Properties

Shell supports the following properties classes:

Please also see the full index of available properties below.

Index

Syntax

Entry types

In the following tables, the Types column shows to which entry types the property applies to.

The following abbreviations are used (if set in bold, then the property is mandatory for the given type):

mi
modify item, i.e. the item entry itself. Is basically required to evaluate if the process instructions are applied to any given target.
mt
modify target, i.e. the menuitem of the existing menu to which the process instructions are applied
nm
new menu type
ni
new item type
ns
new separator type.
Validation Properties

Determine if a given Modify items or New items entry should be processed when a context menu is displayed.




Syntax
Property Types(*) Summary
Where mi, nm, ni, ns Process given menuitem if true is returned. Allows the evaluation of arbitrary expressions, e.g. if().
Default = true
Mode mi, nm, ni, ns Display menuitem by type of selection. The value has one of the following parameters (of type string):
none Display menuitem when there is no selection.
single Display menuitem when there is a single object selected.
multi_unique Display menuitem when multiple objects of the same type are selected.
multi_single Display menuitem when multiple files with a single file extension are selected.
multiple Display any type of selection, unless there is none.
Default = single
Type mi, nm, ni, ns Specifies the types of objects for which the menuitem will be displayed.
Possible values are shown below. Separate multiple types with the pipe character (|), in which case the menuitem is displayed if any of the given types is matched.
To exclude a given type, prefix its value with the tilde character (~).

Expressions are not supported with this property.

* Display menuitem when any type is selected.
File Display menuitem when files are selected.
Directory(Dir) Display menuitem when directories are selected.
Drive Display menuitem when drives are selected.
USB Display menuitem when USB flash-drives are selected.
DVD Display menuitem when DVD-ROM drives are selected.
Fixed Display menuitem when fixed drives are selected. Such drives have a fixed media; for example, a hard disk drive or flash drive.
VHD Display menuitem when Virtual Hard Disks are selected.
Removable Display menuitem when the selected drives have removable media; for example, a floppy drive, thumb drive, or flash card reader.
Remote Display menuitem when the selected remote (network) drives are selected.
Back Display menuitem when the background of all types are selected (back). Or specify one of the following more granular types for the background:
  • back.directory
  • back.drive, including
    • back.fixed
    • back.usb
    • back.dvd
    • back.vhd
    • back.Removable
  • back.namespace, including
    • back.computer
    • back.recyclebin
Desktop Display menuitem when the Desktop is selected.
Namespace Display menuitem when Namespaces are selected. Can be virtual objects such as My Network Places and Recycle Bin.
Computer Display menuitem when My Computer is selected.
Recyclebin Display menuitem when the Recycle bin is selected.
Taskbar Display menuitem when the Taskbar is selected.
Default = Accepts all types, except for the Taskbar.
Filter Properties

For Modify items entries only, filter properties determine if a given menuitem is a valid target for the process instructions

Syntax
Property Types(*) Summary
Find nm, ni, ns
For modify items (required)
Apply the current item's process instructions to any existing menuitem if their title property matches the pattern of the current item's find property.
For dynamic items (optional)

Display the current menuitem if the pattern of its find property matches the path name or path extension of the selected files.

Default = null, which means any string is "matched".

Syntax
find = '%pattern%'
find = '%pattern%|%pattern%[...]'

where %pattern% can be one or more matching instructions (see Examples below). The following characters do have special meaning:

  • | Use to separate patterns. If any one pattern matches, the property yields true.
  • * Matches any number of characters. Is used as a wildcard to match only the beginning or the end of the entire string (or word, if used in combination with the exclamation mark !).
  • ! Negates the match of the current pattern, or limits the wildcard (*) to one word only.
  • "" the enclosed string is treated as a word.

A word is a sequence of alphanumerical characters that is confined to the left and to the right by either a space , a non-word character (e.g. / or -), or the beginning or the end of the entire string, respectively.

Examples
Pattern Matches any string that ... Would match Would not match
'foo' contains the literal string foo anywhere. foo, foobar, afoobar fo, f oo, bar
'"foo"' contains the literal string foo as a whole word only. foo, foo/bar, some foo bar foobar, foofoo, bar
'*foo' ends with the literal string foo. foo, barfoo, bar/foo foobar, fooo, foo
'foo*' starts with the literal string foo. foo, foobar, foo/bar foobar, fo, yeti
'!foo' does not contain the literal string foo anywhere. fobar, fo, kung-fu foo, foobar, barfoo/bar
'!"foo"' does not contain the word foo fobar, kung fu bar, foobar foo, kung foo bar, bar/foo/bar
'!*foo' does not contain a word ending on foo foobar, fooo-fo foo, foo bar, bar/foo
'foo*!' does not contain a word starting with foo myFooBar, barFoo foo, foobar, fo-fooo


