Can't open files by dbl-clicking in Windows Explorer

[Alan]

Since upgrading from Version 4.6.2 to 4.7 I can no longer open files by double clicking in Windows Explorer. Textpad will open, but the target file will not be loaded.

The "Textpad" entry on the context menu (right mouse click) works OK, it seems to be just double clicking that doesn't.

My OS is NT 4.0 + SP6a

Any Suggestions ??

Thanks.

[Erland Sommarskog]

I have the same problem. It appears both on my home machine (Windows XP) and on my office machine (Windows 2000 Pro).

[Erland Sommarskog]

Oh, there was a post from Hang Nguyen who was able to resolve his problem. Alas, that did not work for me.

I also tried deleting the associations from Textpad, and readding them, but no luck.

[Alan]

I've found a fix that works for me under "Known Issues" in the help file - the relevant text is copied below:


On NT 4.0, and Windows 2000, TextPad will freeze if you right click an associated file in the Open File dialog box, and choose Open from the context menu. This is due to a known problem in Windows. To avoid it, simply select the file and click the Open button. You can work around it by making Explorer use the command line, rather than DDE messages, to pass file names to TextPad. For example, to make the change for TXT files:
Click Start/Run and run REGEDIT.EXE.
Select the key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TextPad.txt\shell\open\command
Double click "(Default)", in the right hand pane and replace the -s parameter with "%1" (including the quotes).
Select the key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TextPad.txt\shell\open\ddeexec
Press the Delete key, to delete it.
WARNING: Be careful, when using Regedit, as it does not have an undo facility.

Hope this helps.

[Erland Sommarskog]

Thanks for the tip, it works for me too. However, if I add a new association, it gets added with DDEXEC, so it's kind of a hassle.

What I find funny is that it happens to me on two different machines, but judging from the posts in the forum, this is not a very common problem.

[bartlett22183]

Since upgrading from Version 4.6.2 to 4.7 I can no longer open files by double clicking in Windows Explorer. Textpad will open, but the target file will not be loaded.

The "Textpad" entry on the context menu (right mouse click) works OK, it seems to be just double clicking that doesn't.

My OS is NT 4.0 + SP6a

Any Suggestions ??

Thanks.

If I am understanding you correctly (I might not), I am having the opposite problem. I just installed TP 4.7.0 over 4.5.0. I am using Win98SP1. In Windows Explorer, if I doubleclick on a file whose type I have associated with TP, TP opens and loads the file with no problem. However, if I right-click on a file in the Explorer, I get the usual popup menu with TP among the options. If I select TP, TP opens but the file is not loaded.

[olange]

I upgraded from TextPad 4.6 to TextPad 4.7.0 and have the same problem. I already had that problem when I upgraded from TextPad 4.4 to 4.5 if I remember well. I believe I solved it with an upgrade of TextPad. I am running Win2000 SP4. I also had the problem with Win2000 SP3.

[webmasta]

try this

A. Go into folder options / file types/
B. select the file ext and clik edit/

a new panel will popup...

C. select "open" and clik edit

in application used to perform action, do either of two things..

1. put quotes around the entire path
"C:\Progs\textPad\TextPad.exe"

or

2. C:\Progs\textPad\TextPad.exe "%1"
and uncheck DDE if its checked

theres a space between exe and "%1"

worked for me on win98SE, double clik, right clik all works..

webmasta

[bartlett22183]

Good suggestion for associating TP with a specific filetype. This already works for me in TP 4.7.0. However, one thing that 4.7.0 fails at, as I mentioned before, is right clicking on an arbitrary file in Windows Explorer. When I do that, I get the usual popup menu. What is on it will vary from computer to computer, depending on what software is installed. (For example, I have WinZip and PGP installed, so those are options I get.) My problem, as before, is that TP opens but does not load the file. (And, in case anyone asks, I am only trying to open ASCII-type text files, not binary files, from the Explorer.) Different people seem to be experiencing different problems with 4.7.0, perhaps ?? depending on what flavor of Windows they are using.

[webmasta]

Thats the reason for the quotes around the path or if that doesnt work use the "%1"... that tells windows to open the clicked file..

