Windows Interface Consistency

Use the Windows Registry

You should register the following items in the Windows registry:
  • Associations between your document (or data file) types and the applications (executable files) needed to view and modify their contents

    If your software does not do this, the system prompts the user to select an application to open data files of that type.

  • The icons to be displayed by the system for your application and data types

    The user can choose to view objects, such as in My Computer, with large icons or small icons. As a result, your software should provide both large (32-by-32 pixel) and small (16-by-16 pixel) versions. The system can generate icons for you, but in most cases you will want to create your own.

  • OLE verbs

    Verbs are the actions (such as Edit , Open , or Play ) that a user can perform on an object. This means that you should include data-specific commands for an application's document types. If the application plays sounds, "Play" should be registered for sound objects. These verbs are displayed in the contextual menu of the object (the menu that is displayed when a user clicks the right mouse button on the object).

  • Support the Print To command so users can transfer objects to printers via drag-and-drop

    Add user-specific information to the registry under the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key, and add nonuser-specific information to the registry under the HKEY_CURRENT_MACHINE key. These registry entries should contain the information that was previously placed in a Windows 3.1 .INI file. If you are porting older applications to the new Windows platform, you can eliminate .INI files and use the registry for the information instead.



Microsoft Windows Architecture Training
Microsoft Windows Architecture for Developers Training Kit
ISBN: B00007FY9D
EAN: N/A
Year: 1998
Pages: 324

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