Creating sub context menu items in the registry

Question

I need my app to create right-click context menu items (and sub-menu items). I'm not concerned with the code - but I don't know how to make sub-menu items in the registry. It's not as logical as one would expect.

I've searched countless times already and have officially given up searching for now.

I know that we can create a context menu item using regedit.exe by going to the shell key and adding a new one but how do I create sub menu items like 7zip for example?

BendEg · Accepted Answer · 2015-11-17 22:00:07Z

4

Take a look at this Code-Project article: Add a context menu to the Windows Explorer. It seems to be very easy by using the Registry class provided by the .net framework.

Some more advanced/better solution seems to be using some library such as: SharpShell

EDIT

Please take a look at: .NET Shell Extensions - Adding submenus to Shell .

Ths part should solve your problem:

// <summary>
// Creates the context menu when the selected item is a folder.
// </summary>
protected void MenuDirectory()
{
    ToolStripMenuItem MainMenu;
    MainMenu = new ToolStripMenuItem
    {
        Text = "MenuDirectory",
        Image = Properties.Resources.Folder_icon
    };

            ToolStripMenuItem SubMenu1;
            SubMenu1 = new ToolStripMenuItem
            {
                Text = "DirSubMenu1",
                Image = Properties.Resources.Folder_icon
            };

            var SubMenu2 = new ToolStripMenuItem
            {
                Text = "DirSubMenu2",
                Image = Properties.Resources.Folder_icon
            };
            SubMenu2.DropDownItems.Clear();
            SubMenu2.Click += (sender, args) => ShowItemName();

                    var SubSubMenu1 = new ToolStripMenuItem
                    {
                        Text = "DirSubSubMenu1",
                        Image = Properties.Resources.Folder_icon
                    };
                    SubSubMenu1.Click += (sender, args) => ShowItemName();

    // Let's attach the submenus to the main menu
    SubMenu1.DropDownItems.Add(SubSubMenu1);
    MainMenu.DropDownItems.Add(SubMenu1);
    MainMenu.DropDownItems.Add(SubMenu2);

    menu.Items.Clear();
    menu.Items.Add(MainMenu);
}

edited Nov 17, 2015 at 22:00

answered Nov 17, 2015 at 21:34

BendEg

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2 Comments

username Over a year ago

Thanks, but neither of those articles address the issues in my question. I already know how to create context menu items. I just don't know how to create sub menu items.

BendEg Over a year ago

@popshuvit added some more. Thank you for that hint :)

Sándor Krisztián · Accepted Answer · 2020-12-19 15:26:33Z

You have to create a command folder for example Archive, with two commands: A and B.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Archive]
"MUIVerb"="Archive"
"SubCommands"="Windows.A;Windows.B"

The * in key means this menu shows up at right click on any file. If you want it only at the *.7z files, use HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.7z\shell\Archive. The value of MUIVerb will be the name of menu item. If you named the MUIVerb to 7-Zip, the right click menu will contains two 7-Zip items.

Then create the commands there:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Windows.A]
"MUIVerb"="Command name of A"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Windows.A\command]
@="notepad.exe \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Windows.B]
"MUIVerb"="Command name of B"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Windows.B\command]
@="notepad.exe \"%1\""

In this example, you get an Archive menuitem, with cascaded two command, whats open the current file with notepad. It works with Windows 7 and newer.

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