HOWTO: Debug a Windows Shell Extension
ID: Q138942
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The information in this article applies to:
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The Development Environment, included with:
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Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Editions, versions 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 5.0, 6.0
SUMMARY
To debug a Windows Shell Extension using Microsoft Visual C++, you must
specify the Windows shell as the "Executable For Debug Session" in Project
Settings (Build Settings if using Microsoft Developer Studio 4.0), and re-
start it by using the Visual C++ debugger.
MORE INFORMATIONSteps to Debug a Windows Shell Extension
- Bring the Shell Extension up in the Visual C++ environment, and set the
shell as the "Executable For Debug Session." To specify the shell, click
the Debug tab after clicking Build Settings in the Project menu, and
enter <path to explorer>\Explorer.exe.
- On the Start menu on the Windows Taskbar, click Shut Down. While holding
down the CTRL+ALT+SHIFT key combination, click the No button in the Shut
Down Windows dialog box. This will terminate the shell.
NOTE: this only shuts down the shell. Any other applications that are
running will continue to run after the shell exits.
- Start the Visual C++ debugger, and debug the Shell Extension.
It may seem confusing when you start the Explorer under the debugger, and
you don't see what you might normally think of as the Explorer. This is due
to the fact that the Taskbar and Start button are part of the Explorer
program. To debug a Context Menu for a file, once the Explorer is running
under the debugger, it will still be necessary to start an instance of the
Windows Explorer from the Start menu.
Windows 95 NOTE: Once you finish debugging, double-click anywhere on the
desktop to restart the shell. This will bring up a Task dialog box. On the
File menu, click Run, and then enter the path to Explorer.exe. Explorer.exe
and "the shell" are the same thing.
Windows NT 4.0 NOTE: Once you finish debugging, press CTRL+ALT+DEL to bring
up the Windows NT task manager. On the File menu, click New Task (Run...),
and then enter the path to Explorer.exe.
REFERENCES
Visual C++ 4.0 Books Online - Extending the Windows 95 Shell.
Additional query words:
Keywords : kbDebug kbide kbVC200 kbVC210 kbVC220 kbVC400 kbVC410 kbVC420 kbVC500 kbVC600
Version : WINNT:2.0,2.1,2.2,4.0,4.1,4.2,5.0;
Platform : NT WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto
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