Can you create a plug-in for Windows Explorer using .net?

Question

For example, I wanted to create a simple plugin that supports multiple renaming. I was thinking of something like a button that can be added to a toolbar in Windows Explorer. But how to do it, and also can it be done in .net?

Answer 1

This can be done, but it is not necessarily a good idea. You need to wrap the shell extension API, which is all COM based, so it can be used from .NET.

However, the problem occurs if the user has extensions that use .NET 1.1. Version 2 of the CLR cannot be loaded into the application loading the v1.1 CLR, so this can lead to very odd behavior. CLR 4 and .NET 4 address this by allowing .NET hosting alongside the process.

Answer 2

You can, of course, write a shell extension in .net - in fact it is quite easy, although a little tedious. Here is an example: http://www.codeproject.com/KB/cs/dateparser.aspx