Help: Need Resource or explanation of BrowserFlags/Editflags & oth

[kelaniz]

Ok, In the WinXP registry's HKCR section, a lot of items have the Browserflags and Editflags values. I have no idea what they do, or what the various data in the values does, either.

Does anyone know of a site that explains these values in detail, effects of modifying each value's data, or anything else? It seems they're responsible for a variety of things, like (I think) making corresponding entries in Tools-Folder Options-File Types editable or locked. Plus various other things. In the above HKCR\shell\explore entry, it seems these keys may be responsible for whether an opened explorer window shows the folder tree or not.

Lots of the BF/EF values have different data, but the most common I see are:

 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore]
"BrowserFlags"=dword:00000008
"ExplorerFlags"=dword:00000000

Many are different (see the 3 examples posted below). I've seen data of: 0, 1, 2, 3, 8, and 65536 among others. And sometimes the value is binary instead of a dword.

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore]
"BrowserFlags"=dword:00000010
"ExplorerFlags"=dword:00000012

 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mp3file]
"EditFlags"=dword:00010000
"BrowserFlags"=dword:00000008

 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Msi.Package]
"EditFlags"=hex:00,00,10,00
 "BrowserFlags"=dword:00000000

Dword, Binary, lots of different data values. It's pretty darn confusing. Trying to track changes with a registry monitor will probably drive you insane, because checking or unchecking the same option in two different entries in Tools-Folder Options-File Types doesn't neccessarily change each entry's data to the same number(!).

Then there's the other ~19 values that frequently appear in HKCR entries.

The first nine, I pretty much get what they do, They're posted just for general info for anyone that might need it.

The second group, I have little or no clue what they do. For Full/PreviewDetails, no idea *where* they do it

AlwaysShowExt (REG_SZ, Apparently forces filetype's extension shown in explorer.)

BaseClass (REG_SZ, References item's larger class. On AudioCD Entry, value is "Drive" for example.)

FriendlyTypeName (REG_EXPAND_SZ, References entry's "friendly" name or a resource in various DLLs)

ContentType (REG_SZ, Lists the appropriate Mime type for the filetype)

InfoTip (REG_EXPAND_SZ, References entry's Infotip resource or a resource in various DLLs)

IsShortcut (REG_SZ, Sometimes Blank, Sometimes Value="1" Apparently tells Windows filetype is a shortcut.)

MP2.Last (REG_SZ, Backup filetype created by WMP or another media player, I think.)

NeverShowExt (REG_SZ, Apparently forces filetype's extension hidden in explorer.)

PerceivedType (REG_SZ, References a general filetype, i.e. Image/Video/Application)

-Now there's these guys...

NoOpen (REG_SZ, HKCR\bin, HPCR\dat, HKCR\ACLfile, Blank Data.)

DefaultDropEffect (DWORD, HKCR\cdafile Data="0x00000004" )

PreferExecuteOnMismatch (DWORD, Many keys. Value usually="1")

TileInfo (Reg_SZ, HKCR\dllfile Data="prop:FileVersion;FileDescription" Shows prop info somewhere, but where?)

URL Protocol (REG_SZ, KHCR\file Blank. Found in protocol entries: "http/https" Also in "file". "ed2k", "telnet" etc.)

Source Filter (REG_SZ, HKCR\file. Data="{E436EBB6-524F-11CE-9F53-0020AF0BA770}" CLSID. No idea.)

LocalizedString (REG_SZ, HKCR\folder Blank data. No idea.)

ShellFolder (REG_SZ, HKCR\ftp Data="{63da6ec0-2e98-11cf-8d82-444553540000}" CLSID. No idea.)

FullDetails (REG_SZ, HKCR\InternetShortcut Data="prop:System.Link.TargetUrl;System.Rating; etc.." Where?)

PreviewDetails (REG_SZ, HKCR\InternetShortcut Data="prop:System.Link.TargetUrl;System.Rating; etc.." Where?)

Searching for information on the BF/EF entries is darn near impossible as search results catch the millions of registry entries posted in millions of forums. I have scoured 3 books on the XP registry, and these items were not mentioned at all in two books, and given a one-line mention in the third. Even though they're in code examples that detail everything else, BrowserFlags/EditFlags get no mention.

I don't care so much about the second group of 10 entries, as they don't seem like anything I need or want to tweak. But I'm pretty sure BrowserFlags/EditFlags handle things I DO want to screw with, and it bothers me I can't find out what. So, does anyone here know:

1. What do these entries actually do?

2. What data values are valid for each entry?

3. What do each of those data values do?

Even a link to somewhere they're explained beyond "Uh, they manage complex stuffs." would be very much appreciated. I've looked for information on these values off and on for 2 years now, with zero success.

This is definitely one of those things where whoever helps me solve it earns a spot on my Christmas list.

Thanks in advance.

Kel

Edited May 4, 2007 by kelaniz

[[deXter]]

BrowserFlags 0x8 or 0x9 indicates that a particular app should open in its own window when its associated file is clicked (as opposed to opening within IE. For eg: MS Office docs). 0x10 indicates that when a link is clicked, the existing window should be reused instead of opening a new window. (0x22 in windows explorer - when you open a folder, it opens in an existing window instead of opening a new one). 0x24 or 0x00 indicates that the viewer should be embedded in the browser.

EditFlags indicates what explorer should do with a particular filetype and/or defines what class it is. 00 01 00 00 turns off the "Confirm open after download" box in IE. 00 00 00 means no special attributes have been defined for that class. 02 00 00 00 is used for the mailto: protocol for mail clients.

Technically, the EditFlags value for a filetype indicates a set of attributes that control the behavior of the filetype, or more specifically how the system should handle it. For eg, 0x00040000 indicates that the file is unsafe and should always be prompted before execution and 0x00100000 indicates that a file of that class shouldn't be included in the Recent Documents list. Now to indicate both these attributes in a single EditFlags binary, a logical OR is performed. = 0x00060000. Now this, in the binary EditFlags will be stored with reversed bytes as 00 00 06 00.

For more details, read the Creating a File Association article on MSDN.

Edited May 6, 2007 by [deXter]

[kelaniz]

deXter: That page was exactly what I was looking for, and the info in your post was a bonus. I swear MSDN hates me. I *scoured* that site, and that same section on more than one occasion looking for this info, and never saw it.

Editflags looks to be so useful, I wonder why it's not more commonly used amongst regtweakers? Sure, those settings are there to keep people from screwing up their install, but for those who know what they're doing (and even when they don't, try it anyway) being able to change those behaviors is pretty useful. For example, a tweak to remove a few dozen useless filetypes from the recent document list might make that feature worth the problems it creates. Same thing for a tweak to remove these two annoyances from a few filetypes:

FTA_noEditIcon (0x00000200)

-Prohibits the modification or deletion of the icon assigned to the file class.

FTA_NoNewVerb (0x00000020)

Prohibits the addition of new verbs to the file class.

BrowserFlags seems to have some nifty possibilities, too.

Anyway, Many thanks for your post. It'll be very, very helpful.

Cool avatar, btw. Turn the guy pale white, make the cat look bored and I'd think I was staring into a mirror.

-Kel

[[deXter]]

Glad to be of help

That avatar is a very accurate digital representation of me, my cat and my computer. Yes, that also includes the blue computer chair, and the toolbox

You can make your own custom avatar from here: http://www.messdudes.com/