How to use Shell32 within a C# application?

Question

What should I include within a C# application in order to make Shell32 work?

Edit:

My application can\'t recognize shell32. What references

Answer 1

1. Right click your project in the solution explorer.
2. Choose "Add Reference..." from the drop-down menu.
3. Click the "Browse" tab.
4. Navigate to the C:\Windows\System32 directory.
5. Choose the "shell32.dll" file. and press the "OK" button.

You now have the appropriate reference for using Shell32.Shell.

Answer 2

maybe this can help:

1. Right click project
2. Click Add reference
3. Click .COM tab in Add reference dialogue
4. Select Microsoft Shell Controls and Automation
5. Click OK

your shell32 is ready to use...

Answer 3

I know this thread is old, but I post this for anyone having the same problem as I did. The solution above does not compile under windows 8

Shell32.Shell shell = new Shell32.Shell(); <= this doesn't work with windows 8

Use the work around below if you want your apps to run under windows 8.

using Shell32;

private Shell32.Folder GetShell32Folder(string folderPath)
{
    Type shellAppType = Type.GetTypeFromProgID("Shell.Application");
    Object shell = Activator.CreateInstance(shellAppType);
    return (Shell32.Folder)shellAppType.InvokeMember("NameSpace",
    System.Reflection.BindingFlags.InvokeMethod, null, shell, new object[] { folderPath });
}

Answer 4

Add to your project a reference to the COM library Microsoft Shell Controls and Automation. Additionally, ensure that the code using Shell32.Shell is running in a single threaded apartment, e.g. by adding the [STAThread] attribute to Main.

Answer 5

The class shown below should help with some of the methods of shell32 in C# . you should add the reference of "Microsoft Shell command and automation" with the reference window by righting clicking the project .

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

    namespace MusicMuttPrototype
    {
        public class clsShellFileInfo
        {
            public Exception errorException;
            public enum FileDetailInfo
            {
                Name = 0,
                Year = 15,
                Size = 1,
                Track_Number = 19,
                Type = 2,
                Genre = 20,
                Date_Modified = 3,
                Duration = 27,
                Date_Created = 4,
                Bit_Rate = 28,
                Date_Accessed = 5,
                Protected = 23,
                Attributes = 6,
                Camera_Model = 24,
                Status = 7,
                Date_Picture_Taken = 25,
                Owner = 8,
                Dimensions = 26,
                Author = 9,
                Not_used = 27,
                Title = 10,
                Not_used_file = 28,
                Subject = 11,
                //Not_used = 29,
                Category = 12,
                Company = 30,
                Pages = 13,
                Description = 31,
                Comments = 14,
                File_Version = 32,
                Copyright = 15,
                Product_Name_Chapter = 33,
                //Scripting Quicktest Profess11ional Page 63 
                Artist = 16,
                Product_Version = 34,
                Album_Title = 17,
                Retrieves_the_info_tip_inf = -1
            }

            public string getFileDetails(string fileFolder, string filePath, FileDetailInfo infotype)
            {
                string strReturnval = "";
                try
                {
                    Shell32.Shell fileshell = new Shell32.Shell();
                    Shell32.Folder fileshellfolder = fileshell.NameSpace(fileFolder);
                    Shell32.FolderItem Item = fileshellfolder.ParseName(filePath);
                    strReturnval = fileshellfolder.GetDetailsOf(Item, (int)infotype);
                }
                catch (Exception ex)
                {

                    errorException = ex;
                }
                return strReturnval;
            }


        }
    }

Answer 6

If you don't need the full set of API calls, you maybe better off creating a COM import stub class. See how Mike Ward who wrote Desk Drive did it.

http://mike-ward.net/2008/09/02/a-lean-method-for-invoking-com-in-c/ https://github.com/mike-ward/DeskDrive/blob/master/src/DeskDrive/Shell32.cs