HOWTO: Add an Object to the New Object List

• Microsoft Windows 95

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, you should first make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat). Both are hidden files in the Windows folder.

SUMMARY

This article describes how to add an object to the list of objects that appears when you click the File menu in Windows Explorer and then point to New, or when you point to New on a context menu.

MORE INFORMATION

A context menu is displayed when you use the right mouse button to click an object in Windows 95. For example, if you use the right mouse button to click the desktop, a menu is displayed that contains several commands. You can choose one of these commands by clicking the command on the context menu.

One of the commands on the context menu that appears when you use the right mouse button to click the desktop is the New command. This command appears on many other context menus, and also on the File menu in Windows Explorer. If you point to the New command on one of these menus, a list of objects appears. You can create a new object by clicking one of the objects on this list.

To add an object to the list of objects, follow these steps:

1. Start the program that is used to create the type of object you want to add to the object list, and then save a blank or empty object in the Windows\Shellnew folder. For example, if you want to add Microsoft Word for Windows documents to the object list, start Word for Windows, and then save an empty Word for Windows document in the Windows\Shellnew folder.

   NOTE: The Windows\Shellnew folder already contains some objects that are created by commonly used programs. For example, the Winword.doc file found in the Windows\Shellnew folder is a blank Word for Windows document. If the type of object that you want to add to the object list is already in the Windows\Shellnew folder, you can skip step 1 and proceed to step 2.

2. NOTE: For information about how to edit the registry, view the Changing Keys And Values online Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe). Note that you should make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat) before you edit the registry.

   WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows 95. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

   Create a new registry key called "Shellnew" (without quotation marks) under the following registry key

         Hkey_Classes_Root\<.ext>
   

   where <.ext> is the default file extension used for the type of object you want to add to the object list. For example, if you want to add Word for Windows documents to the object list, add a new registry key called "Shellnew" under the following registry key:

         Hkey_Classes_Root\.doc
   

3. Create a new string value called "Filename" (without quotation marks) under the registry key that you created in step 3.

4. Modify the Filename registry value that you created in step 4 so that it is assigned the following value

         c:\<windows>\shellnew\<object>
   

   where <windows> is the Windows folder, and <object> is the blank or empty object that you saved to the Windows\Shellnew folder in step 1.