Register app extension for portable mode in Windows 10

By default, Windows 10 won't let you easily register a portable-mode app as
the default app for any particular file-name extension (aka file type).

But is there a hard way to register a file type to a portable app in Win10?

For example, *.vc (or *.tc) is the VeraCrypt/TrueCrypt filename extension.
Clicking on a container.vc (or container.tc) will open it up in VeraCrypt
if we "install" VeraCrypt but not if we use VeraCrypt in portable mode.

Is there a way (any way) to register a file type to a portable app in W10?

On Wed, 26 Jul 2017 20:22:52 +0000 (UTC), Chaya Eve
wrote:

Is there a way (any way) to register a file type to a portable app in W10?

I'm not a windows expert so I ask you if you think the "App Paths" registry
subkey can be used so that we can "register" portable apps to open by file
type?

Application Registration
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/lib...(v=vs.85).aspx

If not, I might try this:
Tip: How to pin any Portable App in Windows
https://portableapps.com/node/31515

Chaya Eve wrote:
By default, Windows 10 won't let you easily register a portable-mode app as
the default app for any particular file-name extension (aka file type).

But is there a hard way to register a file type to a portable app in Win10?

For example, *.vc (or *.tc) is the VeraCrypt/TrueCrypt filename extension.
Clicking on a container.vc (or container.tc) will open it up in VeraCrypt
if we "install" VeraCrypt but not if we use VeraCrypt in portable mode.

Is there a way (any way) to register a file type to a portable app in W10?

Right click Open With More Apps Look for another app on
this PC

.... does this not work?

On 2017-07-26 20:08, lifewoutmilk
wrote:

Chaya Eve wrote:
By default, Windows 10 won't let you easily register a portable-mode app as
the default app for any particular file-name extension (aka file type).

But is there a hard way to register a file type to a portable app in Win10?

For example, *.vc (or *.tc) is the VeraCrypt/TrueCrypt filename extension.
Clicking on a container.vc (or container.tc) will open it up in VeraCrypt
if we "install" VeraCrypt but not if we use VeraCrypt in portable mode.

Is there a way (any way) to register a file type to a portable app in W10?

Right click Open With More Apps Look for another app on
this PC

.... does this not work?

+1

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On Thu, 27 Jul 2017 00:08:27 -0000 (UTC), lifewoutmilk
wrote:

Is there a way (any way) to register a file type to a portable app in W10?

Right click Open With More Apps Look for another app on
this PC

... does this not work?

I guess it's my fault for not making clear that the obvious thing that
everyone else does fifty times a day fifteen thousand times a year, isn't
what I seek as the answer.

So, no, right clicking and navigating through a menu time after time after
time, fifty times a day, fifteen thousand times a year, is NOT what I seek.

To be clear, this question isn't one that is going to be answered by anyone
who doesn't understand Windows really really really really well.

It's not an easy question to answer as the answer may easily be that it's
impossible. I don't think it's impossible. But it's not going to be
answered by someone clicking around.

The goal is to doubleclick on a *.tc file and up comes the portable version
of Veracrypt.

Same with doubleclicking on an html file to bring up a portable version of
the Tor Browser Bundle.

Same with doubleclicking on a file with no extension, and having it come up
in my pre-defined hex editor.

If this was an easy question to answer, I wouldn't have bothered to ask it.

On Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:05:01 -0400, B00ze wrote:

Is there a way (any way) to register a file type to a portable app in W10?

Right click Open With More Apps Look for another app on
this PC

.... does this not work?

+1

This question isn't one that is going to be answered by anyone who doesn't
understand Windows really really really really well.

Chaya Eve wrote:
On Thu, 27 Jul 2017 00:08:27 -0000 (UTC), lifewoutmilk
wrote:

Is there a way (any way) to register a file type to a portable app in W10?

Right click Open With More Apps Look for another app on
this PC

... does this not work?

I guess it's my fault for not making clear that the obvious thing that
everyone else does fifty times a day fifteen thousand times a year, isn't
what I seek as the answer.

So, no, right clicking and navigating through a menu time after time after
time, fifty times a day, fifteen thousand times a year, is NOT what I seek.

To be clear, this question isn't one that is going to be answered by anyone
who doesn't understand Windows really really really really well.

It's not an easy question to answer as the answer may easily be that it's
impossible. I don't think it's impossible. But it's not going to be
answered by someone clicking around.

The goal is to doubleclick on a *.tc file and up comes the portable version
of Veracrypt.

Same with doubleclicking on an html file to bring up a portable version of
the Tor Browser Bundle.

Same with doubleclicking on a file with no extension, and having it come up
in my pre-defined hex editor.
If this was an easy question to answer, I wouldn't have bothered to ask it.