[bartlett22183]

Please recall that I am NOT trying to associate TextPad 4.7.0 with any particular file type or extension through Folder Options, so that I can double click on it, unless I am completely misunderstanding you. (I have been known to do that.) Using the technique you refer to already works with TP 4.7.0, at least on my system, just as it did with 4.5.0. But that is not what I am trying to do.

I am trying to use TP to open ANY arbitrary file by right clicking it in Windows Explorer and then selecting TextPad from the popup menu. That is different from associating TP with a file extension through Folder Options. In the popup menu method, there is no command line that I know of (there might be without my knowing about it) to specify any command line. From the popup menu, TP 4.7.0 does in fact open. It just doesn't load the file (on my system, Win98).

I know that the original post referred to double clicking, but it seems to have broadened to opening files in general with some kind or other of clicking.

[webmasta]

Then what you need is a general context menu shortcut specific to TP for any text file..

eze to do in windoz registry ..

If u dont mind going into the registry i'll give you the specific steps ... lemme know.

[bartlett22183]

Then what you need is a general context menu shortcut specific to TP for any text file..

eze to do in windoz registry ..

If u dont mind going into the registry i'll give you the specific steps ... lemme know.

Please do. I don't know what the difference is between the new TP 4.7.0 and my previous version, and the context menu option worked just fine on previous versions of TP without any registry jiggering on my part. But I am willing to take a look at it.

However, I did make some partial progress. I started TP 4.7.0 and went into Configure/Preferences/General. In the frame 'Put shortcuts to TextPad on:' I already had 'Program menu' and 'Context menu' checked. When I made sure that 'Send To menu' was also checked, I saved and exited TP. Now when I am in Win Explorer, if I right click on an arbitrary file, I get the usual popup context menu. Selecting TP directly still fails, but if I go to Send To and select TP off that secondary menu, TP loads the file. So that is some headway.

[webmasta]

I almost never use the "send to" for anything.. too long winded for me in a production environment.

Into the registry...

1. start /run /type regedit and hit OK...
2. expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT ...

3. the first folder should be "*" (star) /expand it...
under that the first folder should be "shell"
4. right clik on shell and choose new /key ...

5. type a name for the key, TextPad...
6. in the right pane, dbl clik on default...
the edit string box will popup
7. type "Open with TextPad" (no quotes)....
this is what will appear on the right clik menu when you r/clik on any file

8. right clik on the TextPad key in left pane and choose new /key
9. name the key "command" (without the quotes)

10. in the right pane, dbl clik on default...
the edit string box will popup
11. type the correct path to TP then a space then %1
eg "C:\program files\textPad470\TextPad.exe %1" (without quotes)
12. clik ok
whatever you type will now be enclosed in quotes as the data value in the right pane.
open explorer and test ure right clik.

feel free to put as many shortcuts to as many programs as you like by following the steps above for each program.

hint:
to always find the correct path to any program as windows sees it

1. open the run box and clear whatever is in there...
2. open explorer and navigate to the program folder...
3. drag /drop the .exe file anywhere on the run box...
4. windows will display the full path to the exe...

I never use the right clik preferences for any program because the entries are buried all over the registry... my way i always know where they are as the first entries in the registry... not forgetting that some errant programs will leave their r/clik garbage when you uninstal.

Lastly/
For those not familiar with the registry, I take no responsibility for items you may DELETE ... deleting cannot be undone.

[bartlett22183]

Thanks for the instructions. I have saved them in a separate text file. I have diddled with the registry at times, although only with great care and some trepidation, as I know that one mistake can really mess things up. At the moment I am able to get to TP 4.7.0 through the Send To option on the context menu, so I may leave it at that for a while. I am wondering if there is a bug in the new release, perhaps in its installation process. It now uses the Windows (at least under Win98) installer, whereas in 4.5.0 it used its own installer. (I had to download some of the Win installer just to get 4.7.0 laid down.) I never had to jigger anything at all previously, which is what leads me to wonder whether there is a bug in TP 4.7.0 itself, also perhaps in the way its Configure/Preferences/General works or fails to work when making an entry for the Context menu.