Shell extensions in c++, step by step

Writing shell extensions is one of those programming tasks in which C++ (with the help of a library like ATL) excels – an MSFT explained here why it is better to avoid .NET for writing shell extensions.

Michael Dunn (a former Visual C++ MVP) wrote a very interesting series of tutorials on CodeProject on developing shell extensions, they are worth listing and sharing:

1. A step-by-step tutorial on writing shell extensions.
2. A tutorial on writing a shell extension that operates on multiple files at once.
3. A tutorial on writing a shell extension that shows pop-up info for files.
4. A tutorial on writing a shell extension that provides custom drag and drop functionality.
5. A tutorial on writing a shell extension that adds pages to the properties dialog of files.
6. A tutorial on writing a shell extension that can be used on the Send To menu.
7. A tutorial on using owner-drawn menus in a context menu shell extensions, and on making a context menu extension that responds to a right-click in a directory background.
8. A tutorial on adding columns to Explorer’s details view via a column handler shell extension.
9. A tutorial on writing an extension to customize the icons displayed for a file type.

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