So actual issue is not so much getting Windows to associate a file
extension, but to pass command line arguments to the chosen
application.

You have to get a little creative sometimes.... Create a BAT file such
as:

#v+
@echo off
C:\Apps\VeraCrypt\VeraCrypt.exe /q /v "%1"
#v-

Use whatever path you've copied VeraCrypt.exe to. Then you can use the
"Open with" and point it to the batch file. You won't get a pretty icon
but it will launch VeraCrypt and mount the container file to the first
available drive letter. If you want VeraCrypt to stay open, remove
the "/q" from the command line.

I tested this using the most recent version of VeraCrypt in "Portable"
mode from https://www.veracrypt.fr. I did not, however, verify that
it will persist across reboots, but I don't see any reason that it
wouldn't.

I do not have a solution to creating associations to files with no
extensions.

On Thu, 27 Jul 2017 03:59:40 -0000 (UTC), lifewoutmilk
wrote:

So actual issue is not so much getting Windows to associate a file
extension, but to pass command line arguments to the chosen
application.

You have to get a little creative sometimes.... Create a BAT file such
as:

#v+
@echo off
C:\Apps\VeraCrypt\VeraCrypt.exe /q /v "%1"
#v-

Use whatever path you've copied VeraCrypt.exe to. Then you can use the
"Open with" and point it to the batch file. You won't get a pretty icon
but it will launch VeraCrypt and mount the container file to the first
available drive letter. If you want VeraCrypt to stay open, remove
the "/q" from the command line.

I tested this using the most recent version of VeraCrypt in "Portable"
mode from https://www.veracrypt.fr. I did not, however, verify that
it will persist across reboots, but I don't see any reason that it
wouldn't.

I do not have a solution to creating associations to files with no
extensions.

Thank you for understanding where I again apologize that I didn't make it
clear in the beginning that the problem never was getting the application
to come up eventually after clicking through the menus.

The problem was to doubleclick on a file.extension and having a portable
app come up just from that one action.

I agree with you that a batch file will likely work for the situations
where there is a file extension. I will try your suggestion, but I am not
all that good with batch files so it may take me a while.

I also agree with you that it's a lot harder, but probably not impossible,
to get Windows to open up a hex editor of choice when there is no file
extension - but I do agree with you that this case, while it sounds
similar, is far more difficult to surmount.

Chaya Eve wrote:
On Thu, 27 Jul 2017 03:59:40 -0000 (UTC), lifewoutmilk
wrote:

So actual issue is not so much getting Windows to associate a file
extension, but to pass command line arguments to the chosen
application.

You have to get a little creative sometimes.... Create a BAT file such
as:

#v+
@echo off
C:\Apps\VeraCrypt\VeraCrypt.exe /q /v "%1"
#v-

Use whatever path you've copied VeraCrypt.exe to. Then you can use the
"Open with" and point it to the batch file. You won't get a pretty icon
but it will launch VeraCrypt and mount the container file to the first
available drive letter. If you want VeraCrypt to stay open, remove
the "/q" from the command line.

I tested this using the most recent version of VeraCrypt in "Portable"
mode from https://www.veracrypt.fr. I did not, however, verify that
it will persist across reboots, but I don't see any reason that it
wouldn't.

I do not have a solution to creating associations to files with no
extensions.

Thank you for understanding where I again apologize that I didn't make it
clear in the beginning that the problem never was getting the application
to come up eventually after clicking through the menus.

The problem was to doubleclick on a file.extension and having a portable
app come up just from that one action.

I agree with you that a batch file will likely work for the situations
where there is a file extension. I will try your suggestion, but I am not
all that good with batch files so it may take me a while.

I also agree with you that it's a lot harder, but probably not impossible,
to get Windows to open up a hex editor of choice when there is no file
extension - but I do agree with you that this case, while it sounds
similar, is far more difficult to surmount.

For the no extension case, it may be easier to add the hex editor as an
option to the right-click menu in Explorer. Not as nice as just
double-clicking to open a file, but it's an option.

On Thu, 27 Jul 2017 12:55:51 -0000 (UTC), lifewoutmilk
wrote:

For the no extension case, it may be easier to add the hex editor as an
option to the right-click menu in Explorer. Not as nice as just
double-clicking to open a file, but it's an option.

Thank you again for understanding the problem set, where there are plenty
of extensionless files where you know what you want to open them in.
a. hosts
b. binaries
c. containers
d. archives
etc.

That's probably the best idea, and, given that an extensionless file is
usually known to you as some "type", it probably should be hierarchical
that menu.

RightClick on "filename", where the menu pops up with hierarchy of:
Open with - a. Vim
b. Hexedit
c. Veracrypt (containers don't "need" extensions)
d. 7-Zip
etc.