Add Shortcut Menu Items to Specific File Types

When you right-click a file in Explorer, you get a shortcut menu that includes a list of programs with which you can open the file. But the programs you want to open those files might not always be on the shortcut menu. It's easy to add new programs to that list. Let's say you want to add a shortcut menu item that allows .gif files to be opened with the freeware graphics viewer IrfanView . From Windows Explorer, choose Tools Folder Options File Types. In the Registered File Types list, select the file type for which you want to add a new shortcut menu item. In our example, we'll choose a GIF file. After this hack, any time you click a file of this type, you'll get a new choice to open the file with.

Once you've chosen your file type, choose Advanced New. You'll see the New Action dialog box shown in Figure 3-12.


Figure 3-12. Adding a new program to the shortcut menu


In the New Action box, type the text you want to appear on the shortcut menufor example, Open with IrfanView. In the "Application used to perform action" box, enter the executable program you want to open the file with, including the full path. Surround it by quotation marks. Then leave a space and type %1. The %1 is a placeholder; it will be used as a substitute for the name of the file on which you right-click. In our instance, the entire string looks like this:

"C:\Program Files\i_view32.exe" "%1"


Click OK. The change will take place immediately, and the new command will appear on the shortcut menu for the specified file type.