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Troubleshooting: Why isn't my property handler getting indexed?

Having trouble getting your property handler working with the indexer? Here are some troubleshooting tips. 1. Verify that your propdesc file(s) are in a global location 2. Verify that you registered your propdesc file(s) using absolute paths 3. Verify Read More...
Posted Tuesday, July 24, 2007 10:31 AM by benkaras | 1 Comments

Property handlers and .NET

A reader asked: I've been reading up the issues with using .NET for property handlers. I know you can't using .NET Interop to create a property handler without getting into issues with the version of the .NET framework. I discovered though that .NET Assemblies Read More...
Posted Wednesday, May 02, 2007 1:06 PM by benkaras | 0 Comments
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Property Handler Decisions and Preparation

Viewed as a data flow component , a property handler has a single file stream input and outputs a one or more properties. Unfortunately, writing one requires making many decisions before you even set eyes on the code. Let's look at a few of these preparations. Read More...
Posted Monday, January 29, 2007 10:47 PM by benkaras | 3 Comments
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Understanding the Role of Property Handlers

Knowing what you are trying to accomplish is the first step to using the property system. Property handlers provide a specific set of services which support specific behaviors in the Windows shell. So let's delve into the role of a property handler and Read More...
Posted Sunday, January 28, 2007 7:26 PM by benkaras | 4 Comments

Property Handler Terminology

In this series, I will be presenting Windows Vista functionality with a focus on the the file system namespace. Feel free to ask questions, especially if you want to know how things work on XP or in other namespaces, since I'll otherwise ignore those Read More...
Posted Wednesday, January 24, 2007 10:35 PM by benkaras | 0 Comments

What does a property handler accomplish?

A property handler is the piece of code that enables you to see the properties about your files as in the picture below. Don't worry about the ambiguity in this sentence; I will be much more specific concerning what component does what in later posts. Read More...
Posted Sunday, January 21, 2007 4:53 PM by benkaras | 8 Comments

Computer Science Exams

Graduate level courses are surreal. Professors assign nearly impossible homework assignments and projects. The exams make you break out in sweat just thinking about them. At the same time, you are often able to just sketch out solutions since it is assumed Read More...
Posted Thursday, January 18, 2007 10:19 PM by benkaras | 2 Comments

Viruwormy

I can't bring myself to click the "compile" button on my property handler project yet... so here's a little piece of geeky joy: Viruwormy . -Ben Karas Read More...
Posted Tuesday, January 16, 2007 11:25 PM by benkaras | 0 Comments

Pandora and the Music Genome Project

A coworker recently turned me onto Pandora.com , a new music service backed by the Music Genome Project. The concept is to create a radio station tailored to your exact likes and dislikes. You tell it an artist you enjoy and it decodes what makes you Read More...
Posted Saturday, January 13, 2007 4:39 PM by benkaras | 3 Comments

Code for Previous Blog Posts

Someone asked if I had a copy of the code I've been using in my blog so far. Well, I didn't as of 5pm today, so I went back and collected the code into 3 projects: propreader.exe <file> - Prints a list of all properties we know about the file propwriter.exe Read More...
Posted Tuesday, January 09, 2007 9:55 PM by benkaras | 0 Comments
Attachment(s): code.zip

Choosing your property API

It is time that I talk a little about what to do if you want your application to run on XP. There are three sets of APIs, each with subtle differences and caveats, and ultimately your choice requires deciding what platform your application must run on: Read More...
Posted Friday, January 05, 2007 12:00 PM by benkaras | 0 Comments
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The fickle critic

Personally, I have trouble using the "I liked it" scale ala Netflix. A movie that garners 5 stars one week only finds 4 another week. In a way, this arises from ambiguity present even within the "I liked it" scale. Did I like it because I was in the mood Read More...
Posted Wednesday, January 03, 2007 12:00 PM by benkaras | 3 Comments
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The split personality critic

The 5 star rating control is misused in most applications today. How can I say that? What's more natural than selecting 5 stars for a movie or song? Actually, the intuitive nature of the rating star control is the cause of this subtle usability issue. Read More...
Posted Monday, January 01, 2007 12:00 PM by benkaras | 3 Comments
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Ben on vacation

I will be on vacation until mid-December, so it is unlikely that I will make any more posts until then, or even maybe January. -Ben Karas Read More...
Posted Tuesday, November 21, 2006 12:01 PM by benkaras | 0 Comments
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Writing properties #9 - Summary

Coding to the Windows SDK Reading properties #7 - Summary Writing properties #1 - Simple beginnings Writing properties #2 - Filetype support? Writing properties #3 - Which properties are writable? Writing properties #4 - Which properties are writable? Read More...
Posted Tuesday, November 21, 2006 12:00 PM by benkaras | 0 Comments
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