For dynamic items the following syntax allows to match against file extensions:
Pattern Matches any file extension ... Would match Would not match
'.exe' equal to .exe setup.exe, notepad.exe install.bat, shell.nss, shell.ex_, file without an extension.
'!.exe' not equal to .exe setup.exe.zip, video.mp4, shell.ex_, file without an extension. setup.exe, shell.exe
'.exe|.dll' equal to either .exe or .dll shell.exe, shell.dll shell.zip, shell.nss, file without an extension.
In mi Specifies the existing submenu where the modify target is located.
Syntax
in = "New"
in = "Sort By"
Menuitem Properties

This set of properties describe the appearance and location of a given menuitem. For modify-items, this is the target menuitem. For dynamic entries, this is the newly created menuitem.

Appearance
Location
Syntax
Property Types(*) Summary
Title st, nm, ni

Sets the caption of the menuitem.

For modify-items (optional)

Default = null, which means the title of the target is not changed.

For dynamic items (required)

It is mandatory for menu and item entries, unless a image property is defined.
Visibility (vis) st, nm, ni, ns Sets the visibility of a menuitem. Can have one of the following parameters:
Hidden Hide the menuitem.
Normal Enable the menuitem.
Disable Disable the menuitem.
Static Display menuitem as label, with or without an image
Label Display menuitem as label without an image
Note: The values Static and Label are not available for modify-items.
Default = Normal
Separator (sep) st, nm, ni Add a separator to the menuitem:
None Not adding a separator with the menuitem.
Before, Top Add a separator before the menuitem.
After, Bottom Add a separator after the menuitem.
Both Add a separator before and after the menuitem.
Default = none
Position (pos) st, nm, ni, ns The position at which a menuitem should be inserted into the menu.
Position can have one of the following parameters:
Auto Insert the menuitem to the current position.
Middle Insert the menuitem to the middle of the menu.
Top Insert the menuitem to the top of the menu.
Bottom Insert the menuitem to the bottom of the menu.
Integer Insert the menuitem to a specified position.
Default = auto
Image, Icon st, nm, ni The icon that appears in a menuitem. This property can be assigned as image files, resource icons, glyph or color. With one of the following parameters
null Show menuitem without icon.
Inherit @*Inheriting the image from the parent.*@ Inherits this property from its parent item.
Cmd Assign image from the command property.
Glyph Assign image as Glyph.
Color Assign image as color.
Path Assign image from location path or resource icon.
Note:The value Cmd is not available for modify-items targets.
Default = null
Parent, Menu st, nm, ni, ns

Move current menuitem to another menu.

Default = null
Checked st, ni Type of select option:
0 Not checked
1 Display as check mark.
2 Display as radio bullet.
Default = 0
Default st, ni

Specifies that the item is the default. A menu can contain only one default menuitem, which is displayed in bold.

Default = false
Expanded nm

Move all immediate menuitems to the parent menu.

Default = false
Column(col) nm, ni

Create a new column.

Default = true
Keys st, nm, ni

Show keyboard shortcuts.

Default = null
Tip st, nm, ni

Show a tooltip for the current menu or item.

Default = null
Syntax
tip = "Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text."
tip = ["Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text.", tip.info]
tip = ["Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text.", tip.info, 1.2]
Command Properties

This set of properties describe how a command is executed. Only available for dynamic items.

Syntax
Property Types(*) Summary
Command (cmd) ni

The command associated with the menuitem. Occurs when the menuitem is clicked or selected using a shortcut key or access key defined for the menuitem.

Default = null
Arguments (arg, args) ni

The command line parameters to pass to the command property of a menuitem.

Default = null
Invoke ni Set execution type
0, single execute the command only once in total. The list of selected items can be accessed with @sel
1, multiple execute the command once for every single item in the current selection. The currently processed item can be accessed with e.g @sel.path.quote
Default = 0
Window ni Controls how the window of the executed command is to be shown. Can be one of the following parameters:

Hidden, Show, Visible, Minimized, Maximized

Default = show
Directory (dir) ni

Specifies the working directory to execute the command in.

Default = null
Admin ni

Execute the command with administrative permissions.

Default = false
Verb ni Specifies the default operation for the selected file. Value type string and can have one of the following parameters:
null Specifies that the operation is the default for the selected file type.
Open Opens a file or an application.
OpenAs Opener dialog when no program is associated to the extension.
RunAs In Windows 7 and Vista, opens the UAC dialog andin others, open the Run as... Dialog.
Edit Opens the default text editor for the file.
Explore Opens the Windows Explorer in the folder specified in Directory.
Properties Opens the properties window of the file.
Print Start printing the file with the default application.
Find Start a search.
Default = open
Wait ni

Wait for the command to complete.

Default = false