this works: start . That last one opens an explorer window at the cwd. START ["title"] [/Dpath] [/I] [/MIN] [/MAX] [/SEPARATE | /SHARED] [/LOW | /NORMAL | /HIGH | /REALTIME | /ABOVENORMAL | /BELOWNORMAL] [/WAIT] [/B] [command/program] [parameters] "title" Title to display in window title bar. path Starting directory B Start application without creating a new window. The application has ^C handling ignored. Unless the application enables ^C processing, ^Break is the only way to interrupt the application I The new environment will be the original environment passed to the cmd.exe and not the current environment. MIN Start window minimized MAX Start window maximized SEPARATE Start 16-bit Windows program in separate memory space SHARED Start 16-bit Windows program in shared memory space LOW Start application in the IDLE priority class NORMAL Start application in the NORMAL priority class HIGH Start application in the HIGH priority class REALTIME Start application in the REALTIME priority class ABOVENORMAL Start application in the ABOVENORMAL priority class BELOWNORMAL Start application in the BELOWNORMAL priority class WAIT Start application and wait for it to terminate command/program If it is an internal cmd command or a batch file then the command processor is run with the /K switch to cmd.exe. This means that the window will remain after the command has been run. If it is not an internal cmd command or batch file then it is a program and will run as either a windowed application or a console application. parameters These are the parameters passed to the command/program [Philosophy] Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. --Olivier --... ...-- -.. . -. ----. --.- --.- -... tpeters@nospam.mixcom.com (remove "nospam") N9QQB (amateur radio) "HEY YOU" (loud shouting) WEB ADDRESS http//www.mixweb.com/tpeters 43° 7' 17.2" N by 88° 6' 28.9" W, Elevation 815', Grid Square EN53wc WAN/LAN/Telcom Analyst, Tech Writer, MCP, CCNA, Registered Linux User 385531