Add “Open with TakeCommand” to the Right-Click Menu of Explorer

Charles Dye

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 20, 2008
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106
Albuquerque, NM
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Yes. There are also a couple of batch files, TCCHERE.BTM and TCMDHERE.BTM, in your install directory that you can use. Note that you will probably need to run these elevated ("as administrator") for them to work.
 
Nov 8, 2022
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Thanks! But these BTM files seem to make TakeCommand to any kind of default application (which I do not want).
 
May 20, 2008
12,167
133
Syracuse, NY, USA
Thanks! But these BTM files seem to make TakeCommand to any kind of default application (which I do not want).
Look at the BTM files that @Charles Dye mentioned. All they do is create a few registry entries which put TCC/TCMD on the right-click context menu. There are other BTMs for making one of them the default handler for BTMs (and optionally, BATs and CMDs).
 
Nov 8, 2022
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0
Thanks: TCCHere.btm seems to be exactly what I want. I'll give it a try (have to learn how to start BTM files)

Michael
 
Nov 2, 2008
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The magic is not so much in the BTM files, but rather in the obscure registry key that is being used. For the most part, this displaces the need to use ,DLL files, even under Windows 2000.
 
May 20, 2008
12,167
133
Syracuse, NY, USA
If you do the same thing in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background that was done in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory, you'll get the context menu option from a right-click on the background of a folder. That includes a right-click on the desktop itself, which is equivalent to the background of %SystemDrive\users\username\desktop. That's very convenient if you (like me) often want to start TCC there.
 
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May 20, 2008
12,167
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Syracuse, NY, USA
FWIW, I tried this BTM (elevated) and it seems to have worked as desired. Remove the three occurrences of "test\" and it might do something useful. Note that this is for TCC, not for TCMD.

Code:
@echo off
do key in /L HKCR\test\Directory HKCR\test\Directory\Background HKCR\test\Drive
    if %@regcreate["%key\Shell\TCC\command"] NE 0 (echoerr Failed to create %key & quit)
    if %@regset["%key\Shell\TCC\",REG_SZ,TCC prompt here] NE 0 (echoerr Failed to update %key\Shell\TCC\ & quit)
    if %@regset["%key\Shell\TCC\command\",REG_SZ,"%_cmdspec" /k *cdd "%%L"] NE 0 (echoerr Failed to update %key\Shell\TCC\command\ & quit)
enddo

echo.
echo The Windows Explorer context menus have been updated.

Code:
c:\users\vefatica\desktop> .\tcchere.btm

The Windows Explorer context menus have been updated.

c:\users\vefatica\desktop> regdir /v /d hkcr\test
hkcr\test
  Directory
    Background
      Shell
        TCC
           : REG_SZ : TCC prompt here
          command
             : REG_SZ : "D:\TC28\TCC.EXE" /k *cdd "%L"
    Shell
      TCC
         : REG_SZ : TCC prompt here
        command
           : REG_SZ : "D:\TC28\TCC.EXE" /k *cdd "%L"
  Drive
    Shell
      TCC
         : REG_SZ : TCC prompt here
        command
           : REG_SZ : "D:\TC28\TCC.EXE" /k *cdd "%L"

c:\users\vefatica\desktop>

It also worked as expected when run unelevated.

Code:
c:\users\vefatica\desktop> .\tcchere.btm
Failed to create HKCR\test\Directory

c:\users\vefatica\desktop>
 

Charles Dye

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 20, 2008
4,689
106
Albuquerque, NM
prospero.unm.edu
Hey Vincent:

Have you tried this? Does it work for you?

Here (Windows 10/2004) your "TCC prompt here" background menu item gives an error message. Looks like Explorer doesn't appreciate %L in this context...? Works better for me after substituting %V for %L.
 
May 20, 2008
12,167
133
Syracuse, NY, USA
Hey Vincent:

Have you tried this? Does it work for you?

Here (Windows 10/2004) your "TCC prompt here" background menu item gives an error message. Looks like Explorer doesn't appreciate %L in this context...? Works better for me after substituting %V for %L.
Yeah, thanks! I have %V in all three places (dir, dir_background, and drive). I just copied the %L from TCCHere.btm when I posted recently. I vaguely recall a bit of a struggle getting it to work the first time. This (below) still targets HKCR\test, but I've changed %L to %V.

Code:
@echo off
do key in /L HKCR\test\Directory HKCR\test\Directory\Background HKCR\test\Drive
    if %@regcreate["%key\Shell\TCC\command"] NE 0 (echoerr Failed to create %key & quit)
    if %@regset["%key\Shell\TCC\",REG_SZ,TCC prompt here] NE 0 (echoerr Failed to update %key\Shell\TCC\ & quit)
    if %@regset["%key\Shell\TCC\command\",REG_SZ,"%_cmdspec" /k *cdd "%%V"] NE 0 (echoerr Failed to update %key\Shell\TCC\command\ & quit)
enddo

echo.
echo The Windows Explorer context menus have been updated.
 

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